How to Get Your Kids to Value Saving Money Around the House
Saving money is never easy, but it’s a skill that your kids will need for the rest of their lives. Getting them started at a young age can be a difficult art of parenting. Here is an outline of various ways to get your kids to save money around the house.
Unplugging Unused Electronics
With technology getting increasingly advanced every day, it’s hard to get your kids unhooked on electronics. It’s important, however, to ensure they are all unplugged whenever not in use. Unplugging these electronics might not save energy bills, but some make a huge difference. For instance, you might not always need the AC on. In such a case, educate your children to only switch it on whenever necessary. According to State Farm, metal roofs can reduce cooling costs by approximately 10%-25%. These roofs reflect infrared and UV rays, which cool the house. In such cases, the kids do not need to plug in the AC throughout.
Closing Doors for Energy Efficiency
According to research, your home’s heating and cooling systems account for approximately 48% of the total energy used. Therefore, kids should learn how to save by engaging in activities that save energy around the house. Among such activities are opening and closing windows and doors whenever necessary. For instance, during the summer, opening the windows and doors makes the AC work harder, and this would increase your energy bills. Therefore, instruct your children to keep the doors and windows closed and explain why.
Repairing Damaged Items
Kids learn the art of saving money by watching how adults do it. If you have damaged items in the house, such as appliances, they might cost you a lot. According to Angi, the failure to service an AC makes it lose approximately 5% of its efficiency. When you operate such an AC, expect a higher energy bill. Unrepaired appliances also reduce their efficiency, and it might cost you more to buy new ones in the future. The same applies to furniture and kitchen cabinets. Therefore, having these items repaired as soon as possible is necessary to cut the cost of buying new ones.
Making a Menu
By choosing the items to or not to buy, you can save a lot of money. Therefore, teaching your kids how to buy the food they need while keeping expenses low is important. For instance, if you make a menu in advance where you maintain all the ingredients and how much each one costs, that will help to keep costs low. Food and other natural resources are limited. Hence, maintain a good track of what your children use. Educate them on the financial implications of food wastage. You will save a lot on the amount spent on food due to reduced wastage.
Avoiding Impulse Purchases
When you go shopping with your kids, they might be tempted to ask for anything they wish. Just because you have enough money does not mean you should always buy what they ask. Educate the kids about the art of buying on a budget. Such an act would give the kids a lot of discipline when it comes to spending. You should also avoid impulse buying on your side because children learn by example. If you love buying unnecessary items, the chances are high that they will copy such behavior in the future.
Openings a Savings Account for Kids
According to research, children have a good relationship with money when they have savings. Not only that, the process of saving is excellent for brain functions. Therefore, getting kids involved in such an act from a young age is important. You can set aside some of the extra money you earn for your kids’ savings account. That would help them learn about the process of saving and develop a good relationship with money.
Saving money is an extremely important skill to learn. Children are bound to come across it in their future careers. Therefore, save money and teach your children how to do it from the very beginning.