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The
One and Only Dollar
by Mia Cronan
MainStreetMom.com
Can
you imagine a society that used only dollar bills for payment of
goods and services? No five dollar bills, no tens, no twenties, and
nothing higher than that? This society wouldn't use credit cards or
debit cards, either.
You go to the store,
and your grocery bill comes to $127.00. You have to count out $127.00
in one-dollar bills. That can get tedious! How about buying a $17,000
automobile? Whew! You'll be counting and double-checking for a long
time, and so will the salesperson (probably driving up the price of
automobiles, as well, since the dealership would have to hire more
people to handle the money).
What is my point here? We've made it very simple and easy to spend
money. Credit cards are so easy! Checkbooks are so simple. Standing in
line counting out several hundred dollars worth of singles when buying
a new television would be painful for everyone.
I believe that our spending habits would be greatly altered if we
didn't have such efficient means of getting rid of our funds. However,
it's not too late to teach our children how to look at spending in
those terms. My advice?
o If you give your kids an allowance, give it to them in
single bills.
o
If you send your child out for new basketball shoes, give him the
money in singles.
o When you buy things from your child for his fundraisers at
school, pay her in singles.
o Let your children "pay" at the grocery store, but
give them singles to count out, so that they know exactly how
much they're spending.
Counting it out takes work. It also forces kids to think more about
what they're spending. It's not just a number; it's an amount. It's a
quantifiable sum of money. Chances are that forcing them to think more
about how much they're spending will encourage them to be wise and
think long and hard about how they use their money!
Related Articles:
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60's, and 70's when we were small. ..
Helping
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It takes parents' intervention to help children gain a full
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Go
Ahead and Waste It - It Was Free
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when you consider that they do have value, they do serve a purpose for
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Five
Ways to Beat Penny-Pinching Fatigue
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frustrating to never see the light at the end of the financial tunnel.
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