We’re back in the blogging saddle after a month’s hiatus, working on a submission to a competition for non-profits. Wish us luck. During that time, our grandmother turned 100 years old. When asked what the most important thing today’s parents could do for their children, Gram, who has no idea about the Gifting Sense project, gave an answer we couldn’t wait to share.
“I think it is very important for children to learn how to handle money.”
This Centenarian (Irene) was a Realtor in the 1960s and 1970s and saw first-hand what happened to young people who could not live within their means. She has three grown children, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. When asked what the most important thing parents could do for their children was, she stated without hesitation: “You know what I think, honey? I think it is very important for children to learn how to handle money.”
According to Irene, in her day, no one would dare spend more than one week’s take-home pay on housing when buying or renting a home. This translates into 25% of after-tax monthly income – in line with today’s conservative recommendations – but not today’s actual practices – where most first-time buyers are approved for housing costs equal to 35% (or more) of their pre-tax monthly income. Irene and her husband, Bert, rented their first home, a bungalow, for $18.00 a month.
Early financial education solves so much.
We believe that children who grow up discussing things like the total cost of going to a professional sporting event (e.g., including the safe transportation, snack, and souvenir costs) or the cost-per-use of an item (15 cents every time you pick up that new iPhone 7), are children who will become financially literate and responsible adults. It’s why we built a free, safe service that helps parents teach their kids to think before they buy or ask someone else to buy on their behalf. They’ll be experienced in identifying phantom costs and the other hiccups that can wreak havoc on a young family’s life.
Help extended family members crowd-fund one larger, more meaningful gift.
This upcoming holiday season, we hope you’ll encourage your kids to use our DIMS-DOES IT MAKE SENSE?® SCORE Calculator to “thoughtfully prefer” one more meaningful gift. We then hope you’ll let them forward their DIMS SCORE® Report (a shareable summary of all the math and thinking that has gone into “thoughtfully preferring” one larger, more meaningful gift) to all the family members who normally buy for them. DIMS SCORE® reports were, in fact, designed to be an organic crowd-funding tool for wish-list items too expensive for one person to pay for. They can be printed off, e-mailed, or texted.
Help out-of-town family members get to know your kids better.
Doing so will ensure that no one wastes time or money buying gifts that might end up in landfills. You’ll be giving your kids quick but meaningful lessons in spending wisely. You’ll give out-of-town family members a chance to get to know their grandchildren, nieces, or nephews better. As an added bonus, you’ll benefit from 100 years of living.
Click on the pink or blue buttons below to learn how we help teach kids the awesome power of spending with a plan.
For Parents For Teachers Prevent This Smart Gifting
