Cultivating a Thrifty Family Tree
{Guest Post}
As homeschoolers, we are all about family. No matter what other reasons we chose to teach our children at home, one of them was that we want to spend more time sharing our values with them and influencing them toward good character. One good character trait that we want to inspire is thrift. Here are some tips on how to get your kids on board the Money Saving Train.
- Have an attitude of gratitude. Never give your children the impression that you are thrifty because you have to be. If they ask for something you can’t afford, say “we don’t need that” instead of “we can’t afford that.” Let them know that God can be trusted to supply all their needs.
- Only shop where you would like to buy. If you can’t afford to buy clothes a Macy’s, don’t shop there. You kids will only see things they want and develop a feeling of discontent. On the other hand, if you often find bargains at a certain store, let your kids know how much money you save by being a smart shopper.
- Use your savings for something special sometimes. Obviously it’s important to pay off a car sooner or to save for college, but these are difficult concepts for children and even teens to understand. So, splurge once in a while, but let them know why. Try saying something like, “We saved so much money at double coupon day that we’ll go by the ice cream store.”
- Teach them the trade. Little kids can stack pages of identical coupons on top of each other. Older kids can cut them out and teens can organize them.
- Encourage independent shopping. If your store allows it, get your older teens customer cards. This can help you take advantage of more bargains, but it is also good for them. One night a neighbor stopped by to see if I wanted to go to our local supermarket, which was having a Super Triple Coupon promotion. I didn’t feel like going but my teenage son did. He was thrilled to come home with a large bag of chips, a couple of candy bars and a pack of sodas for $1.88.
- Pray together to save together. I have often told my kids, only partially joking, that if God wanted them to have something, it would show up at our local thrift store. But there is nothing wrong with praying together as a family for any need, big or small.
- Teach generosity. While we want to put our families first, we need to also encourage our children to share with others. We can do this by celebrating a particularly good find by sharing our bounty with others. So, if you have 20 coupons for free deodorant, drop half of them off at a local shelter. Likewise, if ground beef is on sale, invite a family who’s having a difficult time over for a cook out. Help them see that we show that we honor God when we share our good fortune.
- Be honest. If a child sees a parent try to pass off an expired coupon, he will think that deception is OK. Likewise, if we regularly flaunt store rules, our kids will think that rules, and laws, don’t apply to them.
These are just a few ideas of how we can train our children to live well on less. The important thing to remember in this, as in all our teaching, is that we are preparing them for a future of loving and serving the Lord and others. In that way, we will be part of raising up a new generation of believers that can be both salt and light in our dark and tasteless world.
Susan Mathis is a black belt tightwad with more than 30 years’ experience getting $1.50 out of every dollar. She lives outside Washington D.C. with her husband and her two youngest children. She is a regular contributor to www.thecouponcupboard.com.
Would you like to guest post on Free Homeschool Deals? Submit your guest post here for consideration.
Latest posts by Free Homeschool Deals (see all)
- Saxon Math 3 Resources - March 31, 2025
- Wonderings eZine - February 27, 2025
- All About Me Coloring Page Bundle - February 24, 2025
- FREE Valentine’s Day Printables, STEM Activities, & Experiments! - February 4, 2025
- Top 10 STEM/STEAM Activities for the Winter Months! - December 2, 2024
