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Educate on a dime - finances

April 25th, 2006 at 05:04 pm

Most parents tell their kids to turn off lights and close the fridge, but most of the time a kid can't see the difference in the electric bill.

I know when I was a kid I had no idea how much electricity cost, nor what benifit I would see in turning the heat down, or remembering a light.

Maybe if I got to keep the difference (or split it) I might have been interested. Makeing a game out of reducing the electric bill with tangible monthly rewards is a lot mroe fun than listening to moms dreaded lectures.

It would be a great math lesson to average a years electricity bills (or whatever you have handy) and then a nice fraction problem to share the savings (if any). Not to mention the pursuasion tactics of convincing younger siblings to join it!

Right now my kid is still young so I just tell him "more money spent on electricity is less for steaks" (his favorite meal) but as he grows I want him more in on the budget and looking at how much more expensive it is to run the AC, or leave a computer on.

Come to think of it mid June I might need to do this for myself to help keep the air off a few more days! (I'd use the ingredients for a nice bowl of icecream!)

Posted in Frugal Home Education | 6 Comments »

6 Responses to “Educate on a dime - finances”

  1. contrary1 Says:
    April 25th, 2006 at 05:30 pm 1145986237
    1145986237

    I used to use the household bills with the older home school kids. Their monthly budgets would be increased if they could make significant cuts in the bills. We had water, electricity and our garbage bills involved in this particular "lesson". It was a fun way to get a point across.

  2. miclason Says:
    April 25th, 2006 at 05:48 pm 1145987339
    1145987339

    LOL! my sister went the other way with my niece: she told her: if the local phone bill is more than $20, you pay the difference!....
    3 months she paid...the first month she paid $21....the last one only $6!

  3. LuckyRobin Says:
    April 25th, 2006 at 09:20 pm 1146000045
    1146000045

    I told my daughter for every morning that she remembers to turn off her fan in her room, I will put a nickle in a jar. Every time she forgets to turn it off I will take a nickle out of the jar. If the balance goes past 0 than she must pay me a nickle from her piggy bank. Anything left in the jar at the end of each month is hers to put in her savings account, and I will match the amount.

    We talked about how in some banks if your savings account drops below a certain number you are charged a fee, and her jar is charged a fee (her paying me a nickle) if it goes below 0.

    With my son, who is younger, I put a nickle into a jar when he remembers to turn it off, but I don't take anything out if he forgets and I will match his amount at the end of the month, too.

  4. markio26 Says:
    April 26th, 2006 at 01:46 am 1146015983
    1146015983

    our son is very energy concious... he tells me to turn the lights off, etc... today, he told me the fridge was too full again.. too funny!

  5. nanamom Says:
    April 26th, 2006 at 01:45 pm 1146059122
    1146059122

    When I was a kid we used to be fined 10 cents if a light was left on or the water running. I never understood why but had fun trying to catch my sisters and brother!

  6. PrincessPerky Says:
    April 26th, 2006 at 02:02 pm 1146060137
    1146060137

    I love hearing how many different ways there are to help kids Smile.

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