Raise Frugal Kids with Financial Prowess

From a very young age, our children watch the way we handle ourselves in reference to money and finances. It we are careless and give off airs that money grows on trees with our spending, our children will believe it themselves. If we believe that money is nothing but trouble and the root of all evil, our children will pick up on that energy too. If we adopt frugal principles and limit our spending most responsibly, our children will probably do all they can to imitate us in their lives: that is unless we’re too extreme and the excessive penny-pinching turns them off! Trying to raise frugal kids might be a chore, but it will be easier if you know the correct ways to deal with your kids.

Being frugal is a wonderful way to make the most of each dollar you have, and to ensure that it stretches as far as possible. Consumers are so easily trapped in advertising principles that urge them to buy and buy some more, and our children are targeted with the same tactics before they can even walk or talk. You want to hand the strengths of a frugal lifestyle down to your children and deciding to raise frugal kids will benefit you both in very good ways. As long as you enact the right methods, your challenge to raise frugal kids will become easy and they won’t grow to resent a thriftier mindset. Keep reading for winning tips that will help you raise frugal kids!

Make It All Feel Like Fun

The key to making your kids catch the frugal bug lies in making it all fun and games for them. No child will want to be frugal if all they equate it to is constant sacrifice and feelings of deprivation.

Instead of outlining all of the things they can’t do, open their eyes to the world of possibilities and things they can take part in that don’t cost any money at all: like checking good books and movies out from the library, taking road trips or getting out in nature for a hike or a fun day at the park.

To raise frugal kids successfully, you have to show them the value in everyday experience that lies beyond the confines of money. Make it clear that living an incredibly meaningful life is about way more than any amount of things you can buy. When you decide against buying those store-bought cookies, frame your decision around a positive point. Let them know that you don’t need to get the cookies at the store when you can make much tastier cookies right at home for free since all the ingredients are already there! Whenever they ask for unnecessary things just because they “want” them, like a new backpack for a new school year even though their old one is still completely usable, make them aware of the things they could have instead if they save a little! Instead of getting that new book bag, they could get a trip to an amusement park or the zoo.

Being on a tight budget doesn’t mean that the fun has to be sucked out of everything. Keeping your children active and focused on the simple joys of life will be paramount when you’re in the throes of trying to raise frugal kids. Whenever those new toys come out that will probably end up broken in no time, your children will have a heightened sense of the actual work that goes into purchasing all these expensive extras.

Kids Love a Good Game!

Frugality really shouldn’t be about restricting yourself, but more about get the most out of each dollar you earn. To raise frugal kids up right, make shopping into a game that calls for finding the coolest things you can for the least amount of money.

• When doing grocery shopping, allow them to decide on a snack or two that they enjoy while getting the lowest price they can find. Educate them about what all of the numbers on the price tag means, like the price-per-unit and the value of evaluating the different sales and price points of items.
• When Halloween rolls around, challenge them to a thrift store that should offer a number of great options to create a one-of-a-kind costume. Not only will you save a nice chunk of change on their costume, but teaching them to be creative with their spending in fun ways will further cement the behavior as they grow older.

Showing your children the value of saving, fixing things and doing it themselves will build a strong basis for them as adults. Giving away excess clothing or repurposing things around the house are all great tools to start with. There’s no way that you’ll be able to keep your child away from all the ploys out there, but if you make it your business to be the voice of reason and a honest adult they can learn from, they’ll look fondly on the things they took away from childhood, even if it was different from that of their friends.