Managing Money and the Role of Chores

Recently, our friend Catherine asked what we do to cultivate a Biblical view on spending, saving and giving with our girls. It was in regards to a post in which the girls had saved money for a year in order to purchase roller skates.

Well, we certainly don't have it all down in this area, but to follow is a quick snippet of our journey. I don't believe there is an all encompassing "right way" to decide whether to pay or not to pay your children for chores, so please do not feel that I am saying that.

Really, anything that has worked in our family has been because of the Lord. There were plenty of false starts and mistakes along the way, but He is still working. And that is good.

BACKGROUND

When our older girls were younger, they had very little money available to them. We would not pay them for chores and so the occasional Grandma or Great Grandma money received on special occasions was about it.

Our family would still set goals; working together to "save up" for a swing set or something like that, but "saving up" just meant that they knew Mommy and Daddy wouldn't be buying anything extra until we had met our goal.

In the case of the swing set I remember one of the girls asking if we could just stop buying groceries until we had enough money. She was willing to dig a little deeper than I was (smile).

WHY NOT PAY THEM?

Why didn't we pay them for chores? I suppose we didn't want to cultivate an attitude that they needed to be paid for their reasonable service in the home. I didn't want to ask them to empty the dishwasher and have them ask how much they would get for doing that job. We simply taught them that: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." 2 Thess. 3:10 And then we worked, and we continue to work at, cultivating "hard and cheerful" workers.

As a side note, we did instead create what we called "Blessing Bucks." We used Doorpost's "Blessing Chart" and made our own "Bucks" on the computer. Whenever we saw the girls exerting themselves in a character area from the chart we would call them aside; write their name and what they did on their Blessing Buck and have them tuck it away in a safe place.

Each Sunday night they would redeem their Blessing Bucks for prizes I had purchased. Their dad would allow them to redeem them in his store (picture Daddy at toy cash register with kid sized orange *star* sunglasses on; wheeling and dealing his Dollar Store merchandise).

In this way, we could treat them for those character traits we wanted to emphasize without dealing directly in cash and without buying them things in the store.

It was fun and worked well... until they started announcing all of their good deeds just to earn a "Buck." I think that is when we stopped that system. *Sigh* I do miss Tom in the orange sunglasses.

SO WHY PAY THEM NOW?

As the girls have grown; however, we have decided to begin paying the girls for their morning chores. Why? Well, for one thing, it is difficult to teach someone to manage money when they have no money.

The amount is very small, but it is still an amount they can tithe on, save, spend and so on.

The stipulation for receiving pay is that the chores are done well, cheerfully and by 9:00 am. And we inspect the chores.

We don't pay them for their other daily chores; just those that must be done by 9:00 am. This has not yet backfired.

MANAGING MONEY

Another way we are working to teach them to manage money is with vacation spending.

Tom and I decided that on our vacation last year, we would simply give the girls a flat spending allowance. We were not yet paying them to do chores and we did not want to have them asking beyond what we desired to spend. So, ahead of time, we decided what we would be willing to give them~ an amount that would cover a sweatshirt, some post cards, links for their lock charm bracelet etc. We wrote the amount in the journal and helped the girls as we went (this did not include Lydia, age 3 at the time).

Although we counseled and okayed each purchase, we let them have a little rope. Sometimes we even let them make mistakes... not every mistake, but some. In some cases this worked out well, for some it was sad to have the money run out so quickly. But in every case lessons were learned and we were able to draw on those experiences later when counseling them about the next thing.

CHEERFUL CHORES

"Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do,
as though you were working for the Lord
rather than for people."

~Colossians 3:23

Did I say that in addition to chores being done on time, they had to be done cheerfully? Really?

Absolutely.

Everything God asks us to do, even the everyday things, go against our flesh and remind us of how very much we need Him. There is really no way to live this life according to His will apart from His work in us to "will and do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). If we are settling for anything less than hard and cheerful work we are not driving them back to their Father for help.

GREAT CHRISTIAN RESOURCES

You may also enjoy:

• A helpful article regarding children and finances at Crown Financial Ministries.
  
• And My Giving Bank; a bank that helps children divide money into tithing, savings and spending categories.
  

May the Lord bless you as you lead little hearts home!

Rebecca

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Two of my garden helpers. They get paid in peas and strawberries for this job. : )

Happy Fourth of July!

We had such a wonderful time this Fourth of July! Wanted to share a few of the snap shots from the weekend. Hope you enjoy!




My sister and her family planned a party next door. We got ready by making spinach dip, sliced sourdough bread, baked beans and brownies~ plus we were making taco salad for our lunch before hand. Don't worry, I had plenty of help. As you can see, I was actually out of a job all together.





Here's our friend Cody with Lydia. You know, it looks a little like we're practicing for a Wesson ad, doesn't it? That was an accident. Cody's always making sure that Mrs. Jones is not being overworked while he is here. Very sweet.



My sister's family planned several really fun and festive games for their gathering and they all turned out great! They included an "over and under" relay with red, white and blue balloons; a march and run with American flags, and...


several rousing games of "cold potato" in which water balloons leaked and~ for fun sake~ were squeezed really good as they were passed from person to person. Several folks got nice and wet with this one. It was great to watch!






As you can see, spectating can be serious business.


Our good friend Bob manned the BBQ and cooked up the yummy hamburgers and hot dogs. Thanks Bob!


And Jesse Winton proves again that his creativity is not limited to music and videography. Loved this.


There was visiting with sweet friends; a little blue grass jammin' on the front porch; swimming and a patriotic sing along, but I'm afraid I just didn't get pictures of everything.



What was I doing? Swinging and playing Frisbee with the baby... or at least that is what it looks like in this photo. She's a good catch, no? Doesn't even look like she's trying.


Oh, and by the way (here is where I may lose all credibility forever) when taking a photo with your friends and the kids all holler,

"Do a silly face!"

You should probably make sure everyone else is on board with the silly face idea before you go ahead with it...






Yep, it was just me. I figure if I post the picture myself, it can't be used to blackmail me later. That's how it works, right?



Have a great day!

Love,
Rebecca


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The first photo: Ashley and Olivia's sweet Saltwater Sandals in patriotic colors. I always wore the white ones when I was a girl. I love them.

The Prize

When the weather gets pleasant, we are often looking for family activities that will get us outdoors and moving! Last year, following an excursion to a local nature preserve, we began mulling over the idea of purchasing roller skates. The problem was, because we had not planned ahead, there was no budget for that type of expenditure at that time.

As you know, in some cases we just say, "We don't need that" and move on, but because this fit in with our family goal of being together and getting exercise out of doors I began to wonder how we could make this happen.

We talked about it and came up with a simple plan. We'd put a mason jar in the kitchen and save up any money that came our way~ this included Valentine's Day money sent by Grammie; money for birthdays from Grandma; Little bits of Christmas money; Money from chores and so on. All the kids worked together choosing to feed the jar rather than treat themselves along the way.

Well, a year rolled by (forgive the pun) and a few weeks ago the girls got excited about counting the jar. I was a little worried. Although Tom and I had planned to slip a little money in unawares we had actually forgotten to. Boy were we surprised to find that the girls had saved $94.67!

Today we went to Target where they were selling adjustable skates for between $20-$40 a pair depending on the size. We excitedly realized that we would be able to buy Faith, Michaela and Sarah's skates with the jar money they had saved. You should have seen those happy faces. And because they are adjustable they should last for years.

I called Tom at work and told him the situation. His only stipulation was that we buy wristguards as well, but he was so proud of the girls that he offered to buy those and the final pair of little skates for Lydia~ you know the kind that just slip over your shoe and don't really roll at all? So cute.

A couple of months ago I found Dr. James Dobson's book, The New Dare to Discipline at a thrift store and picked it up. I came across this sentiment that he articulated so very well:

"There are few conditions that inhibit a sense of appreciation more than for a child to feel he is entitled to whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. It is enlightening to watch as a boy or girls tears open stacks of presents at a birthday party or perhaps at Christmas time. One after another, the expensive contents are tossed aside with little more than a glance. The child's mother is made uneasy by his lack of enthusiasm and appreciation, so she says, "Oh Marvin! Look what it is. It's a little tape recorder! What do you say to Grandmother? Give Grandmother a big hug. Did you hear me Marvin? Go give Grams a big hug and kiss."

Marvin may or may not choose to make the proper noises to Grandmother. His lack of exuberance results from the fact that prizes which are won cheaply are of little value, regardless of the cost to the original purchaser.

Although it sounds paradoxical, you actually cheat him of pleasure when you give him too much."

We don't always get it right, but as the kids were enjoying their "prize" won after many months of saving I couldn't help but think this was going to be one of those treasured memories that would influence and serve them in their future.


Blessings,
Rebecca

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Lydia in her skates with her cousin Joshua and sister Michaela in the background.

Long Summer Days...

It's the stuff memories are made of.



The Young Family reunion... or union in some cases. I had never met some of these cousins and second cousins. Shauna and Erike opened up their lovely home and blessed us with their hospitality. What a pleasant time.






Our friends, the Winton's, were able to get us free tickets for the Grass Valley Bluegrass Festival. It was great to see them perform and receive a standing ovation. We know it won't be their last. They are so very talented and even though they were just added to Vision Forum's Behemoth, they are already #5!


Brian, the man who led Tom and I to faith also happens to be the bluegrass Chaplin and was preaching that morning. We had to get up at 4:30 am to get there in time to catch it, but we really wanted the girls to hear him preach. Faithful to the Word as always.


This ice cream stand, and it's owners, were so cute! You can't see them, but the lady serving had these little Popsicle earrings with one bite gone out of each. She was so cheery and sweet with the girls and even gave them a picture of her dog.


Her husband restored these old ice cream trucks and sewed the pink striped awnings attached to their carts. Pink vintage ice cream trucks. Too perfect for a family of all girls who happen to think ice cream is one of the four main food groups! I think I had sherbet in mind when we laid out our clothes. Thanks Buciaks for Hailey's cute ensemble. I love that little scarf!






I love these old trees. Aren't they fantastic? Amazing how some things really become their best with age and maturity. Celebrating our 18th year of marriage this month.


Playing horseshoes and having running races with our children. Working in the garden. Impromptu Popsicle breaks with next door cousins.

Summer memories... I know you are making precious ones of your own. God's richest blessings as you lead little hearts home!


Rebecca

A Wonderful Time...

The Wintons were amazing. We were blessed to have them stay in our home and were truly sad to see our new friends leave. We look forward to seeing them again real soon.


Our family, along with our extended Jones family, worked in the Craft Booth. Loved these "design your own" pinwheels.


Sweet Ashley working in the Goldfish Toss Booth (where you toss ping pong balls, not goldfish). Look for Ashley and her sisters in the summer issue of the Girlhood Home Companion Magazine.


Darling Caroline. Can't keep my camera away from this cutie.


Guess what the little girls wanted to spend their tickets on?


Sweet Becky. What a smile.


My cute nephew Joshie at the prize booth. He brought home a really neat sling shot he shared with all the kids.


And can we get cuter than this Little Miss? Adorable.



Still proofing...

Blessings,
Rebecca

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Looking for a FREE "Photoshop" style program to edit photos? Try GIMP. It's quality is amazing and it's available for Mac or PC. Did I mention it's free?

Carnival for Charity!

It's that time again!

The Riverbend Ranch Charity Carnival is the exciting family project of the Eric Kjeldgaard family.

In 2007, desiring for their children to have a practical way to help those in need, Eric and Lisa came up with the idea of the carnival to raise funds for orphans and widows around the world. James 1:27 is the guiding verse for the carnival:

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Aside from raising money for worthwhile charities, the carnival desires to create a day of Old Fashioned fun in a safe, God honoring environment.

This year's carnival will also include the added benefit of the very talented Christian bluegrass band, the Wintons who are coming all the way from Redding, CA to donate their time, talent and CD sales for this great cause. We can't wait to meet them in person.





Our family will be manning the craft booth again this year. So, come out and make a craft with us; win a cake at my sister's famous cake walk or dunk some really fun friends. It's sure to be a great family time for all.


Hope to see you there!


Blessings,
Rebecca



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IF YOU CAN'T ATTEND but would like to enter the raffles or make a donation, just click here.

Just a little nail...

JUST A LITTLE NAIL

The mysterious man was selling his home for a ridiculously low price. The only condition was that there was just one nail he would not sell. The new homeowners were thrilled and thought little of the implications just one nail could make~ especially the one the man was asking for. One clear up in the attic. Sure, he could have "ownership" of that one nail and visit it whenever he wanted. They were going to be homeowners at last!

A week passed and the man returned to see his nail. While there he hung a piece of meat on it. He warned the homeowners that by contractual agreement they were not allowed to touch his nail or anything on it. Doing so would put them in violation of the law and so forfeit ownership back to him. With that he left.

Over the coming summer weeks the meat began to decay. Flies began to breed and the meat gave off an odor that was so terrible that the homeowners could no longer stand to remain in the home.

Just one nail not given over to the new owners had made the entire home utterly useless.


JUST A LITTLE SIN

And so it is with sin that we are unwilling to deal with in our lives, isn't it? We may reason that our heart belongs to God, but as He reveals various sins to us if we do not repent (agree with God that He is right and turn from said sin) it becomes just like that flesh rotting in the attic.

My brother in law was sharing that analogy with us this past weekend and reflecting on the fact that media often seems to be that "one little nail" Christians have a hard time giving up. Whatever thing pricks at our conscience; whether it be ungodly media, gossip or thinking the worst of others (little things, right?); we must be willing to readily turn these over to the Lord.

It does no good to reason that it is an unimportant or little sin. Or even that other Christians are doing the exact same thing. We must recall that it is the little foxes that creep in and ruin all.

Wasn't it just a little sin when Adam ate the fruit?




PRUNING

We began Isaiah in family worship today. This morning Tom read Chapter 1.


"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
put away evil of your doings from before my eyes.
Cease to do evil, learn to do good."

Isaiah 1:16


We considered as a family and individually what sins we need to forsake and how to do that. Discussing both sins of omission and commission and what the Lord says about purging these things. He has said we are to "cut off" sin and be so serious about it that it could be as painful as losing a limb if need be. We are to be wholly His.

We talked about what kind of fruit we see in our lives and how the Lord desires for us to clean the inside of the cup. One of the girls said that if we do not clean the inside, our lives are like the potatoes of the great potato famine. They start out looking good on the outside, but they become black and useless. From the mouths of babes.

"Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness;
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

1 Cor 5:6-8

Praise God that in Christ what is impossible is made possible!


Blessings to you as you lead little hearts home.
Rebecca


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If you enjoy Voddie's direct style, you will enjoy PAUL WASHER. This is an excerpt from a talk given to 5,000 youth. May we stop short of nothing but true repentance and humility as we train these young hearts. This is too powerful to miss. Not recommended for young children.