“Working to help parents raise money-smart kids.”
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. 🦃🍂🥧
With the holidays officially upon us (Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday…I can’t keep up!), here are 3 Ideas to Share and Save that might reduce your seasonal stress. 🥴
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Gaslight Alert! Many of us are excited for some quality time with family and friends in this less COVID-constrained holiday season. Still, I hope you join me in trying to be more mindful of what matters during your gatherings. Personally, I enjoy shared meals, lively discussions and board games! 🥘🗣🎲
It’s understandable that we might try to “make up” for last year’s pandemic-restricted holidays. Retailers know this, and I already feel gaslit by their suggesting that returning to normal means piling stuff under the tree. My essay on arming our kids (and, frankly, ourselves) for battle in the marketing arena might be helpful here.
Experiences are more likely to make life feel normal again. Whatever your family’s jam, whether it’s games, caroling or eating, let’s all make a commitment to focus on time together over items consumed.
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Money Mindfulness Matters: Make no mistake…I’m not anti-gift. I’m pro-money mindfulness. Behavioral science tells us that we habituate to new things, however wonderful they may seem (including the gift-wrapped cars that have been strategically inserted into our collective consciousness).
I take it in stride when my kids chide me about my minimalistic approach to apparel. In fact, I wrote this essay in part to explain to them that even though I model this lifestyle, I am not expecting them to wipe out their wardrobes. Rather, I want them to find their own places on the Controlled Consumption slider.
This visual might be a useful tool during the holidays. Let’s all try to move our sliders slightly left to avoid being invited to the next Kardashian family reunion. 😉
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Giving Tuesday: We ultimately want to help our kids learn to view and use money as a tool they will wield to build the lives they will love. So the holiday season can be a meaningful time to begin an allowance or at least to strike up a conversation about how to use money in happier ways.
“The benefits of giving emerge among children before the age of two.”
Setting up a Share jar for charitable donations can even help our children foster more gratitude. You can read more about the allowance / Share jar / gratitude connection in this essay.
If you’re looking for a place to put your own Share jar money to use, then the Jump$tart Coalition has a #givingtuesday campaign running at https://www.jumpstart.org/how-to-help/giving-tuesday/. No matter where you choose to donate, remember that Giving Tuesday is tomorrow!
As I often remind you, we’re on the road to money smarts with our kids. And just like with any journey, there will be ups 👆 and downs 👇. So let’s do our best to be mindful throughout and to enjoy the ride.
Thanks for reading.
John, Chief Mammal
P.S. Please consult with a financial or investment professional before engaging in any decisions that might affect your own financial well-being.
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