Last week, during my first week back at the grammar school, I was shocked to see how trendy and adorable the accessories of some of the "tweens" were. The girls were decked out in Vera Bradley everything, lunch boxes were in new fall patterns , there were no backpacks, just "pleated totes" and "messenger bags" and the boys backpack closet was littered with Under Armor logos and the like.
It's somewhat endearing to see kids with such great taste, but when you stop and think about it, some of these kids have nicer Vera Bradley bags than their teachers can afford.
Wall Street Journal recently put out this great article about how to deal effectively with your kids, especially when they have expensive taste.
The article explains the story of a young girl named Grace, whose mother works part-time, and whose father was recently laid off. But, being that Grace is an up and coming 10 year old fashionista, she just had to have the latest styles for school this fall. So, Grace took action. She sold a bunch of old clothes at a rummage sale. Armed with her proceeds and some discount coupons, Grace was able to get the trendy jeggings and tunic tops that all the 5th grade girls are after this year.
I was blown away by Grace's maturity and responsibility, and really excited at this example of a young child learning effective money management at an early age. The article goes on to give some really great tips on teaching kids about what it costs to run a household, and why being smart with finances is important. It suggests explaining to your kids exactly where the money goes each month by showing them a diagram or chart with the breakdown. This will help them understand what's left over and what your means actually are. It's a great article, check it out!
What are your feelings on this story? What do you do to save money while still satisfying your tweens taste? Comment below!
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