Money Jar Update

Well its been 4 months since we started the money jar.  I thought we would give you an update.  It is going great.  Every time I get change and one of my darlings is with me you can bet I will hear something like "great mom, more money for the jar".  The children are very excited.  Most of the time the older children let the baby put the money in the jar.  She loves it!  Every time we see a commercial of a Disney cruise on the sin box, aka television, they jump up and start looking for money.  We have now included the recycling money to our efforts.  I am also trying to scrape up the nerve to look through trash cans while filling up at the gas stations to look for cans and bottles.  I can't believe I just admitted that!  Ever so often I decide I need to know how much is in the jar.  As of last week we have over $150.  It's not much but its a great start.  If you have any other interesting ways to add to the jar let me know.

Money Jar

Some of you might be wondering where we got our money jar.  Harvest time in Oak Glen is a wonderful time.  This year our church family had a picnic at Riley's farm at Los Rios Rancho.  They offer some really fun things to do and one of those things is pressing apple cider.  My whole family was involved in the pressing process.  We had a great time and in the end we ended up with a gallon of golden goodness apple cider.  It came in this old fashioned glass jar.  It fits perfect in my decor and reminds us of a wonderful memory!

Family Money Jar

This is how our money jar came about.  My hubby and I went to Hawaii a few years back and when we got home we promised the kids the next time we go we would take them.  That was a big mistake because I have a family of 7.  That is a lot of cash.  Well last year while I was at AAA I picked up a brochure for the Disney Cruise Line.  They are now sailing out of Los Angeles.  Hubby and I decided to give the kids a choice.  Disney cruise or Hawaii.  There was a catch though,  If they chose Disney and there is an opportunity for hubby and I to go to Hawaii before that we were no longer obligated to take them with.  They chose Disney Cruise!  So then we talked about how we where going to afford this trip since it was going to be more then Hawaii.  I didn't want it to be just mommy and daddy paying for it so we came up with this.

We fill the jars a couple of ways.  Every time the kids speak mean to each other they have to do an extra chore to earn a quarter to put in the jar. The day before pay day the kids search everywhere for change.  I let them dig through my mess of a purse, take the money out of the ashtray in the van and don't forget the couch (best way to get the couch clean by the way).  We do everything in cash so we always have change.  It's kinda like BofA's savings thingy.  Well its working!  I was curious and dumped the whole jar and counted it. In one month we saved $70.  I couldn't believe it!  I thought to myself I'm not budgeting very well, but that is another story I will post later.

Chore Charts

I have seen some wonderful handmade chore charts on some really crafty sites and blogs but I searched and searched for something that would be right for our family.  Last year my hubby and I found http://www.myrewardboard.com/. 

I love it!  I am one who tries to reinvent the wheel on things like this and I found that I didn't have to change much.  I have 5 children and I NEED a chore chart.  Guess what, it works too.  The only time it doesn't work is when I am being inconsistent and don't follow through on checking to make sure they did their chores.  We have been slacking and haven't been using it lately but today starts another week for us and I am whipping them out again.

They even have a free trial. I'm not trying to promote any one thing but when I come across things I like I will share it with you. Post a comment and let me know what kind of chore chart or system you use.

Name that Bible Character

My kids had bible character day at school.  I was really excited for this day.  We had a lot of fun picking the characters.  My oldest was the most creative.