Coco#1 is an absolutely lovely boy, I’d give the world to him if I could. My heart swells with love multiple times a day when I see him or think of him. There is nothing I would not do for him. Except buy him that jelly cup.
We’re keen on teaching the kids the value of money. We aren’t dripping with cash and even if we were, we wouldn’t be spending it without proper thought. Coco#1 is 4 years old. He’s a smart coconut, he knows the script and he absorbs the world around him like a sponge. He sometimes says he wants something but can’t buy it because it is expensive. There are times when he says he really wants something and that we should throw the existing ones at home so he can buy it (Mr.C and I look at each other, aghast!). Most times, when he is not caught up with the emotions, he takes after me and says we should attempt to sell some of his toys as he has plenty!
Anyway, let me steer you back to the jelly cup story. We were out to meet my brother who was in town and I thought to buy 3 slices of matcha cake as my brother would probably like it. In to the shop we went and Coco#1 pointed to the jelly cup which cost $3.50. It was an itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie [yellow polka dot bikini… old souls would get that 😉 ] jelly cup. I told the lil fella – “no way Jose, it’s much too expensive.”
He whinged and he whined. He looked through the entire shop and still wanted the jelly. I pulled a lil swaperoo and managed to convince him to accept a cookies and cream ice-cream in exchange, which cost $2.20. It wasn’t just a lower dollar amount that made the ice-cream a better choice, it was that it was better value. As we were sharing that stick of ice-cream, I had a chat with him on what just took place and the thought process behind it.
- The idea of value. $3.50 for a puny jelly cup is too expensive, we can find a cheaper jelly cup elsewhere so we ought to scout for a better price.
- Purchases on a whim tend to be purchases that are not well thought out. I asked if he wanted a jelly cup all day. He said no. He only wanted it when we walked into the shop. I agreed that it would be nice to have a jelly cup because he saw it and wanted it and that is OK however the price was the main deterrent. We have to always think back of the value we are receiving for the cash we are putting out.
- The idea of substitutes. I asked if the ice-cream made him happy and he nodded his head yes whilst smearing chocolate over his mouth, attempting to eat it faster than it melts. Undeterred by the fact he would probably agree to anything I had to say at this point, I went on to conclude for him that it’s great that we found a substitute that gave him as much joy for lesser than what he wanted to spend. We managed to save $1.30 which I subsequently gave it to him to put in his coin bank (which gave me a reason to re-visit the lessons when we were home).
A few days later, I brought it up again to keep the lessons fresh [ I hear the 3rd time hearing something is the charm;) ]. This time whilst whipping out the 280g Konnyaku Jelly Powder sachet I bought for $3.25 to make jelly with him. I had some canned pineapple as well that I bought for $2.45. This should do very well for a few generous servings of jelly, much better value than what the little munchkin wanted.
Waltz right in Lesson # 4 – Don’t go spending money on something we can easily make, boy! ** Making the jelly took all of 10 minutes, washing included. I got the lil’ firecracker to lay the pineapple out and I then poured in the heated jelly. Lasted the family a good 5 days even with the glorious servings I put out.
What I hoped to have achieved out of this is a very basic lesson in frugality and money appreciation. The icing on the cake is the fun activity of making jelly together, I know Coco#1 loves helping me in the kitchen as he’s been my lil baking assistant since he was 1.5 years old. Even if the lesson was lost on him as some might think 4 years old is too young for these kinds of lessons, that’s fine by me. I would not want to restrict knowledge solely based on his age and I think exposure to any lesson can be at any age. Let’s not place glass ceilings on kids! On that note, would you like some jelly?
** I need to remind Mr.C of this lesson as well. Mr.C had hummus for lunch on the very day that I made a jar of homemade hummus, which took me about 15 mins including clean up. Why pay an average of $12 for a saucer of hummus when this jar below cost below $1? To his defense, he didn’t know I was gonna make hummus 🙂
Author: Ms.K
Ms.K is everything that Mr.C is, without the natural interest in investing and company financials! The activity planner for the family, the driver of random ideas and soon to be ‘retiring’ in to full time motherhood – Ms.K has no idea what she’s in for but remains super excited!
Very good lessons to teach them.
A few more times and his mind will auto switch mode to being more savvy with how he handles his expenses.
That would be the ideal outcome however am prepared to repeat the lessons throughout the ears! Thanks for popping by!
Hi mind to share the recipe for your home-made hummus? Thanks: )
Thanks for popping by! I largely used this recipe – https://cookieandkate.com/best-hummus-recipe/
I used dried chickpeas, which I had soaked overnight then boiled till it was soft. Then I put part of it in the freezer for future use, and part of it went to making hummus. I was more generous with the olive than the recipe called for as well 🙂
As for Tahini, sometimes I used store bought tahini, and sometimes I make my own – which is really just a blend of roasted sesame seeds and olive oil.