I’m issuing a spending moratorium.

There is a big house right down the road from me, and every time we drive by it, Number 3, 4, and 5 say, “That’s my house. When I grow up, that’s what my house is going to look like. But maybe bigger.”

Number 3 then goes on to say how he will have a maid and a butler to take care of all the shit that goes along with owning a huge house.

I have been thinking a lot about money recently, in light of our situation.

I have thought about all the crap that I have wasted money on.

The ridiculous amount of clothes I bought back when I was a teacher.

Vacations I spent too much money on.

Houses we rented on the beach with a pool and 5 or 6 bedrooms.

Cable. Movie channels. Cell phone plans. Way too many Christmas presents. Activities for the kids that just weren’t necessary.

And so I am trying to teach the kids about money now. Before it’s too late.

I’m trying to show them that spending money on lots of stuff is a waste.

I’m trying to teach them that excess and over the top things, whether it’s a vacation or a house or a birthday party, is, well,

dumb.

I’ve been trying to explain to them that along with the big house comes higher bills and more time needed to maintain stuff or more money to pay other people to maintain that stuff.

And that takes away from your ability to have fun and do the things that you enjoy.

So my goal for them is to graduate from college (if they go) debt free.

My goal is to teach them that stuff doesn’t bring you happiness. In fact, very often, stuff does just the opposite.

My goal is to teach them to be smart, to make wise financial decisions, to live frugally while still doing the things they love to do, and to be able to spend time with their families and children when they are young, rather than running non stop on the hamster wheel 24/7.

I have not done a great job up until now teaching the kids to have respect for their money.

The book I’m reading, Living the Simple Life has a chapter suggesting putting a moratorium on shopping.

To not spend money on anything other than food and essentials for 30 days.

This isn’t that big of a challenge because we don’t have much money to spend. We don’t go shopping. We don’t buy new clothes or new toys or new anything, really.

And the kids don’t have tons of cash to throw around either.

But Number 3 did have his birthday party on Tuesday. He got about $50 in cash and $80 in gift cards.

Number 4 ran a lemonade stand at two baseball games and has made a total of $45 so far this summer.

And they both wanted to immediately go out and spend their money. All of it.

I wouldn’t let them.

And what I told them is that they need to write down the things they think they want to have.

And then, they need to wait. For thirty days.

And in thirty days, we will revisit the things they think they need to spend their money on and we will see if they still really want to spend their money on them.

I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but I’m hoping they don’t.

I’m hoping to change their perspective.

I’m hoping that in thirty days, when we drive by that big house, they will see that all that excess is really unnecessary.

That might be a lofty goal.

But at least it’s a start.

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