Kids need to hear it…parents need to say it!  For example, kids always ask for just about everything they see at a store…Can I get this?  Can I have that?  If you always give in and say yes, two things will happen. 

First, you teach your child that if they pester you by asking for meaningless items while you’re shopping…and keep it up long enough, they will eventually get what they ask for!  And second, they will most likely lose interest in the item the minute they get home.  For them, it’s all about the experience.  Want it, buy it, and carry it around, and when the excitement is over, it just becomes more “stuff” for you to pick up or work around.  You will save so much time, energy and money by implementing this simple idea.  Now, here’s how to start making it easy on you. 

Getting ahead of the problem…  We now have this discussion way in advance.  On our way to the store or even before leaving the house, our kids now know that they’ll have a better chance of being rewarded with something we want them to have at a store by not asking for anything…and that asking for something is a sure way to not get anything! 

Even at the age of 3 or 4 years old, kids can understand the idea of “we are only looking today” or “this is not a trip to buy something for you”.  We set the expectation before leaving the house.  Talk about saving time and energy.  Before putting these ideas to work, we were exhausted and frustrated returning from a simple trip to the store.  Not to mention the money we save by not buying the $1 candy bar, the $3.99 stuffed bear, or the $10 Barbie…you get the idea!

Kids growing up today seem to rarely hear NO. Our generation wants only the best for our kids.  We want them to have everything we didn’t have growing up and more.  The problem is that hearing no, and not getting everything we asked for was exactly what we needed.  It made us who we are.  It builds character.  And, most importantly it prepared us for life. 

Not many adults can have whatever they want…and even those who can have whatever they want aren’t any better off for it.  Remember, telling your kids no, or preparing your kid for no before a shopping trip, is what they need to hear.  It makes them better and more responsible.  Saying no, saves you time, saves you energy, and saves you a lot of money that you used to waste on items that barely got a second look the minute you returned home.  

Now, for ideas on what to do with the extra money you will save, check out some of the Money Management ideas on this site if you haven’t already.  Thanks for visiting reward AMERICA club .com.  Let us know what you think of our ideas, post your own ideas and tell a friend to check us out!