10.31.2007
Each year we save the change we find around the house to pay for one or two of our museum memberships. This year the time between a full change jar and our membership expiration fell a few months apart. The girls were begging me for a trip to our favorite children's museum but we wanted them to learn the value of saving and waiting. When I thought we were getting close we dumped out the jar, sorted and counted. We were still 20 dollars short. Ughh. Annie did pretty well at counting and making piles of quarters and dimes. She left the nickles and pennies to me. Maddie just wanted to steal all the money.
After a few weeks I figured we had to be close and I really needed a museum trip. So we headed off to the bank so the big machine could do all the counting for us.
The girls carried in their big jars a change, handed them over to the teller and waited. We were 13 dollars short, I kicked in the rest because I really never learned that whole lesson about saving. 
The membership is $88 so I had the teller give us 8 tens and 8 singles. Annie has been working on counting by tens and Maddie on ones so it was perfect. No one even had more money than the other. We did a practice run counting out our bills and headed to the museum. 
We headed up to the counter, each girl with 8 bills in her hand and they counted. Thanks goes to the very patient visitor services staff and the kind mom waiting behind us who understood the value of what we were doing. We had such a wonderful visit and now when we go to the museum the girls will know that they saved and paid for it. I was so proud of them for tackling the real world of money but even more they were both so proud of themselves.
What are you all saving your change for?
I think the bank staff thought I was a bit nutty taking pictures of them turning in the change. I didn't think saying that they were for the blog would change the whole nutty thing.
4 comments:
You are the best mommy... good lessons taught! I need to get mine out and about to the museums as well! They should save and do the same. What wonderful ideas! Thanks!
Who cares what tha bank stuff think. I think its a great lesson taught in the fun way. My dad used to make me and brother do such stuff. But no bank involved, he would be bank for us :) Your post makes me want to talk to him and am going to make a call to him in India, he should getting ready to go to bed :)
Lovely post. Your girls are cute :)
i love it...i love it!!!! such an important lesson!!! you have such great ideas. your girls are so blessed to have a mommy like you. i still adore your post about letting go of your daughter's hand. it still makes my eyes water up! i feel nutty taking pics all the time too. my father in law makes comments about all the pics i take, and i just say, they're for the blog!!!! haah! :)
mindy
So commendable, I applaud you :) You are passing such great values to your daughters. I hope you do not mind me asking, but have you any ideas on how to make the whole Christmas experience less commercial and more magical for a teenage lad of 16? I would be so interested to know what way you keep your family grounded amidst the madness and maelstrom at this time of year. Know what you mean about taking pictures! For a recent recording at a radio station, I bottled out and failed to have someone take my photo mid-session : ( Will remember your bank story next time :)
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