Rave: Christmas Note #6 — Christmas for five bucks?

When I was a kid, my parents would occasionally take the three of us kids out for a meal, and we were each given $1 to spend on our meal. (Yes, I know I’m old.) This was a good lesson in household economics because it forced us to decide what we really wanted. Did we really have to have that milkshake? If we did, it meant we’d be eating one of the smaller sandwiches or maybe even soup.

Now it seems, there’s no much you can get for a dollar. And it’s true, things cost a lot more. (I can’t even remember the last time I managed to purchase a meal for much under five). But kids can still have fun with not very much money. Perhaps not $1, but I bet if you set them loose in a drugstore with a $5 bill (or better yet, at one of the real dollar stores where everything actually costs a dollar), they’d have a blast scoping out how best to spend their cash. 

They might even learn something about prioritizing their wants and wishes in the process. And don’t forget part of the gift (to both the children involved and yourself) is being there to watch them as they make the important decision of what to purchase.

This post was inspired by a post on another blog, which you can view at:
http://marylaine.com/observe/23.html