Cashing In

The day is here! Em & B got to sort their coins to find out how much they have saved for Disneyland spending!
We started this tradition the very first time we took E to Disney. She may have only been 10 months old, but we only purchased stuff for her according to what we had saved in coins in her piggy bank. Every year since, we've done the same thing-but with TWO piggy banks! Nothing has changed-except now the kids are old enough to do it themselves. I truly want them to understand the value of saving for things you REAAAAALLLY want. Plus-when Em knows she is spending her own money-she thinks twice about her purchases. And THAT=happy parents :) She's learnin'!

We gave Em a coin tray for sorting & got her started, then we gave B some hot dog trays to do the same thing but in an easier way. They LOVED this activity way more than I thought they would. This is 3-4 year old Finance 101 at its best! It starts young right?

While they sorted, they conversed about all the different places they had found some of the various coins: in mom's purse, in dad's car, in the parking lots, on family walks, Bryce even found a couple each time we've been camping! Funny how they remember these things-and laugh if you want-but I love that when my goobers see a coin & pick it up, their faces light up and with glee they exclaim "We need to put this away for Disneyland!" 

Em got to change her coins (and $25 added by Nana throughout the year) in for $60 of THESE:

and B got to change his coins (and $25 added by Nana throughout the year) in for $60 of THESE:

I turn in their regular US dollar bills at World of Disney, and they give me "Disney Dollars" in return-which literally look like the ones above. So fun & they are accepted EVERYWHERE in the park! Of course I keep them in my purse, and when the kids find something they like, we talk to them about how many of their dollars they would have to trade for the item, and count that many out. Bryce is totally into counting, so he gets it-even on his 3 year old level. Em typically conserves her money much more than brother-we'll see how it goes this year. Life is all about choices-especially at Disneyland!

We are all packed. Flight out in the morning, landing in SoCal for a month long excursion in my home town! PURE BLISS!  Imperial Beach-HERE WE COME! Tomorrow night, I will be basking in the california sunset enjoying a BBQ with my fam while the kids swim.....yes-it is ok to be jealous ;)

Family, Friends and Fun-HERE WE COME!