12 weekends until Christmas. One money job per weekend is plenty.See the kit
Free · Job 1, the warm-up
The Grocery List.
One real shopping trip. They hold the money, keep the total and put something back at the register. Not you. Two printable pages, free.
Ages 6–102 printable pagesEmail optional
The setup
Hand them the grocery list and the budget.
Then let them make the trade-offs. Page one is your playbook; page two is their worksheet.
- Pick a real trip. A normal one, not the big holiday shop.
- Write the list together. Level 1: three to five items. Level 2: the real list.
- Set the budget a little tight. Tight enough that something has to go.
- Hand over the money before you walk in. Physically. Say: “This is yours to run. I’m the cart.”
- In the store they find, compare, choose and keep the total. You answer questions. You don’t steer.
- At the register, they pay. If it’s over, they put something back. Not you.
- Under budget? The difference is theirs, to keep, save or give. Decide this before you start. It changes how hard they look at prices.
Say this, not that
Three lines that keep it their job.
| Say | Not |
|---|---|
| “What’s your total so far?” | “You’re going over.” |
| “What goes back?” | “Put that back.” |
| “You ran it.” | “Good job listening to me.” |
Get the free list
Liked it? The Holiday Edition adds the Gift List and the Giving List. See the kit →