Parents Don't Let Your Kids Waste Their Time, Lives, Money!

March 21st, 2023 by Team Sammy

Money Wasted Equals Time and Lives Wasted

Parents, teachers do not let your kids and students waste their lives!

Placing a priority on teaching children the value of both time and money will set them up for sustained success. Do all you can to encourage them to use both wisely. The right time and money mindsets and habits will advance their well-being and enrich their lives.

Start the learning process early, like at ages 3, 4, and 5. Keep the learning process going and growing from there.

Food for Thought

People dedicate a significant portion of their lives, often spanning several decades (30, 40, or more years), to working in order to earn money.

It is a direct exchange or trade of time, energy and life for money.

Sadly, far to many of us then frequently exchange that time and money without thought or a plan for "stuff" we do not use, "really" want, or need.

The consequence intended or not is a waste of time and money.

If a child begins developing a habit of spending $5 a day on soda and flaming hot cheetos and you earn $25 an hour, that results in you exchanging 20% of one hour of your time for that purchase or 12 minutes per day.

This is tantamount to squandering over half a year of life within an average 72-year lifespan.

Additionally, consider that this isn't the sole negative financial and temporal behavior formed during youth, which persists into adulthood.

Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying:

"...beware of little expennses - a small leak will sink great ships..."

An old proverb shares the phrase "waste not, want not."

Both are excellent ways of sharing that if we don't waste resources or things, we won't find ourselves lacking or wanting in the future.

3 Easy Steps and Solutions

Outlined below are three simple steps and solutions that parents and teachers can implement to assist children in utilizing their time and money more effectively.

(1) Create routines for your kids.

All successful people use routines to save time, streamline their activities, and enhance their productivity.

Routines equate to habits. They are patterns of behavior that individuals consciously or unconsciously adopt to bring structure and consistency to their daily lives. These habits play a significant role in shaping one's achievements and overall well-being.

Kids like structure and predictability.

At Sammy Rabbit our emphasis is on developing great habits. It has been from day 1.

Why?

Habits, repeat behavior, have and produce predictable outcomes.

Walk every day for 20 minutes and you can predict your fitness will improve. Save and invest money and you can predict your financial freedom, security, and wellness will systematically advance.

Two of the most important habits you can teach kids when it comes to time and money are:

(i) Make saving and investing habits.

Use the Sammy Rabbit songs Get in the Habit and S-A-V-E to teach them to pay themselves first.

(ii) Spending less than they earn or receive.

Get the conversation started by having them listen to the Sammy Rabbit song titled: Don't Spend More Than You Make!

(2) Teach your kids and students to "budget" both their time and money.

These are great habits that transform lives.

Have them learn to give their pennies a purpose and have a plan for them. For many of us this means having a budget; aligning our spending with our dreams, goals, values.

Get the conversation going by having kids listen to the Sammy Rabbit money song titled: Budget.

An easy to execute strategy to help kids learn to budget is have them begin making lists. You might start with a short "to do" list for the day. Then you might have kids help you make a grocery shopping list.

When they are ready, have them work on prioritizing their lists.

(3) Have kids track how they use their time and money.

Parents and teachers might do this by scheduling a weekly discussion to review how kids used their time and money during the past week. Ask them if they are:

(i) satsified with their choices

(ii) happy with what they have accomplished

(iii) able to identify any areas where time has been wasted or opportunities for better use of their time and money, especially as it pertains to advancing progress toward their dreams and goals.

3 Favorite Quotes on Using Time Wisely

For added motivation share quotes with kids on the wise use of resources. Here are three you can start with.

"A person who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life."

-Charles Darwin

"The future depends on what you do today."

-Mahatma Ghandi as quoted by Angela Davis

"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."

-Carl Sandburg

2 of the Biggest and Most Common Ways Kids Waste Time and Money

One of the biggest and most common ways kids waste "time" is the overuse and consumption of "screen time." This comes in a variety of forms today: phones, tables, personal computer and of course television.

it is important for kids to be thoughtful of how they use their time and to find an appropriate balance between learning and play.

Second, when it comes to wasting "money," impulsive purchases, is a whopper! Kids want and ask for things without thinking. Frequently, those are things they do not really want or use infrequently if ever. As the environment continues to more assertively shape all our attention spans to be shorter and shorter, this is a growing risk to kids futures.

Agree? Disagree?

Share YOUR thinking. Champion and advance financial literacy awareness, discussion and education ... Do it today!!!

Take Action Today

Applied knowledge is powerful and life transforming.

Have your kids listen to the Sammy Rabbit song Make Your Choices Count. It's free to listen to. Have them do the activities associated with song. You will need to be a member of Sammy Rabbit's Money School for these. Learn more about the school here. Discuss the song and activities.
Make a deposit with your child or children into a piggy bank, savings jar or into a savings account at the financial institution of your choice. Get them in the habit of saving some of their money. Oh yes!

Have your child deposit the activities they completed into their Dream Big Journal!

Sammy Rabbit Says

Always be learning! Keep your kids learning and growing in knowledge.

You can do it.

Now, get to it!

Have a Sammyriffic time!

Contact Sammy

If you have questions, suggestions or would like learn more about Sammy Rabbit and his mission to teach kids great money habits and other important life skills, contact us!

Introducing Sammy Rabbit's Money School

Let's get kids financially literate!

Sammy's Money School is a one of kind membership with a treasure trove of activities, stories, songs, videos, arts, crafts, live virtual experiences, and challenges to learn all about money, the secret strategies of the rich and wealthy, as well as the habits that will help you make your dreams come true! Learn more about joining the Money School.

About Sam X Renick

Sam is an award winning financial education expert, author, entrepreneur and co-creator of Sammy Rabbit dot com.

For more than two decades he has been the media's go to expert on kids and money. Here are several media quotes from Sam.

Go Banking Rates

Article Title: What To Teach Your Kids About Money at Every Age by Kimberly Lanksford

Quote: “Understand your kids are watching and listening to you all the time,” said Sam X Renick, a financial educator who created the Sammy Rabbit storybooks and financial literacy program to teach young children about money. “No matter how we feel about it, managing money plays a significant role in advancing, maintaining and growing one’s financial well-being. While money may not be able to buy happiness, the right financial habits can certainly help one avoid a lot of unhappiness.”

Forbes

Article Title: How To Teach Your Kids Good Money Habits by Cameron Huddleston

Quote: “Without a working knowledge of money, it is extraordinarily difficult to do well in life,” says Sam X Renick, co-creator of Sammy Rabbit, a children’s character and financial literacy initiative. “Money is central to transacting life, day-in and day-out. Where we live, what we eat, the clothes we wear, the car we drive, health care, education, child-rearing, gift giving, vacations, entertainment, heat, air-conditioning, insurance—you name it, money is involved.”

ABC News

Article Title: 7 Really Bad Money Habits You May Be (Accidentally) Teaching Your Kids by Gerri Detweiler

Quote: "...the overriding goal is to teach kids to be thoughtful about what they do with money. We want them to understand money is one of the tools you use to make dreams come true. What can you do with money? You can save it, invest it, spend it or give it away. And managing money well has the potential to make your life happier and less stressful..."

Centsai

Article Title: The Cure For Financial Illiteracy Exists, But It’s Not Easy by Sam X Renick

Quote: "...The effort to teach kids about money must start early. Regretfully for kids, that is inverse to where 99 percent of the energy and resources are currently allocated in youth financial education..."

Kiplinger

Article Title: Saving with Sammy Rabbit by Janet Bodnar

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