Raising Little Consumers? Hold Our Cold Coffee.
Them: “We want to raise little consumers.”
Us: Hold my beer. (Or, let’s be honest, the cold coffee I reheated twice this morning…)
I’m writing this on the first day of 2026, reflecting on how to enter the year launching this business/passion project and on what we, as parents, are up against: teaching our kids not just about money, but also how to be more content and fulfilled humans.
Here’s the thing—if we just let the world teach our kids about money, the syllabus is pretty clear:
Lesson 1: Buy more.
Lesson 2: Newer is always better.
Lesson 3: If you can’t afford it, swipe anyway—future you will deal with it.
Congratulations, your kid is now a certified consumer. 🎓
But here’s where we slide in with our contraband curriculum. Because we don’t actually want to raise kids who just consume—we want kids who choose.
Consumers grab.
Creators build.
Consumers drain.
Creators invest, imagine, and grow.
And if you think teaching your kid about money is only about dollars and cents, here’s your friendly reminder: it’s really about freedom.
The freedom to say “nah” when everyone else is buying the latest thing.
The freedom to use their money as a tool, not a trap.
The freedom to fund their dreams—whether that’s art, innovation, starting a tiny lemonade stand empire, or something so wild we can’t even picture it yet.
So yes, the world wants mini-consumers. But you? You get to raise decision-makers. Future givers. Builders of their own financial scaffolding.
And the best part? You don’t have to lecture, or hand over a 400-page finance textbook that doubles as a doorstop. You can start small:
Give them an allowance with a little structure. (Buckets: Spend / Save / Invest. Optional: Give—because generosity is a superpower.)
Ask them money questions at the grocery store or while scrolling Amazon: “Do we need this now? How long did it take to earn this? What would we be giving up if we bought it?”
Let them make mistakes when the stakes are low (a $10 toy they instantly regret beats a $10,000 mistake later).
The big picture?
We’re not anti-shopping. (Hello, Target dollar section—our old frenemy.)
We’re pro-choice.
Pro-ownership.
Pro-kids who grow up knowing they are more than just consumers.
So… raise your cold coffee with me.
We’ve got work to do. And the future looks pretty damn bright when we start teaching kids today.
Ready to raise money-savvy kids without turning your house into a finance bootcamp?
Download the FREE Smart Allowance Framework — a simple, chill way to push back on consumerism and help your kids actually understand money (without spreadsheets, lectures, or “back in my day” speeches).
This is your New Year reset:
Less impulse buying
More intentional choices
Zero yelling about Roblox or the Target dollar section
Think: entering the new year strong… but still sane.
Grab the framework, pour yourself another cup of coffee (hot this time, ideally), and let’s raise kids who know how to spend, save, invest, and give — on purpose.
👉 Download the Smart Allowance Framework and get started today.
We’ve got this and can’t wait to see what the New Year brings.
xx,
Josselyn @ The Kids Piggy Bank