Your Money Has a Job. What Will It Do?

Imagine someone gives you some money for your birthday.

You hold it in your hand.

Now what?

Do you buy something? Keep it for later? Use some of it to help someone else?

Those are all choices.

And every time you get money, there is a simple question you can ask:

WHAT DO I WANT THIS MONEY TO DO?

Your money can have different jobs.

A money job simply means what you choose to use the money for.

Three of the first money jobs you can learn are:

SPEND | SAVE | GIVE

Job #1: Spend It

To spend money means you use it to buy something.

Maybe you use your money to buy:

• A small toy
• A snack
• A book
• Stickers
• A game
• Something else you have been wanting

Imagine you have $5.

You find a coloring book that costs $3.

You buy it.

You had $5. You spent $3. How much money do you have left?

$2 LEFT.

Your money did a job. It helped you buy something now.

That is spending.

SPENDING MEANS USING MONEY TO BUY SOMETHING.

Before you spend, it can also help to ask another question: Is this something I need or something I want?

A need is something important. A want is something you would like to have but can usually be okay without.

Both can be things we spend money on. The important part is learning to think before you choose.

Job #2: Save It

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SPEND MONEY JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE IT.

You can save it.

To save money means you keep it so you can use it later.

Imagine you want a toy that costs $15.

Right now, you have $5.

Do you have enough money to buy it?

Not yet.

So you keep your $5. Later, you get another $5. Now you have $10. Then you save another $5.

NOW YOU HAVE $15.

You did not have enough money at first. But instead of spending the money on something else, you kept it.

Little by little, you reached your goal.

That is saving.

SAVING MEANS KEEPING MONEY FOR LATER.

Sometimes you know exactly what you are saving for. Maybe it is:

• A toy
• A game
• A bike
• A special activity

Other times, you may not know yet. That is okay too. You can keep money while you decide.

Saving does not mean the money has to stay saved forever. Later, you may decide to use that saved money for something you planned for.

Job #3: Give It

Money can also be used to help someone else.

That is giving.

Giving means choosing to use some of what you have for another person or something you care about.

Your family might choose to give money to:

• Your church
• Someone who needs help
• A food drive
• A group that helps people
• A cause your family cares about

When you give, you are not using the money to buy something for yourself. You are choosing to use it for someone or something beyond yourself.

MONEY CAN HELP YOU. MONEY CAN ALSO HELP SOMEONE ELSE.

Different families make different choices about giving.

For now, the important lesson is simple: Giving can be one of the jobs your money does.

Maya's Birthday Money

Let's meet Maya.

Maya just turned 7.

At her birthday party, she opens a card and finds $6.

Maya is excited.

She already knows about a few things she could do with it.

There is a small coloring book she wants. She has also been saving for a bigger art set. And her family is collecting money to help buy food for people in their community.

Maya looks at her six dollars.

She could spend all of it. She could save all of it. She could give all of it. Or she could give different dollars different jobs.

Maya thinks about what she wants her money to do.

$2 -> SPEND

She uses $2 toward the coloring book.

$3 -> SAVE

She puts $3 with the money she is keeping for the art set.

$1 -> GIVE

She adds $1 to the money her family is collecting.

Now Maya has made a plan for all six dollars.

MAYA'S PLAN IS NOT A RULE.

Another child might make a completely different choice.

Someone might save all six dollars. Someone might spend a little and save the rest. Another family may make different choices about giving.

There is no rule in this lesson that says everyone has to divide money the same way.

The important part was not how Maya divided her money. It was that she thought about what she wanted her money to do before she used it.

Can the Same Money Do Two Jobs?

Let's go back to Maya.

She used $2 toward her coloring book.

Can those same two dollars also still be sitting in her savings?

No. She already spent them.

What about the $1 she gave? Can she also spend that same dollar at the store?

No. She already gave it.

THE SAME MONEY CANNOT DO TWO DIFFERENT JOBS AT THE SAME TIME.

But money can change jobs later.

For example, money you save today might eventually be spent on the thing you were saving for. That is one reason we save.

The important idea is this: When you use money for one thing, that money is not available for something else at the same time.

That is why money choices matter.

Let's Check

1. Noah buys the notebook -> SPEND

He used money to buy something.

2. Sofia keeps money for the soccer ball -> SAVE

She is keeping the money for later.

3. Mateo helps with the food drive -> GIVE

He used his money to help others.

4. Ava keeps her birthday money -> SAVE

She does not know what she wants to do with it yet, so she is keeping it for later.

5. Lucas buys the snack -> SPEND

He used money to buy something now.

How did you do? If you missed one, that is okay. The more you practice, the easier it becomes to recognize what job money is doing.

Now Make Your Own Money Plan

Imagine you have $6.

What would you do with it?

Ask a grown-up for a piece of paper and write:

Now add your numbers together. Do they equal $6?

Your answer might look completely different from Maya's. That is okay.

Maybe you save all six dollars. Maybe you spend some and save some. Maybe giving is part of your family's plan.

There is not one perfect answer.

The goal is to practice thinking about your money before you use it.

What If You Don't Know What to Do Yet?

Maybe you receive money and you are not sure what you want to do with it.

Do you have to make a decision right away?

No.

You can keep the money somewhere safe with help from a grown-up.

For now, you are saving it.

Later, you can decide whether you want to keep saving it, spend it, or give some of it.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SPEND MONEY JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE IT.

Waiting can be a money choice too.

Before You Use Your Money, Ask

SPEND?

Do I want to use this money to buy something now?

SAVE?

Do I want to keep this money for later?

GIVE?

Do I want to use some of this money to help someone or support something important?

WHAT DO I WANT THIS MONEY TO DO?

You can also ask: Is the thing I am thinking about a need or a want?

Those questions help you slow down and think before you choose.

Money Starts Early

You do not have to wait until you are an adult to start learning how money works.

Three of the first money jobs are simple:

SPEND

Use money to buy something.

SAVE

Keep money for later.

GIVE

Use money to help someone or something beyond yourself.

And if you do not know what to do yet? You can save the money while you think.

Every time you receive money, you have an opportunity to make a choice.

YOUR MONEY HAS A JOB. WHAT WILL IT DO?

And remember:

BEFORE THE MONEY MOVES, KNOW ITS JOB.

MONEY STARTS EARLY

Education First. Always.