Managing finances

I can remember when I was a kid my parents gave me a couple of dollars here and there for doing some kind of extra chore.  I was jealous of the kids that got paid allowances!  For me, money was hard earned and I was very upset when I discovered that one of my siblings had raided my little piggy bank and taken all of my money!  The little thief took off with my money and ran off to the neighborhood market and spent all of my money on gum, candy, and comic books!  And my parents did nothing about it. 

I never got my money back, and the thief was never punished in any way at all.  For reasons such as this, and to avoid losing cash due to other unforeseen causes, I suggest that parents dole out their money to their kids in the form of a prepaid visa mastercard.  Using cards like this instead of cash makes the money more secure and helps kids to learn how to budget their money!  And of course, it makes them feel “cool” by having a card to use like a credit card – like the “grownups” do!