Teaching Kids How to Budget and Save Money for a Family Vacation

Family Vacations on a Budget

Smart Savings this Summer: Budgeting for a Family Vacation

By Joe Laing, El Monte RV

No one disagrees with the notion that it’s hard to save money and stick to a budget, whether you’re an individual or a family unit. But sometimes, the reward in the long run can be worth a little bit of penny-pinching in the present, especially when it comes to your summer family vacation. Do you really want to let the kids down this June and tell them that the family can’t afford to take a few days and road trip together someplace interesting? You can avoid that unpleasant, disheartening scene with a little bit of planning–and not as many sacrifices as you might think.

Why Budget

If you’ve never educated the kids (or your spouse!) regarding the purpose of a budget, having a family meeting before getting started is essential. Let everyone know that a budget is a fun, responsible way to make sure enough money is available for a vacation that year. Keep in mind the following when discussing the family budget:

Children Can Mirror Our Behavior

Children Can Mirror Our Behavior - Angry Girl pointing finger

Children can express behavior and feelings that reflect back on how we act with them.

 

By Amy Egan

Recently, I have been coaching a mother whose six-year-old daughter has a lot of control in their home.  Due to the nature of their personalities, both parents were allowing this to go on because they saw it as being better than any conflict that ensued when Meg was not given her way. Naturally, life had gotten very uncomfortable for all three of them.  To start with, we worked out a plan to help get Mom and Dad back in charge of the situation. Things like not arguing with Meg, setting a limit once and following through with a consequence, not minding when Meg got really upset with them, all helped tremendously.  And while both parents were thrilled with the improvements and new-found harmony within the family, Mom was still puzzled by Meg’s almost constant attempts to control her mother.

Our work together then went on to the next layer of the onion, and here is what popped up.