How to Hide a Budget Lesson for Kids in a Taco

“Hey kids, let’s get tacos!” Woohoo!!!

“Hey kids, let’s learn how to budget!” Womp, womp...

Tacos are tasty treats. Budgeting lessons are more like bitter pills. Given a choice, kids will take tacos over budgeting lessons every day of the week.

But, what if we wrap a budgeting lesson in a Taco Tuesday? Now we’re talking: a tasty teachable moment your kids will actually enjoy.

The key is to put the kids in charge.

Ask them to guess how much it will cost to have a fun Taco Tuesday with the family. It’s always interesting to hear what kids think everyday things cost and why.

Let the kids research menus and prices online. Then have them fill in a simple FamZoo budget worksheet to tally up the total.

How does the worksheet total compare with their initial cost estimate?

Revise the budget if necessary. Let the kids rework the numbers — cutting back or tacking on items as needed to fit the target.

Time to enjoy your Taco Tuesday outing together!

When the bill comes, let the kids pick up the tab with their FamZoo cards. They can issue money requests up front or submit reimbursement requests after the fact.

If the kids come in under budget, consider divvying up the surplus among their cards as a reward.

Who knew budgeting could be anything but boring? Frugality can be fun for the kids when they get to make the decisions.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be Taco Tuesday. Miniature Golf Monday, Whataburger Wednesday, Theater Thursday, French Fries Friday, Ice Skating Saturday, Sushi Sunday. Any family outing, any day will do — as long as the kids run the show and run the numbers.