​It’s amazing how many simple, day-to-day opportunities there are to discuss money management with kids. Below are examples of daily money lessons, concepts, and tools to teach kids of all ages. 

• Discuss with your children the difference between needs and wants. As basic as it sounds, many financial difficulties could be avoided if people understood that it is merely impossible to have everything you want, and that some things are more important than others.
• Teach your children how to prioritize  money decisions about saving, spending, and giving. Prioritizing can help in many day-to-day decisions, beyond those dealing specifically with money. 
• Help a child understand there is no such thing as a "free lunch". If a child wants an item, help them earn and save money to purchase it without going into "debt" to mom or dad.

GUEST BLOGGER: KATHY RIGGS

Why is teaching children about managing money so important? There are all types of money messages we receive from society, “Money is the root of all evil”, “Money doesn’t grow on trees”, “That money is burning a hole in your pocket” etc. For me, teaching my child to be self-disciplined with money goes right in line with teaching him to be kind, polite, and aware of other’s needs. Below is a series of questions, a checkup, to see how you’re doing teaching your kids about managing money.
 
Teaching Children Money Habits Checkup.
Answer the following “Yes” or “No” questions. “Yes” answers indicate ways you are helping your child learn money management skills. “No” answers could mean you may need to help them more. 

​I often think that maybe, just maybe, the “manna” in Moses’ time was really potatoes. At least I hope it was something like a potato, because if I had to choose just one food to eat every day for 40 years the ingenuity of a potato is wonderful. There are so many ways to cook and prepare potatoes that I hardly grow tired of them. In addition to the thousand and one ways to eat potatoes, I also love them because they are healthy budget-stretchers. Wait! Did I just say a potato is healthy? I know, I know...those poor little tubers have a bad reputation, but most of the time we can blame that on the butter, salt and sour cream commonly associated with potatoes.