_____________
When the evening meal was complete, I couldn’t help but notice that every plate was cleaned “as slick as a whistle” because this was no ordinary evening. Each of our four children had a nickel burning a hole in his or her pocket. Once the meal was over, any items used for the meal were put away, and out we went. To be polite, all four of them were “slowly” walking ahead of my husband and me, but truth be told, they were inwardly running! After all, they were on a mission.
They needed no prompting. Once we got into the Snack Shop on the campus where my husband was a college professor at the time, they knew right where to go—straight to the candy counter! You see, this was the evening each week when we gave them their allowance, which meant a nickel for each year of age for that child. We began giving them an allowance of three nickels when they were age three, and that allowance had three important areas to cover.
Three little nickels
The first nickel belonged to the Lord; the second was for a treat of their choice; and the third was to be put aside to save for something they may need or want later. (In case you are already sympathizing with those “poor children,” forget it! We are talking about the 1950s and, by the time the fourth one came along, the early 1960s. Back then, a nickel still bought something that was a trophy in the eyes of those four little children!)
The candy they chose had to last until the next Tuesday when they would once again get their week’s allowance, and we would return to the Snack Shop. What fun we had as parents, watching them look over everything in the showcase, think about each item, and then tell the young lady tending the candy counter their choices. Each one paid his or her own bill and then stood patiently while the next ones completed their choices and made their payments. Sometimes that was an extended process because there was a lot of candy! After all, this did have to last a week.
The bag of the youngest child was soon empty—fathoming the length of a week just hadn’t yet found its way into her young mind. As the children got older, it was fascinating to see that on the following Monday, there might still be some candy left. In fact, as they got even older, they sometimes chose to save the nickel instead of buying any candy.
Teaching values in your children is carried out in many ways as they are taught to be responsible adults. We found that we could teach several things through the allowance system.
What we taught our children through the allowance system
The first portion always belongs to the Lord—even later in life when the numbers added up before the decimal point instead of after it. We obviously made sure that their necessities were cared for, so this was an opportunity to guide them through making worthwhile choices. Therefore, the second portion was for their personal use. The last portion taught them that they must take care of their things because replacing something meant that they had to have planned ahead to have money in the piggy bank for something they wanted or needed. They soon realized that every spontaneous wish could not be fulfilled. (But often we would tell them that if they saved a given amount, we would add to it to help them purchase the item!)
What the Bible teaches about money
Isaiah 38:19 states, “The father to the children shall make known thy truth.” That truth must include teaching our children that when it comes to money, we are the masters, and our money is the servant—not the reverse (which seems to reign in many lives today, just as it always has).
I Timothy 6:6 teaches us this: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Luke 12:15 adds, “And he said unto them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’”
Wise parents can do much teaching by giving an allowance to their children and helping to prepare their children for life.
______________________
Thank you for reading today’s post! I know Lorraine would love to hear whether or not you received an allowance as a child. If so, what was your favorite thing to purchase or to do with that allowance? In the comment section below, please feel free to leave Lorraine a note with your answer to that question!______________________
Would you like us to e-mail our posts to you? Subscribe to Petals from the Basket by e-mail
Yes, this is about how I felt on Tuesday, trying to come up with my personal “tag line” before writing today’s post! All I could think was that I never should have committed to posting a follow-up note. I should have just written my nice little 
For example, the tag line for this blog, Petals from the Basket, clarifies what the petals are: “Ideas and Resources for Everyday Christian Living.” The reason I selected that was intentional; I wanted people to think of Petals from the Basket when they desire to find helpful tools for everyday Christian living—simple but strategic.
But sometimes we also use this technique to drown out what we should hear but don’t want to know! On Wednesday, I was to read Psalm 51 as part of the daily Bible reading that I’m doing this month. But I found that I as I looked at my reading list (i.e., read the spoiler alert—the fact that I knew what the chapter contained) and because I did not want to have those words prick my needy heart, I closed my spiritual ears and lyrically, though nonverbally, demonstrated a spirit of “Lalalalala—I can’t heeeear you.” I became obsessed with color coding the chapter, looking for “key words,” and methodically performing my otherwise well-motivated Bible study habits in order to drown out the words I needed to “hear” by just reading them.