That sounds like you have a good plan to keep the level of junk down. Charities are always looking for toys. I admit my friend’s plan is a little extreme, but it works for him.

Thank you so much for adding me to your blogroll! I will have to look into doing one of those.
Jennifer Barry recently posted..Home Sweet Home or Debt Trap?

Seven is a fun age for kids. Just wait until your daughter turns 17 like mine and then you will know what parenting challenges are all about.

It’s tough to know if kids will appreciate what you do, because they go through stages. Right now, my daughter doesn’t seem to appreciate anything. She acts like the whole world was created just to serve her needs. We had a similar experience with our son at that age. But, he is a lot more mature and appreciative now.

You just have to do what you think is right and keep the faith that it will help them in the long run. There are no guarantees.

I would like to be able to provide her with a reliable, safe used car in about 10 years, and then make sure that she has a college education paid for. Beyond that, I would actually hope to be able to contribute to her graduate school expenses as well. I’m a big believer in education, which of course is also a mindset and takes place throughout life beyond just formal education. Finally, I hope to be able to provide an inheritance someday – just not too soon:)

Anyway, we all have different views, and mine is that I want her to have what I think are necessities, without having to worry about it. I do think there is a big risk to having a kid not appreciate what is given, but I hope to reinforce this throughout the years in other ways. For example: while I hope to pay for select things, I plan to take a different approach for things I consider not to be necessities – such as brand name stuff, expensive toys, movies at the theater with friends, etc. This is what allowances and their own work is for.

Saying all this, I do agree with the idea that the more you do for people, the less they do for themselves. Good principle to keep in mind in general. I just think that there are certain select things that one can do for a child that are good to take care of for their best long-term interests.
.-= Squirrelers´s last blog ..Is Your Nest Egg Large Enough? Calculate the Required Rate of Return =-.

I learned this lesson from my old roommate. He always had a million reasons (excuses) why he couldn’t do important things, like the dishes. Then, one weekend, I watched him take a bus 70 miles each way to hook up with an old girlfriend. That’s when I realized I should stop “helping” and start demanding he pull his weight.

I moved out early and it was tough. It took me 10 years to save for a house while working through college, supporting a family and paying rent. I’m still not sure if this was good or bad, but I am very proud of it.

I’m the youngest of four brothers and our kids got tons of gifts and hand-me-downs. That never bothered me. What I did was to sort toys into three piles; keep, donate and throw away. Every year, after their birthdays, I would sort all their toys and clean house.

Thanks a bunch for the link. I enjoy reading your blog and I added it to my blogroll.

Maybe I am being too cynical, but I think human nature ensures that will be the case more often than not.

That being said, I am thankful my mom and dad allowed me to live rent free for a couple years at home after I graduated from college so that I could save up for a down payment for a home of my own. I plan on making the same offer to my kids.

All the best,

Len
Len Penzo dot Com
.-= Len Penzo´s last blog ..Having Fun Yet? 9 Ways to Ensure Your Road Trip Sucks =-.

BTW, I linked to this post from my Global Asset Strategist Facebook page.
.-= Jennifer Barry´s last blog ..7 Debt Survival Tips =-.