I make a spending plan for our family every single month. We account for every dollar coming in and going out. But what about the things that happen quarterly and annually? We add up all of those expected expenses at the beginning of the year and calculate the total approximate cost. That money will be saved every month to go toward those expenses. That is how we allocate money for things like Christmas and birthdays, too.

We budget $300 for each daughter’s birthday party and $200 for a present and save for it monthly. But last year, we bought pizza, cake, snacks, etc. Our daughter requested that we take her friends to brunch the next morning. We ended up spending far more than we had budgeted.

Now we need to save more in the remaining months of the year to make up for going over budget. When I have to do this, we have to lower our spending or it will not balance out. I vowed that it would not happen again. So this year, we did things a little bit differently. Listen to this episode to learn a unique way you can teach your kids how to budget.

[bctt tweet="🎉 In episode #245 of the Best in Wealth podcast, I share a unique way you can teach your kids how to budget that they’ll enjoy, too! #PersonalFinance #Budgeting #FinancialPlanning" username=""]

Outline of This Episode

What I plan on doing differently this year

My daughter was talking with my wife about her plan for her birthday and I knew I needed to interject. That is when a lightbulb went off in my head.

I asked her to share what she wanted to do for her birthday. She planned to have 10 of her friends over for a sleepover. She wanted to decorate our basement with banners and balloons. She wanted to take her friends out for pizza and ice cream. She also wanted to take them to an escape room. Lastly, she wanted to give her friends a cool party favor.

I’m sweating profusely at this point, starting to get nervous about my plan. But I took a deep breath and said, “That all sounds great.” I then proceeded to tell her that we had $300 saved for her birthday party and $200 for her birthday present.

I told her that she got to plan her party down to the last detail—but that she had to stay within the $300 budget. Even better, if she spent under $300 on the party, I would take the extra money and put it toward her birthday present.

But I told her that there was a catch: If she spent more than $300 on her party, it would be deducted from her birthday present. 

[bctt tweet="💡 I asked my 14-year-old daughter to plan her birthday party and gave her a specific budget to work with. It was a game-changer. Learn why in this episode of Best in Wealth! #PersonalFinance #Budgeting #FinancialPlanning" username=""]

My daughter’s real-life experience with budgeting

She had to calculate how many friends she wanted to invite and how much it would cost for pizza and ice cream for all of them. She had to find out how much the escape room would cost. She had to calculate how much the decorations would cost.

She wanted to get her 10 friends Owala water bottles for party favors. She excitedly said, “They’re cheaper than Stanley’s—only about $30 a piece.” And I said, “Eva—what’s $30 x 10?” Her smile faded when she realized the water bottles alone would eat her entire budget.

So she got to work. She decided they would not do the escape room. She would get ice cream that was on sale at our local grocery store. We would buy pizza from Costco. She priced out birthday decorations on Amazon. She also decided to invite only her closest friends so she could still get each of them an Owala water bottle.

The grand total for her birthday party was $294. She came in $6 under budget. My daughter was in control of her party and learned a valuable lesson: When you want something, you have to find a way to make it work that is within your budget.

What do you think? Would you try this with your kids?

[bctt tweet="🥳 I had my 14-year-old daughter plan her own birthday party. Why? To teach her how to #budget. Learn how you can do the same thing with your kids in episode #245 of Best in Wealth! #PersonalFinance #Budgeting #FinancialPlanning" username=""]

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The Best In Wealth Podcast is hosted by Scott Wellens. Scott Wellens is the principal at Fortress Planning Group. Fortress Planning Group is a registered investment advisory firm regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance and compliance with securities laws and regulations. Fortress Planning Group does not render or offer to render personalized investment or tax advice through the Best In Wealth Podcast. The information provided is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, investment or legal advice.