"I adore the theater and I am a painter. I think the two are made for a marriage of love. I will give all my soul to prove this once more."Marc Chagall
|
| |
Kids And Chores - Make It Easy On Yourself!
My neighbours' kid impressed me the other day.I was busy painting the backyard fence, when their ten-yearold son came out with the vacuum cleaner. He opened thefront panel, removed the bag, and put it in the bin. Then hetook a replacement bag, fitted it, ...
Race and Racism – Some Concepts Defined
Despite adamant claims to the contrary, racism continues to plague many peoples around the world. The first step toward resolving issues of racial intolerance and prejudice is to develop an understanding of the underlying concepts and their labels. This ...
Secrets That Most Vitamin Companies Don't Want You To Know!
Finally, Information That Reveals The Shocking Truth About Vitamin Supplements! Find Out What You Friends, Family, Or Even Your Doctor May Not Know About How To Choose Which Vitamin Supplements Are Right For Your Body! Before we get started, do you ever ...
|
|
|
| |
In today's money-driven society, teens are constantly bombarded by magazines, television ads, and peer pressure which make them feel less than ideal if they do not wear the latest clothing style and drive a “cool” car. Briefly visit your local mall and you will observe multitudes of young people who shop as if credit cards have no maximum spending limit. With all this push for extravagance, is it even possible to raise your teens with money sense and save them from making serious financial mistakes?
Although I have yet to have teenagers of my own, I was blessed to be raised by parents who taught me from a young age to be a wise steward of money. Let me share some things my parents did to instill in me that money is a limited resource and must be spent with care.
1. Start Early
Just because your child is too young to have a real job, does not mean it is too early to start teaching basic financial principles. From the time we were little, we always received an “allowance” from our parents. We only received this money if we had done all of our daily/weekly chores. This taught us that money is not free; it is earned.
2. Set An Example
You cannot expect your teens to wisely spend money if you do not set a good example for them. Do your children see you buying things on credit because you want them now and do not have the patience to wait until you are able to save up enough money? My dad was an excellent example in this area. Before making any large purchase (such as a car), he first decided what he could afford. Then, he began shopping around. Sometimes it would take him close to a year to find what he was looking for, for the price he wanted to pay. His patience always paid off and it left an indelible impression upon me.
3. Don't Buy Everything For Them
It is easy for many parents to want to “help teens out” by buying most everything for them. But, is this truly “helping”? When your teenager enters the real world on their own, they are going to have some hard lessons to learn if you always bought everything they needed and wanted for them. As soon as we were able to begin earning money, my dad had us start paying for some of our own things such as clothes, gifts for other people, things we wanted, and so on. Because my parents did not buy everything for us, it taught me the value of hard work, to think before I spend, and to look for the best buy.
4. Teach Your Teens the Value of Hard Work
In a day when laziness is rampant, teach your teens instead the importance of being a hard worker. What you work for, you usually appreciate more. If your teenager has worked hard to buy themselves a car, it can be almost guaranteed that they will appreciate it more and take better care of it.
5. Train Your Teens to Think Before They Spend
This might seem like a no-brainer, but learning to think before I spend has literally saved me hundreds of dollars over the years. Teach your teens to ask themselves at least three questions before making any purchase:
- Do I have the money on hand to pay for this?
- Do I need this?
- Can I buy this somewhere else for less?
Oftentimes, in asking these questions, I will talk myself out of making the purchase! I will realize I don't really have the money to pay for it or I don't need the item. Other times, I will think of a way I can purchase this item for less.
6. Encourage Your Teens to Get the Best Buy
In addition to asking these questions, also train your teens to look for the best deal. It is amazing what variation in prices you will find out there. For instance, the water pump burst on one of our vehicles recently. When we took it into auto shop for repair, they said that we would have to take it to a more specialized shop, since the engine would need to be taken out in order to replace the water pump. The first price we were quoted was $775. Knowing that was out of our current budget, my husband began calling around to different body shops. One place quoted him around $500 another quoted him a little over $300. By calling around to find the best deal, we are going to be saving hundreds of dollars on this repair job.
Crystal Paine is a 23-year-old homeschool graduate and the owner of Covenant Wedding Source, LLC (an online retail bridal business). She writes articles on a variety of topics and is the author of The Merchant Maiden: Earning an Income Without Compromising Convictions. She lives with her husband in Kansas. For more information on her business and booklet, visit her website: http://www.covenantweddingsource.com.
contact@covenantweddingsource.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
 AMs' value for money questioned - BBC News
"The work of the panel is to try and ensure value for money for the people of Wales and if we don't achieve that we have achieved nothing." Sir Roger, who is also pro-chancellor of Swansea University, said AMs had four functions: establishing ...
Board tabs new NEO president - Joplin Globe
MIAMI, Okla. — The associate vice chancellor of administration for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education was tabbed Thursday night to become the new president of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami. Jeff Hale will succeed Glenn ...
Investment Allowance Extended for Eastern Germany - PR Newswire
BERLIN, November 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Germany's federal council (Bundesrat) agreed today to extend the investment allowance law (in German the "IZ law") until 2013. The investment allowance, or IZ, is one of the main industrial subsidy mechanisms that ...
Confounding, dishonest 'Nobel Son' no prize - Arlington Heights Daily Herald
» Local filmmaker unveiling holiday flick » Campbell does double duty in 'Bruce' » 'Bruce' a bad horror flick -- in a good way » Repulsive characters ruin 'Four Christmases' » 'Transporter 3' gives 007 competition » Oscar contenders add luster ...
Fuel allowance - the French connection - BBC News
Politics Max is back in action - this time reporting on an issue that, at first glance, may seem to be "rather rich" in the South of France - but as he finds out, that is far from the truth. Great story. People who have retired to the south of France ...
|
