Evening star., 1937-11-26
Teach Child
To Budget
Account
Allowance Should
Be Increased as
Needs Demand.
BY ANGELO PATRI.


"MOTHER, can have dime? I
have to buy a ticket for the
sA@sss Certainly not. You got bur al
lowance Monday and this is Wednes-
day."
Whats that got to do with it?"
"A whole lot. I'm trying to teach
you to save money. use it with some
common sense and you throw it
around like so much confetti. What
did you do with it?"
II got a quarter Monday morning.
All right. First I have to put 10
cents of that into the school bank.
That means got Is cents and not
+ a quarter. You can't count what I
don't get"
But you did get it. You have it
in the bank"
Yeah. That does me a lot OF good
The bank uses my money and what
do get out of it? Maybe it fails and
then-Good- And then I bought
a pad for drawing class, 10 cents"
But the school furnishes all your
supplies"
That's what you think. We have
to have special water color paper for
exhibition work and that you buy
yourself or you get left. Now I had
S cents. had to pay that for club
dues and I owe cents more. The
team has to be supported so we must
all buy a ticket Lots of the fellows
are buying five at clip. Where does
this all get me? Mother, can you
spare dime?"
'1'll let you have it, of course, but
something has to be d2ne about your
allowance. You've simrsy got to learn
to live within it somehow. I'll talk it
over with your father and maybe give
you some extra. But I don't know.
Twenty-Five cents week seems a lot
in one way"
Which way, ma? Thanks a lot.
And don't worry. Your only son is
no spendthrift. This going to. school
and having to ask for money Is not so
hot. Guess I'll have to look for a
job"
Many of us have an idea that saving
IS the aim of q child's allowance. 7
don't think that Is the right idea. Be-
fore child can save money advan-
tageously he must have had expert
ence in spending it. The only excuse
for money is its use. It buys things
We need, or enjoy, or hope to enjoy
in time to come. Children live in the
present, so it is idle to expect them
to save for future need or future en-
joyment. It Is best to begin where
they stand, on the spending level.
Give the. children an allowance as
soon as they begin to ask for pennies
just enough for spending and no more.
Teach them that when that is spent
there is no more until next pay day.
Children in the first three years of
school are in this class. Next, add
little to the allowance for some es-
sential school supplies, clubs and the
like. A little margin always for un-
expected treats. Children up to high
school age are in this class. Next, in
troduce the child to the family bud
get in whatever form it is understood
in the family. Show him how much
he can have for his needs and for his
enjoyment. Give him his allowance
and make it suf1cient to cover some
items Of clothing, his dues in school,
his entertainment and the like. Grad
ually add to this as his understanding
and his needs demand.
It is In this stage that saving for
future needs and treats takes hold.
Jobs ate taken. Responsibilities as
sumed. A high school senior should
handle the money for his own ex-
penses and 60 to college an expert
enced freshman to whom getting and
spending have become ordinary ex-
periences.
Mr.. Patri has prepared leafiet en-
titled, Spelling" in which he tells
parents how to successfully help chill
dren with their spelling lessons. Send
for it, addressing your request to Mr..
Angelo Patri, Child Psychology De-
partment Of this paper, and inclose
. self-addressed. stamped (3-ceut) en-
v01opo ~