We decided that this would be a great time to teach her about savings. We'd already been giving her monetary rewards for doing tasks with a cheerful demeanor, and she had been able to buy Polly Pockets and princess crowns and shoes, things like that. Little tiny toys for maybe 2 or 3 dollars. But a bike would cost at least $40 (I eventually priced it out and with tax it came to $46). So, I explained to her what it would take for her to save up her money. Not only did she have to save up $46, but she would also have to take into account 10% in long term savings and 10% tithe. I have to admit she was pretty despondent when she thought of all the dimes she would have to save.
On the bright side, she knew that she had almost $10 in her piggy bank, so she started working with gusto, and every time we went to Target or Walmart she would beg to go look at the bikes. She was soooo happy when a few people sent her money for her birthday. Five dollars here, ten dollars there and she was up to $37 by the middle of February. By then, I was a little concerned that maybe she would grow weary in well doing because 2 months of working is a lot for a barely 5 year old to handle. Luckily, her Tutu found out that Kate had been practicing her violin very faithfully, so they struck a bargain. If Kate made a video of her playing the violin, Tutu would send her 5 whole dollars.
If you've ever seen a very excited Kate, you can imagine the dancing and hopping and jumping that occured with this announcement. So, Kate spent a couple of days practicing and refining her skills, made the video and emailed it to her Tutu. The VERY next day, a card came in the mail with Katie's name on it, and imagine Kate's ecstasy when she discovered not just $5 but $10 in the card.
Now, she KNEW she could buy her bike. She started to cry. So, here she is the very proud owner of a brand new bike.
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