A lot of times we give our kids jobs that are just drudgery. They're just cleanup. And I think that's

because that's the work that we want done because we don't want to do it. But that doesn't build

competence. It doesn't build a growth mindset. I think that jobs should include some skill.

And so what I tell parents is find a job that the kids can do that includes some kind of tool that you have to teach them how to use. And that should be a baseline that it involves some competence. And that builds motivation and pride in their work. This is Diane Bowden and you're listening to the minimalist moms podcast. What if teaching kids about money didn't require complicated systems, allowances,

or stress? Today's guests have spent years studying how children actually learn about money,

not through lectures or rules, but through lived experience. And after watching families struggle

with stress, confusion, and mismatched expectations, he realized something powerful.

Kids don't need more information about money. They need practice.

Stephen Day is an economist, educator, and author of Teach a Kid to Save.

Drawing from research in real-life parenting, Stephen created a simple family mini-economy

model that helps kids learn through responsibility, saving,

and work ethic through everyday routines at home. In this episode, we talk about how to set up a

family mini economy, the difference between family responsibilities and paid work, and why

habits matter more than rigid rules. Stephen shares realistic ways to teach kids about earning, spending, and saving without shame,

pressure, or overwhelm.

But before we get there, I quickly want to share a minimalist moment of the week.

And this was actually inspired by a conversation I have with Stephen after we stopped recording.

He had shared how each week, a small group of women, including his wife, each prep one dinner recipe for the week, and then they meet up and trade meals.

So everyone goes home with a ready to eat dinner without having to cook multiple nights.

It's kind of like, think Blue Apron or Home Chef, but it's homemade, shared, and rooted in community.

I absolutely loved that he shared this with me, and I was starting to brainstorm which women in my life I could do this with. Again, you're prepping enough so that each mom has enough to feed her family for the night. But again, if you're investing the money in that, you're walking away with three or four meals for the week that you don't have to think about. So I wanted to share this with you guys. I told him, I'm like, why was I not recording that? So hopefully this is helpful to you. If you have a circle of three or four friends that you could swap meals with, I think it could take a great deal of stress off your plate, reduced decision fatigue, and seems to be quite financially efficient. So that's the minimalist moment I wanted to share this week. And then lastly, if you have yet to leave a rating and review for the minimalist

mom's podcast, please pause the episode, leave five stars, tell me your favorite guest, your favorite

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