Not long ago, the Professor and I started giving the Os allowances.
In talking with a friend about the concept, it seemed like a nice way to end the seemingly never-ending battle over the Os wanting to buy (in my view, extraneous) items during shopping trips. Having their own money might help alleviate my need to come up with a creative let down on shopping excursions -
Oh, it's not on our list this time, but let's talk about that when we make our next list.
or
Thank you for letting me know how much you'd like to have that [insert name of cheap, plastic, thing-a-ma-bob from the "$1 Spot" section], but sometimes we cannot always get these things.
or, when I'm feeling really adventurous, I try explaining to a three year old and a five year old
Well, you know that is made from plastic and it is really going to break or fall apart or not be useful soon and then it will just end up sitting in a landfill or floating in the gyre of plastic out in the Pacific Ocean and making animals sick for many years to come. It's better if we choose something that is not plastic (and cheap, breakable, made using unfair labor/trade practices, etc., etc.) but we'll have to wait until we find a suitable equivalent and add that to our list for next time.
(To which, Big O has oft replied, "But Mommy, plastic is recyclable." - to which I express admiration for his knowledge and appreciate his point, but go on to explain how some plastic toys and items are not easily recycled and that recycling is good, but not the best answer because it still requires energy, chemicals, emits toxins, etc. )
If we give the Os allowance, I can let them make the choice to spend their own money or not. I can only hope that their choices will (at least eventually) be influenced by our concern for the environment and sustainable practices.
So, every Sunday, each O receives an allowance equivalent to half their age. At the time this began, Big O was four (thus $2.00 weekly) and Little O was 2 ($1.00 weekly).
It's funny. It doesn't take long for those seemingly small amounts of money to add up.
Little O decided to use a glass jar for his allowance safe keeping (his great grandmother used to stash cash in glass jars in the freezer, pantry, etc.). Whenever he accrues more allowance, he carefully folds individual bills into fourths and then stuffs them into the jar. After occasionally removing the bills to survey his collection, he will meticulously ensure each one is refolded into fourths and individually placed back in the jar.
Big O had early on claimed a wooden puzzle box as his "bank account" - carefully keeping wads of cash and a few coins (collected in various situations) in each of the four compartments of the box which formerly housed four small dinosaur puzzles.
As he becomes more knowledgeable about numbers and more aware of how money works, he's changing his money organizing methods. When I needed change for a $20 bill, he was eager to offer smaller bills from his box. When he realized he had a few ones left over, he generously offered to give them to me - I believe it was satisfying to him because it simplified his collection. He's angling to trade in some smaller bills for a $10 bill to add to his bounty.
