Todays Parents Now

Teaching your children with coupons is a good way to teach them many life skills. Most merchants offer coupons for their products as an incentive to develop new customers. Your children can learn many talents by using coupons. Here are 7 key benefits.

1. Being frugal. Some feel that using coupons is a waste of time. One day I was behind a few women at Walmart who were using coupons with an organizer. They were saving $400 every month for a family of 5. Your kids will quickly learn the value of being careful with the way money is spent.

2. Color identification. While you flip through the Sunday paper looking for your coupons, name the different colors. Your smaller kids will really enjoy this. The paper tends to be flashy as advertiser try to catch your eye. Use this to your advantage when you are teaching your children their colors.

3. Planners. Most people use some kind of a day planner to budget their time. A good coupon organizer looks very similar. You can get the plastic baseball card holders to put your coupons in. Your kids will enjoy helping you put the different coupons in the different slots. This will teach the importance of being organized.

4. Mathematics. Your children’s math skills will really be enhanced while they learn to use coupons. Teach them to subtract the amount of the coupon from the price of products. Also they can quickly discover what deals are really deals by comparing different offers.

5. Learning to use a calendar. Couponing requires a calendar so consider getting one for each of your children. You can usually find them for free at your bank or credit union. Show your kids how to find the dates on the coupons and then in the calendar. This way your children can help you sort out coupons that are expiring.

6. Pay your kids for good deals they find. This can be a great motivator for your children and will help them catch the “coupon clipping bug.” Show them your grocery list as it develops each month and they will start watching for coupons for the items you need to buy.

7. More menu choices. One big benefit you will realize when you are teaching your children with coupons is that they will have their ideas about different food choices. Give them some free reign in this area and let them know that if the food quality is still there and the price is right that you are willing to try something new.

Teaching your children with coupons will be a benefit to them and to yourself. Clipping coupons is a labor intensive process. If your kids are helping you then the job will be more enjoyable. Help the smaller ones learn their colors and teach the older ones how to make sure the coupons are really a good deal. Enjoy.