It’s Christmastime again!  But, unfortunately, along with Christmas come the bad and corny gifts given to teens worldwide!  Behold, the article that shall stop that.

So, first I shall list my top five worst gifts.

1. Socks: Most teens do not want socks.  We would rather buy them than receive them as a present. (Yes, even if they have cute puppies or menacing skulls.) Don’t believe me? Consumer Reports discovered that socks were the most offensive and disappointing gifts that people received in 2005! (more…)

Tweet This Post

Well, it’s that time of year again!  Time to go out and buy new, warmer clothes!  As a teenage boy, I am gonna give you my advice on this time of year!

Now, I’m kind of odd for a teen when it comes to shopping.  I am really frugal!  I won’t buy anything unless I really, really want it or need it.  My sisters, on the other hand, could spend $300 dollars on clothes in less than an hour.  So, here come my tips!

• Before you go shopping, take inventory of what your child hasn’t outgrown.  Clothes that still are in good shape and not outgrown can be worn more, saving money!   Also, during this, you can find outgrown clothes that are still in good shape and donate them. (more…)

Tweet This Post

When should children start to learn about managing money?  Since financial management is considered a learned behavior, why not learn the right way from the beginning?  Being a self-improvement junkie, I thought of a system to help my child learn about dollars and cents.

I have never been a fan of paying children money to help out around the house.  We are all a family, and we have to pitch in to makes things go smoothly.  When my wife does laundry, I don’t slip her a ten dollar bill, and she doesn’t pay me to mow the lawn.  Why should I give my child money to clean his or her room?  This teaches him to expect something for going through the motions of life.

Instead, I propose a different avenue.  Kids spend a vast majority of their time in school, it is essentially their job from ages 5-18.  Why not reward them as such?  Whatever allowance you would feel comfortable giving for doing chores direct it to a salary for school.

As time goes on, they will get raises or fines for their efforts.  When the report cards come out, treat them like a quarterly evaluation.  Give them raises based on their grades.  $2 per A, $1 per B, $0.50 per C, nothing for a D and take $1 per F.  This will teach them that we get rewarded for our efforts and can’t just skate by.  They are going to have to learn this in the corporate world once they graduate; this will be a huge advantage for them.

I even propose to carry this over into the teen years.  I would rather my child be focused on her studies than go to school all day and then to work right afterward and neglect homework.  If shes chooses to get a job, it will be like having two jobs.

This was just thought up by me while driving home from work one day, and there are many details to work out, but I think you can get a clear picture.  Does anyone else have an unique system for teaching young people how to handle money?

Tweet This Post

Kids love summertime and the freedom it brings. Moms, not so much. Finding ways to entertain the children all day can be taxing on mom and on the budget. But there are some ways to take the strain off both.

A number of restaurants offer free kids meals on certain nights of the week.  In our area, just about every night is covered by at least one restaurant.  Sixty-nine cent cheeseburger Wednesday at McDonald’s is a popular lunch stop. Even though the savings don’t amount to all that much (I think cheeseburgers are ninety-five cents every other day), every Wednesday huge numbers of parents with young children flock to the one local McDonald’s that still has a playland.

Many movie theaters have started showing FREE movies on weekday mornings.  Our Cobb theater has two free kids movies each week, showing at 10AM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  If you can convince your children that they do not need twelve bucks worth of snacks to watch a movie, then free morning movies are a great way to get out of the house without breaking the bank.

Children’s museums are another good activity for summertime.  Many will offer an annual family pass, which is a huge bargain compared to paying single day admission at most other venues.  For $60, our family has unlimited access to the children’s museum, which is good for entertaining once a week all summer without getting dull.

There are always free events being hosted here and there in any given city.  Books-a-Million is currently offering free kids activities on Saturday mornings all summer.  While they haven’t been spectacular, you can’t beat the price and the kids sure seem to have fun.

While these events will help to keep the kids entertained without breaking the bank, mom is sure to be extra weary throughout the summer.  Dad needs to step in and have some extra ‘date nights’ with the kids during the evenings, just to give mom a break.  As the saying goes, “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”   It’s a grammatical nightmare, but it’s true.

Tweet This Post

When I first joined the Wasabi Media Group team, I needed money rather badly to buy stuff, for a decent amount of spending money for a YMCA trip I am doing summer, and other usual teen money needs. Since I have began working a steady job, I have gained plenty of money.  I think jobs are good for teens, but for young teens, finding a job you legally can work at is hard.

In New Hampshire (where I live), the law basically says that if you are under the age of fourteen, you cannot get a job and if you are under the age of sixteen, you need to get a New Hampshire Youth Employment Certificate, within 3 business days of the first day of employment, from the Superintendent of Schools, Guidance Department, or Principal’s Office in the city or town where you attend school. You may be denied if you have bad grades or a record of trouble.  NH law also says 16 or 17 years olds shall be employed by an employer if the employer maintains on file a signed written document from the youth’s parent or legal guardian permitting the youth’s employment.   There are some exceptions to the rule, though.  For example, I work for Wasabi Media Group, but I’m only thirteen.  That is because Wasabi Media Group is a my parents’ business.

Here are some tips on jobs for under working age teens.  If your parents have a business, see if you you can work there. If not, there is the old teen stand-by: babysitting.  Personally,  I babysit and write.  If none of these work, try carving out some type of niche work.  Generally, competing with stores and/or chains of stores is hard, and you are almost guaranteed to lose.  Try something like baking or art.  Also, volunteering will get you known, so when you become of working age, more people will hire you.

So, if you are a money strapped teen, try to get a job!

Tweet This Post