Diary of a mother, Jayne, who is also author of Kids and Money: Giving Them the Savvy to Succeed Financially (Bloomberg Press), and her son, Ryan, who just turned 14. I will mostly discuss financial parenting issues, as they come up -- what works, what doesn't, what drives me crazy, what drives Ryan crazy, discussions with his friends, what I'm reading, people I meet as I give workshops, etc.
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This is where you stick random tidbits of information about yourself.
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Tuesday, November 23, 2004
HOLIDAY HELPER: GIFTS THAT KEEP GIVING!
We all know that it’s the thought that counts, not how much you spend on gifts, right? And yet year after year many of us dig ourselves deeply in debt spending money we don’t have on bigger, better, fancier, more expensive gifts to make this holiday even better than last year. The bar (and price tag) keeps rising, year after year.
Well I say it’s time to break this cycle! And to help you and your loved ones survive your withdrawal pains from charge-itis this year, here are some suggestions for home-made gifts that will communicate "I love you" better than any toy, jewel or electronic gizmo, and leave your balance sheet in balance.
o COUPON BOOKS. Think of things you and your kids can do for each other, and turn each one into a coupon. Stack all the coupons in a pile and staple or stitch or somehow bind them together into a little book. Some suggestions kids and parents can offer each other:
--breakfast in bed
--foot or back massage (or both!)
--one day free of any complaining or nagging
-- fashion consultation
-- clean out and organize one closet of your choice
o PERSONALIZED PICTURE BOOKS. You can work on these together as a family for aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents, cousins and friends. Sort through pictures you’ve taken during the year.
First step: or each person’s book, think of a handful of interesting or funny trips, conversations, misunderstandings, meals and such that you experienced together during the year.
Step two: Find four or five of each person you want to create a personalized book for, then find another few of places where you’ve been together. Then think of funny things that you experienced together. You can also find great photos and pictures of just about anything at www.images.google.com to supplement your book. For instance, if you took a hike and one of you got stung by a bee, look for pictures of bees to illustrate that page in the book. Or find a photo of that person with a funny expression and glue (or digitally paste) a picture of a bee onto the photo.
Step three: Write a funny caption.
If you feel especially creative you can write the captions in verse.
o BAKE FANCY, DIET-BUSTING COOKIES OR BROWNIES. Find an especially amazing recipe and bake batches of cookies, and box or wrap them in creative ways (such as the Sunday funnies pages or hand-made "wrapping paper."
If you absolutely feel the need to purchase gifts, especially for parents who are on your list, I promise I will not judge you too harshly for purchasing my book, Kids and Money, or my workbook, How to Gimme-Proof Your Kids. Consider it less as a purchase than as an investment – in their children’s financial well being!
9:15 PM
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