Jobs Jar

In an effort to both teach my boys about earning and handling money and get a little help around the house, I have started a jobs jar. I write jobs for the boys to do and the amount that they will be paid if the jobs are done well on slips of paper and put them in a clear glass jar on the kitchen counter. The jobs are things outside their regular chores and include items such as: dust baseboards, sweep the garage, wipe down the tops & fronts of the washer and dryer, pull a sack full of weeds, use the Wet Jet on the bathroom floors, etc. The amounts that I pay for each job are either $.25, $.50, $.75, or $1. The jar also holds two small notebooks, one for each boy. These notebooks are their jobs jar account books. Whenever the boys decide to do a job, they pull a slip from the jar, complete the job listed on the slip, write their initials on the paper and leave it on the counter. I write down the amount of money they have earned in their notebook and then once a week, total the amount of money they have earned and pay them. I help them set aside 10% for tithe, 10% for savings, and let them have the rest to use for whatever they want. Some weeks the boys are really eager to work and earn and do all of the jobs in the jar right away. There are other weeks that see several slips of paper still in the jar at the end of the week. The boys are learning that things cost money and that money is earnes by working. It has already made them think twice about some smaller impulse purchases so that they could save for something larger that means more to them. They are also being generous in giving from what they earn. A side benefit is that the boys are learning to do several smaller household tasks in a way that is fun for them and a great help to me.

I'm Back (and Counting my Blessings)

I'm back and in a much better frame of mind than when I wrote my last post. The fog of depression and extreme moodiness that has plagued me for the past year has lifted. While Ism sure there will still be tough days ahead, there have been incidents over the past two months that could have easily caused a downward spiral, but didn't. I'm no longer feeling the need to completely discard all hobbies, and so am blogging once again. For this first post back, I've decided to count the many things we have to be thankful for.
-Insurance covered the cost of replacing our roof and fixing the water damaged ceilings left from multiple spring storms, and all of that work is now done.
- When the transmission went out on Jim's car, there were friends there to immediatley offer vehicles for him to borrow, and we were given a car to replace the one that was down.
- Seth made the fifth grade basketball team, giving him a much needed confidence boost.
- I got a raise at work.
There is much more that will need to wait for a future post, but for now it's just good to be back.