We just returned from a trip to Universal Studios and we had a blast! It was the first time we had ever been. Bella, my 11 year old daughter, was very excited and I encouraged her to save her birthday and Christmas money so she could afford to purchase souvenirs on her own. She accumulated quite a nice sum of $300! We had conversations along the way about saving it for the trip versus making little purchases here and there leading up to the trip. I was attempting to teach her about saving as well delayed gratification. You may pass on purchasing something now, but it’s so you can save for something bigger later. Thankfully she was open to that concept that was how she was able to save so much. While we were on the trip she had to make every purchasing decision with her own money though I was happy that she would ask for our input when she couldn't make up her mind. Did she spend $25 of a Tigger tale in Disney Springs, get a $35 souvenir T-shirt from T-Rex, or wait to see what might be available at Universal Studios? These concepts are simple and while they may get more complicated as we get older, if we start talking to our kids early about finances, we are laying foundations that will hopefully pay off in long term dividends. 

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6

I had to share a picture of Bella in front of her birthstone cave at T-Rex in Disney Springs.