My smart smart boy!!

So, we started the work/commission thing with the kids (aka allowance). Jake has the opportunity to earn $6/wk and Lydia $4/wk. They love doing the work to earn their money! We do most of their work "RDI style." Jake's work is 1. clean up family room 2x/wk ($1 each time) 2. put clothes away 1x/wk 3. Set table 2x/wk 4. Empty dishwasher with mom or dad 1x/wk. Lydia's are 1. Clean up family room 2x/wk 2. Put silverware away 1x/wk 3. Put undies and socks away 1x/wk

Per Dave Ramsey's suggestion we pay them their $1 immediately so they get the link that work=money. We have them keep it in a tupperware bowl with a lid on it so they can see through it how many dollar bills they are accumulating. The rest of the things we ask them to do are b/c they are members of our family.

Well, Jake wanted to go to Target today to see what he could buy with the $7 he has accumulated. He wanted specifically to get some Diego toy that is $20. I didn't know what he wanted so I didn't know he had his mind set on something that he couldn't afford. Lydia had $6 to spend. Well, after looking around at what they COULD afford and a LOT of what they COULDN'T afford, Lydia bought some $6 Tinkerbell piece of junk toy that will be lost and broken in no time. Jake decided to SAVE his money until he "had enough dollars to buy the Diego roller coaster." Wow! I thought for sure he didn't understand money enough to decide that. I thought for sure we were going to Target for both of them to blow their wad on junk.

So, Jake happily rode home with nothing in his hands while his sister happily rode home with her junk toy that she refused to let Jake touch.