Mama Money - The Very Best Part of Summertime!

I love summer! At least, I love it for the first two months... It is during those inaugural days when the weather isn't too hot and the kids aren't too bored (yet) that I often feel most productive as a mother. I always have more plans than we have vacation. More lists of books to read, crafts to finish, and places to go than we will ever find time for. And, I have dreams of homeschooling my children every morning until the school bus returns.

The best laid plans of mice and mothers often go by the wayside before too many lazy days have passed, and by August we are barely pulling ourselves out of bed for a bowl of cereal and staying on top of laundry (or not...). But the fact is that at the beginning of summer I have energy and excitement for the days ahead.

One practice I have used for as long as I can remember is Mama Money. After all, I have a list of things to get done and a gaggle of kids at home to help me. And, while I never pay my children for jobs during the school year, having a fun monetary incentive in the summer is a treat we all look forward to.


I use paper play money, printed years ago for my Mama Money. It stays in a baggie in my desk drawer until I pull it out every summer and set up my bank. The kids know that Mama Money is coming and they start asking about it as soon as we hit May. "What will be in the Mama Money store this year?" "When do our jobs start?" "How much will everything be worth?"

I've used different methods each year, but the basic idea is that I pay them for jobs. One Mama Money dollar for each job cheerfully and completely finished.

I start by making a job list for each child. I always switch up the jobs from the school year because a change is as good as a rest! Kids who washed dishes now dry dishes, kids who set the table now pick up, kids who dressed the baby now get to mop the floor instead, kids who usually clean the bathroom now sweep the porch, etc. You get the idea!

Since we're out of school I also throw in my favorite homeschool incentives. Every day each child completes a handwriting/cursive worksheet, spends time on math facts, reads for at least 30 minutes (no incentive needed there!), and reviews spelling words. Completing their entire school work in one day also earns them a Mama Money dollar. They can earn extra dollars as well by memorizing poems, doing extra school work, tutoring a younger sibling, and of course, reading more!

I also throw in a little music. Get paid for practicing the piano. Get paid for learning to play the recorder. Get paid for trying a new instrument.

We also add outside jobs like weeding, sweeping, watering plants, or picking the strawberries each day. And of course, who can forget the cats, chickens, and goats?

Basically, they have a list of things to keep them busy every morning until it's time to run off to swimming lessons or to the neighborhood library time.

If they want to spend their afternoon earning more Mama Money then it's no skin off my nose! Just help me organize a cupboard, vacuum a room, read with your little sister, fold a load of laundry, or weed an extra row in the garden. Basically, they could be rolling in the dough all day long, and I don't mind!

The Sunday before the first Monday of vacation each child makes their own Mama Money envelope to hang on the kitchen wall. This gives them a place to keep their money after I pay them each evening. Their job charts also hang nearby, and our whole summer is organized without too much effort on my part. Then, Monday morning, let the earning begin!

Everyone knows that Friday is my Mama Money Store. I usually go to the Dollar Store and invest in flip flops, boxes of candy, packs of gum, squirt guns, jump ropes, etc. and set up store in the living room. They love coming to spend or save their money depending on what I offer that week.

Some years I've changed it up and simply packed my pantry full of Mama Money Treats. Each treat costs $10, and kiddles can buy a granola bar, ice cream bar, package of cookies, etc., whenever they want to. Having a snack store usually cuts down on my lunch bill, and lets them feel some freedom with their eating during our lazy summer.

This year I decided to do something entirely new! Each Friday I just take them all shopping at the local Dollar Store. They were thrilled with the idea! Now they get to pick out the items they want, and we all have a fun weekend outing. I let them spent $1 for each $20 in Mama Money they have earned.

The bottom line is, the kids love it, we have (mostly) productive summer days, and it shakes things up from our normal lifestyle a bit.

So...try some Mama Money this summer! I'd love to hear what works for you.