Did I get your attention? ;) I hope so, cuz this hip-hoppin' rabbit is awesome. And even more so if you're a little kid! (which, let's face it, is like 1/2 of us.) So today's post is a bit of budgeting, a bit of fun, and bit of a cool giveaway. And no I'm not getting paid to say any of this, I genuinely think this is an awesome product for any rugrats you may have.

First, a little summary on Sammy The Rabbit:

"Sammy Rabbit is a nationally acclaimed bunny who teaches children to save money (and other good habits) through story books, music, coloring books, stickers, standard-based lesson plans, training guides, and live author-character appearances. He's been featured by Kiplinger's, MSN Money, the Motley Fools, etc. and has been recommended by numerous experts including author David Bach, the Automatic Millionaire. As Steve Rosen, Kansas City Star Editor pointed out, Sammy's multi-media approach to financial education that includes toe tapping music is intelligent and infectious. Sammy is easy and inexpensive for adults to use and easy for kids to understand."

What probably sold me on this, though, was that fact that this rabbit raps! And not only that, but he has a Budget Rap! So naturally I was impressed from the get go. So much so that I'm now going to copy and paste the lyrics to this budgeting greatness, and then give you the link to listen to the mp3: Play Me. It's not as great as MY rap song (thank you very much) but it's definitely more appropriate for the youngin's ;) Check it:

B-U-D-G-E-T BUDGET!

Chorus
A budget is a money plan
Tells you where and when your money's coming in
Tells you where and when your money's going out
Keeps you from spinning round and round
Shows you just how your money flows and where your money goes

You add it up, you subtract it down
In and out, up and down
That's what a budget's all about
Answers all your who, what, when, where's and why's
Gives you the 4-1-1 doesn't tell a lie
Let's you know if your ahead or behind
Keeps worries from your mind
Free from money binds
In, out, up, down no spinning round and round
That's what a budgets all about

Chorus

Let's not debate
Let's talk straight
A budget backs you up
Same as a measuring cup
Keeps you out of quick sand
On the road to the promise land
Gives you the time and date
Of everything you spend, everything you planned
It's just a chart
That let's you know how your money flows
Where your money goes
You'll stay out of the hole so you stay in control
So you have plenty of money to rock an roll

Chorus

If only everyone listened to this furry young man! Now to keep his words alive, we'll be giving away 3 Celebrate Savings! CDs. It contains 15 songs from a variety of genres of music (pop, gospel, rock, rap) that promote smart money management, choice making, and leadership. The It's a Habit group was also kind enough to add in 3 packages of "Sammy Sayings" stickers too!

To win one of the CD/Sticker packs:

- Drop a comment sharing a tip on how to teach children about money!
- OR/and respond to any of my newsletter emails w/ your tip! (you can sign up here if you want the extra chance.)

I'll be giving away 2 CD packages here, and 1 to a newsletter subscriber. And instead of using Random.org this time, I'm going to hand select them myself :) So the most clever/interesting/fun tips will get you closer to winning! Good luck! And thanks again to the Its A Habit company for donating them.

*Contest ends this Saturday, 1/30, @ midnight. Winners will be posted back on THIS post*
*Open to only U.S. Residents, sorry!*
---------------
WINNERS --> Sal & Becky CC - Congrats guys! Stay tuned for more giveaways later :)

Labels: awesomely awesome, budgets, giveaways, kids finance

I don't have kids yet, but for some reason I've been thinking about them lately. At the moment I'm only practicing having them (aww yeahh!) but when it's game time, I'd like to be prepared. Or at least have an idea of what I'm doing. And this apparently includes setting up the proper allowance ;)

From what I've heard, there are about a billion and a half strategies that can do the trick here - and people swear by each of them. For me, growing up with an allowance always meant one thing and one thing only. If I do my chores, I get paid. It didn't matter which chores these were (they differed as I got older and/or faster at doing them) but as long as I completed them on time I could bank on that hefty deposit each week.

And by "hefty" I unfortunately mean "$1 a week". At first it was awesome! One hole George Washington just for ME? It didn't get any sweeter than that as a 5 year old. As I got older though, I started seeing my friends whipping out the elusive $5'ers and $10 spots all over town. Where the hell were they getting those? There was NO WAY those fools were saving up more than I was, that's for sure. Looking back, I just assumed they're parents were "nicer" and thus gave them bigger allowances. I feel pretty bad thinking about that now - my parents were awesome! - but you know how kids can get...

At any rate, that was then and this is now. One of favorite pieces written on kids finance was an article by Janet Bodnar, the new editor of Kiplinger Mag, who recently suggested giving kids weekly allowances equal to half their age (where were you 20 years ago Janet?!) - I love it! And in return, she recommends giving the kids more responsibilities and having them pay for more stuff as well. Even better! Not only does this teach them how to budget better, but it also gives them more control at an earlier age. Not to mention helping them avoid that "jealous factor" from day one ;)

What do you all think? Have you found some interesting allowance plans? There's still plenty of time 'till we have to get down to business here, but I'm thinking Janet's route is the way to go. We'll get a lot of stuff done around the house, and our kiddies will learn the value of the hard earned dollar & how to prioritize. I'll just have to remind them of the cut off age before they start gouging us @ 25! You better believe they're gonna be sneaky little devils if they take after their father.

Labels: kids finance, life