Our families are fond of giving money as gifts. This usually means the kids end up with a chunk of cash after Christmas and birthdays. Yes,I love that they can get what they want,but sometimes I wish they would give it a little more thought before doing things like spending $35 on a comic book.
You might be thinking..hey,you are the parent,right? Yes,I am the parent and yes,I make the rules. If I gave them the money,I would have a few requirements for large spending. I don't do this with money they get from others simply because it leads to hurt feelings. My mom gave the kids each $50 for Christmas this year and I told the kids they could use it to get some sort of clothes or accessories. I figured this was a small limit but still allowed freedom in their spending. That was fine until my mom saw their faces at our Christmas dinner. She felt bad that they watched the younger kids open toys from her so she asked me to let the kids buy "at least one toy". I have a soft spot for my kids and my mom so of course,I had to agree. It was her money after all. That resulted in my daughter spending $40 on two Monster High dolls. I know I could have found a better deal at after Christmas sales,but she didn't want to wait.
Of course,when they receive gift cards they end up spending a little crazy too. If the store only offers certain items,or has a limited amount to suit them,you have to kind of go with the flow. My youngest had Walmart gift cards from Christmas and couldn't find anything else to suit or fit him there so he headed off to the toys and electronics where he came up with the idea to get this charming Wii Skylanders set..yeah a whopping $60 purchase that again,I know we could have saved on had they given themselves time to shop around.
In the end it is their money and they are happy,so that is what matters. I am determined though to teach them to value shop more like me and see how much they can get for the same dollar.
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