Christmas Money

We all love Christmas in our house and we all love to buy and give presents. We always do rounds on Christmas day, whereby everyone has a present and we all open them together, so you really see what people get given.

The children are coming to the age where they are responsible to start buying their own Christmas presents for the main members of the family. They were set the challenge last January to start saving up - what ever they managed to save - I would double!!

This morning was cash day - with out warning I asked them to hand over their purses/wallets and bring me their Christmas funds. I was truly surprised - every now and again they have been putting away the odd bit of Birthday money, pocket money etc.

Sam - for whom money burns a hole in his pocket, managed to save £34 and Sophie managed to squirrel away £46. True to my word I have now doubled what they have managed to save.

Together we have come up with a list of people they feel they want to buy for. They each have a little notebook to write down what they spend and at the end of December we will cash in what money is left and halve it. The idea being, that they now don't spend all this money on themselves and in Sam's case treat himself to loads of lego!

I think it will be a good way to start being a little more responsible about money and be aware of just how much things cost and they have both amazed me, that they have both managed to save!

I did remind them that Mum's do so much for them and that at least half their budgets should be spent on me!! LOL

I will let you know how they get on!