debit card

4 Ways that Debit Cards are Beneficial for Young Teens

4 Ways that Debit Cards are Beneficial for Young Teens

By Tracy L. Hirsch

It may seem like giving your 13-year-old a debit card is too much too soon, but in this digital age, debit cards are quickly replacing cash. Here’s how to wisely integrate a debit card while teaching your preteens and teens important lessons about finances and budgeting.

When your children are in preschool and elementary school, dollar bills and coins are the perfect way to teach them about money. As your children enter their preteen and early teenage years, it’s a good idea to build on those basic money concepts by introducing them to debit cards.

You may be thinking, “Really? Isn’t that going to be confusing for them? Won’t that seem like a license to overspend?” My answer to that is “no” — as long as you take the time to teach them how to be responsible with it!

Giving your child a debit card when they are a preteen or young teenager can be beneficial as it prepares them for adulthood. All adults have debit cards, so why not teach them as early as possible how to use those cards wisely? That way, they will have the concept of budgeting ingrained in them for several years before they live on their own.

If you feel apprehensive about linking a regular debit card to a checking account, you could start out with a prepaid debit card to ensure that there’s no way for them to overdraft their account. Once they have enough practice, you can find a bank that has a debit card program for young teens.

Here are four tips on how to make a debit card work for you and your preteens or teenagers.

Remember: Debit cards teach your teens how to keep track of saving and spending!

Here are four tips on how to make a debit card work for you and your preteens or teenagers.

1.) Have them earn the money that’s attached to the debit card. It’s not beneficial to just add money to their bank account whenever they need something. It’s best to make sure that they earn that money in order to understand the reward of working hard.

Whenever your child does an extra chore, assign a value to it. For example, unloading the dishwasher could earn them $2, whereas mowing the front lawn could earn them $15.

If your child wants to go out for icecream with their friends or wants to go to a theme park for the afternoon, they can save up for these outings. In order for them to see what’s being added and subtracted, it’s vitally important to implement the tip below.

2.) Give them a checkbook register, and show them how to use it. Instead of cashing and writing checks, your child will be receiving electronic deposits and spending with their debit card. Regardless of whether they’re spending money with paper or card, a check register will help them keep track of their money (all the while preparing them for adulthood).

Set aside some one-on-one quiet time with your child, and show them how to add and subtract from their register. Tell them that when they earn money for unloading the dishwasher, you will deposit $2.00 into their account, and they will need to write “Chore – Dishwasher” in the description, and write “$2.00” in the deposit column. Then show them how to update the balance.

For example, if they have already have $20.00 in their checking account, and they earn $2.00 for unloading the dishwasher, the total balance is now $22.00. Next, show them that if they spend $5.00 on a meal at the local burger place, they need to put the name of the business in the description, and put “$5.00” in the withdrawal column, and update the balance to $17.00.

credit card

3.) Show them how to budget with their register. If your 13-year old wants to go to a theme park with their friends, and the ticket is $40.00, explain to them that they can only purchase the ticket once the balance in their register is over $40.00. If their balance is $17.00, you can suggest that they can mow the front lawn for $15.00 and take care of their younger sibling for an hour while you run a quick errand for $10.00.

Show them that when they add $25.00 to the $17.00 balance, they will have a $42.00 balance, which will give them enough money to purchase the theme park ticket.

4.) Set up a weekly meeting to review their register and budget with them. It’s a good idea to sit down with your child at the end of each week to make sure that their online bank statement total matches up with the current total in their check register. Show your child the bank statement balance, and ask them if it matches the balance in their register.

If it doesn’t match up, tell your child that it’s okay to make mistakes, and that you’re proud of them for working hard and for being willing to learn something new. Then have your child look at the itemized bank statement so that they can find which deposit(s) and/or purchase(s) they forgot to record in their register.

Once they find them on their own, have them enter those into their checkbook and update the balance. Be sure to let them know that you’re proud of them for learning skills that they will use every single day when they become adults!

Teaching your older kids about money can seem like a daunting task, but when you show them the basic building blocks of spending, saving, and budgeting, you’ll be surprised at how quickly they get the hang of it.

Do your preteens or teens have their own debit card? If so, do you have any additional tips that you would recommend? Please share them in the comment section of our Facebook post — we would love to hear to hear your suggestions!

All the best,

Tracy L. Hirsch

Louisville Bankruptcy Lawyer

Do you have debt and don't know what to do? Let's chat!

(502) 435-2593

Need help immediately? Tap on the phone number to call!

girl sports

5 Ways to Save Money on Your Kids’ Extracurricular Activities

5 Ways to Save Money on Your Kids' Extracurricular Activities

By Tracy L. Hirsch

Whether it’s sports, music, dance, or theater, the cost of keeping your kids involved can add up quickly. Here’s how you can cut costs.

Extracurricular activities have numerous benefits for your children — they get to form relationships with their peers, they get to acquire new skills in a collaborative setting, and they get to tap into their natural talents and abilities and enhance them.

All of these things benefit your child’s emotional well-being, and can help them build confidence while forming friendships and learning about teamwork.

Every parent wants their child to learn and grow, and to bond with other children. While that’s a worthy goal, it often (literally) comes with a cost.

If your child is involved in sports, there’s the cost of equipment and practices; if your child is involved in music, there’s the cost of the instrument and the lessons; if your child is involved in dance, there’s the cost of uniforms and dance academy.

What’s more, if you have more than one child, and each child has multiple interests, you can easily spend hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars a year, especially if travel for sports games or recitals is required. With kids getting ready to go back to school, the budget is already getting tighter!

Remember: Doing extracurricular activities shouldn’t require racking up debt on a credit card.

That being said, here are five ways to save money on your children’s extracurricular activities:

1.) Inquire about student discounts and/or group discounts. While certain activity instructors may not offer any type of discount, it doesn’t hurt to ask! Ask the instructor if they provide a:

– Referral discount: a discount for referring friends and family members who sign up for lessons

– Group discount: a discount for enrolling two or more children at a time

– Returning Student discount: a discount for being a loyal participant for multiple years/seasons in a row

– Package discount: a discount for signing up for multiple sessions upfront

– Registration discount: a discount for signing up by a certain date

– Sliding Scale discount: a discount based on a low level of income

– Coaching Discount: a discount is often given if you decide to coach a sports team (In fact, most of the time, your children play for free if you assist with coaching!)

Instructors and organizations may offer one or more of the above, which can save you a lot of money in the long run.

2.) Look into programs that are run by non-profit organizations. While private lessons can be beneficial in certain circumstances, activities that involve participation on a team can often be done for free.

The YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club, and Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are great places to start, but you can also look into activities that are run by churches, local libraries, and/or county recreation departments in the greater Louisville area.

3.) Lower the additional costs associated with extracurricular activities. While the lessons themselves usually cost money, there are also additional expenses that come with it. Supplies, equipment, uniforms, and gas money to drive to lessons and sports practices add up quickly.

Here’s how to save on those things:

– Buy gently-used equipment or borrow from someone

– Set up a carpool with other teammates to cut down the cost of gas for all parents

– Buy gently-used uniforms and attire from parents whose kids participated in previous seasons

If long-distance travel is involved, the cost of hotels, gas, and/or plane tickets can really add up. Here are some tips on how to reduce travel costs:

– If you need to fly, be sure to book your flight at least two to three months in advance since last-minute flights are more expensive

– If you’re driving, carpool with other team members

– If traveling in a group, inquire about hotel discounts for a block of rooms

girl swim

4.) Find extracurricular activities that your children can do at home. If your child has a particular interest, find out how you can help them learn on an individual level. Here are some creative ideas:

– YouTube. If your child wants to learn how to properly swing a baseball bat or wants to learn how to play guitar, there are thousands of free tutorials on YouTube that teach these things. Almost any activity that you can think of can be found in an online video tutorial: cake decorating, painting, skateboarding, photography, and so on.

– Blogs. Many blog writers provide expert instructions on how to cook, play music, and learn sports.

– Library. Many great authors have written books or created DVDs to teach a particular skill set.

– Swap Skills! If you know a fellow parent who can teach your kid a particular skill, you could ask them to teach your child, and then you can offer to teach their child in return.

For example, if you know a parent who is an experienced artist, they could teach your child how to draw and paint. In return, if you are an experienced golfer, you could teach their child the best ways to  drive and putt a golf ball.

Once your child acquires the basic skills for a certain activity, they can then move onto joining a group or team if that fits into your budget.

5.) Teach your kids about budgeting. While you never want your kids to carry burdens that they don’t need to carry, it’s important to thoughtfully talk to your kids about the family budget so that they can understand why they can’t participate in every activity under the sun.

It’s important to lovingly and carefully explain why you may have to say ‘no’ to enrolling in certain activities due to limited finances.

If your children are very young, it can be helpful to explain to them what money is, and how you can be a good steward of your money.

That could also provide an opportunity for you to teach them about prioritizing. If your child wants to sign up for six extracurricular activities that are similar in cost, and you can only afford three of them, you can sit down with them to determine which activities are most important to them, and then enroll them in their top three choices.

You can also explain how you’ve had to cut out certain items and activities in order to save money, and that being part of a family sometimes requires sacrifice.

If your children are in their teens, you can ask them to contribute to the expenses that are associated with the sports and artistic activities that they want to participate in. This will instill a good work ethic in them, and help them learn that they have to earn certain privileges.

They can do jobs for neighbors, family, and friends, such as:

– Walk a neighbor’s dog every morning

– Do yard work (like raking leaves and cutting grass)

– Babysit or assist parents on their local family outings

– Clean houses (like dusting, vacuuming, and mopping)

– Selling handmade goods (such as baked goods, jewelry, art, etc.)

While extracurricular activities are wonderful for our children, it’s good to find ways to cut costs, while teaching them the importance of budgeting and prioritizing. Do you have anything that you would add to this list? If so, please share your suggestions in the comment section of our Facebook post.

Parents supporting other parents is what makes a healthy and thriving community, and creative ideas can be the impetus for success for all involved!

All the best,

Tracy L. Hirsch

Louisville Kentucky Bankruptcy Attorney

Have debt? Want to discuss your options? Let's chat!

(502) 435-2593

Need help immediately? Tap on the phone number to call!