Bonus Kids for Brown Bagging Lunch

I just calculated the average purchase amount at Chipotle in the last 30 days across all FamZoo cards. It came to $15.05. That’s a solid chunk of change for a meal. On a sobering inflationary side note, it was only around $7 when I made the same calculation back in May, 2016.

Here are the average purchase amounts for some of the most popular fast food destinations among FamZoo cardholders (sorted by decreasing popularity):

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.

Teens And Cars: 5 Frugal Tips From A Motor City Auto Critic And Car-Toonist

Henry Payne knows a thing or two about cars. He’s the auto critic for the Motor City’s Detroit News and an amateur race car driver. He also knows a thing or two about teens. He raised two of them. You might also recognize Henry as the artist behind FamZoo’s iconic tiger. So who better to ask for advice when it comes to cars, teens, and money?

Here’s what Henry has to say when it comes to helping your teens keep their car habits on track financially.

Sowing Frugal Habits in Our Children: Family Finance Picks #72

You’d be hard pressed to find parents who don’t want their children to enjoy the liberty of financial independence. So what’s the best way for parents to maximize the chances of that outcome? Perhaps the secret can be found in these wise money words from a great king of Sparta:

“By sowing frugality we reap liberty, a golden harvest.”
—Agesilaus

Each of this week’s family finance picks contributes thoughtful insights on how we can start sowing frugal habits in our kids so they can reap the benefits in adulthood.