Moneypants Boss is for parents?! Why should parents put on the Moneypants? Aren’t we mature responsible adults who do the right thing regardless? Moneypants is below our dignity, right?
Well, there’s a problem. Moneypants only works for the kids if the parents are consistent. In our beta testing, one of the main reasons the Moneypants system didn’t reach its full potential was simply because the parents didn’t consistently inspect chores and hold payday. It was a new habit for the parents, and let’s face it, new habits are hard to form. The problem is, without that consistency from the parents, the system flounders.
3 Realizations
Personally, I totally relate to those parents. I’m not consistent, either. If it was up to me, I knew we wouldn’t be having payday. I know myself too well. My energy levels fluctuate a lot. Doing inspections and payday on a regular basis is a challenge for me. (Luckily my husband doesn’t have the same problem, and he’s been able to keep the system going even when I’m not able to). This got me thinking some deep thoughts:
- First off, parents are just people and kids are just little people. Human nature doesn’t change just because we get older. Goal making principals are the same for kids and adults.
- I realized that I was a tad bit jealous of all the habits and talents my kids were developing on a regular basis from using the system. My kids were becoming smarter and more capable than I was because they were consistently working and developing good habits.
- And truth be told, I was chronically embarrassed that I was officially the only one in the house with a messy room. My kids certainly noticed it and would joke about it. It was like I was just a grown-up kid, only I didn’t have parents helping me out anymore. So frustrating.
But then I thought, wait a minute! If I’m just a big kid in some ways, maybe I should put on a pair of Moneypants and see what happens. So, I formulated a plan and decided to try an experiment. I would plug myself into the Moneypants system and see what happened.
The Experiment
Now, up to this point, my husband and I always had weekly planning meetings. At these meetings not only did we go over the calendar, but we reviewed our personal goals. My husband would consistently achieve his goals. My goals, on the other hand, would sit on the agenda for a year or two, before finally I would say, “Fine. I guess I’m not ever really going to do that. I’m changing my goal.”
I was irritated that my husband was progressing and I wasn’t. My husband patiently explained to me, “Honey, first off you need to make practical, measurable goals. Next you need to track your progress. Then you need to report your progress to someone else. And last off you need to reward yourself for reaching your goal. For example, go buy yourself a new pair of shoes if you accomplish your goal consistently for one month or something like that.”
Since I was sick and tired of not achieving my goals, I made myself a sheet for tracking progress—which I promptly lost within a week. I secretly knew that even if I reached the goal that I had set, it didn’t matter. I would probably be too busy, tired, or lazy to actually go shopping for the shoes I had promised myself. Honestly, it sounded like more work. Either that or I’d buy myself the thing I wanted before I actually accomplished the goal. I just didn’t have enough self-control. I could justify cheating in this way because I did so much other work beside the goal I had selected to work on. Besides, I really needed that pair of shoes.
Then one day it dawned on me that the system we created for our kids was simply an effective way to help them accomplish their goals. This was a huge epiphany to me. I could make measurable goals, track my progress, report my progress each week during payday, and reward myself on a weekly basis with personal money I could then spend at leisure. I just needed to plug myself into the system we already had in place for our kids.
The Experiment Results
So, I tried it out. It was incredible. Now honestly, I barely got anything done on my list. It was pathetic compared to how well some of my kids did. But, I suddenly started doing things that I had intended to do for years. I began keeping a journal. Think about it. I was kicking myself every year that went by with me raising my big crazy family and I wasn’t recording any of it. But because I put myself on the point system and I could now get 20 points daily, I started actually doing something I always wanted to do. All for 20 lousy points! It was a miracle.
Now, having done this long enough, I totally think parents should use Moneypants. The longer my husband and I use Moneypants as parents, the more reasons we come up with for why it’s such a great idea. For this blog, we’ve come up with our top ten reasons why parents should use Moneypants.
- Eliminate fights about money between spouses
- Get rid of anxiety by dividing up parental responsibilities in the home
- Help adults progress and become happier and more satisfied with their lives
- Create a stronger sense of teamwork and synergy in the home
- Ensure that Moneypants for the kids succeeds
- Prevent drudgery
- Work seamlessly with the family vacation budget
- Improve family relationships
- Set a good example for your kids
- Reduce criticism and promote appreciation
Reason #1: Eliminate Fights About Money
First and foremost, using Moneypants eliminates fights between spouses about money. It keeps discretionary money separate from money set aside for bills and savings. With Moneypants, the parent can spend money completely guilt-free and know it won’t cause a financial hardship for the family.
How does this work? Well, each spouse has their own cash account that is kept separate from the family account. It is clear how much discretionary money each spouse personally has. There is no confusion. That money is completely separate from the family account. The family account is for bills and savings. The Moneypants account is for personal spending. By having these separate accounts, you’ll avoid fights about “Why did you buy this?”, “We don’t need this”, or “You spend all this money while I’m scrimping and saving and counting out every penny and I never get to spend money on what I want or need!” Instead, you can spend money guilt free. You know it won’t compromise family finances in any way. Plus, it’s money you accumulated in your account by taking care of yourself and developing habits that make you a better parent and a better spouse.
In fact, the Wall Street Journal recently had an article suggesting this very thing for couples.
Reason #2: Divide Up Parental Responsibilities
Moneypants helps prevent conflicts over “whose turn” it is to do things. There will be no more fights like, “Why am I the only one who changes diapers or does the dishes?” When your family first sets up Moneypants, you have to assign out all jobs in the house. All parties are properly motivated to consistently do their part. Job substitution backup is already set up in the event that you or your spouse are unavailable. For example, if your spouse is in charge of getting dishes done and they are out of town or home late from work, they are covered. No resentment from anyone.
Reason #3: Happier Parents
Moneypants helps adults progress and become happier and more satisfied with their lives. This is a crazy claim, but it is very true. Humans (which includes parents) are only happy when they are improving and progressing. You will improve much faster and on a much more consistent basis when you use Moneypants. Why? Because it utilizes all the proper goal setting techniques. “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.”
- Make specific reasonable goals that can be measured
- Track your progress
- Report your progress on a regular basis
- Reward yourself for your progress
You can actually view Moneypants as the ultimate goal achieving program for the whole family. As you start achieving personal goals, improving your relationships, and developing your talents, you will become happier and more enthusiastic about life in general. It’s really that simple.
Reason #4: Teamwork And Synergy
Moneypants creates a stronger sense of teamwork and synergy in the home. You see, you already have your kids on the Moneypants program and you are making the effort to hold payday. You have the app. Why have a separate goal setting program for yourself? Simplify. Plug yourself into the system that is already working and in place. It creates unity and synergy to have everyone working together. Plus, you accomplish more in the time you set aside to make Moneypants work.
Reason #5: Successful Parents = Successful Kids
When parents use Moneypants, it ensures that Moneypants for the kids succeeds. Only parents can conduct payday, and we highly recommend they also do the job inspections. These two job cannot be deleted, changed, or left out. This was not haphazard. They are crucial to the success of the entire program. Moneypants only works if the parents are closely involved.
Unfortunately, if parents are not on board and actively using Moneypants themselves, they will fizzle out. Payday and inspections are a lot of work. If parents aren’t getting paid for doing those tasks, they will stop doing them. The motivation will wane and quickly disappear, typically within a mere three or four weeks. And when payday fails, Moneypants fails. If Moneypants fails, you’ll be back to cleaning the house all by yourself. You won’t have the time or energy to accomplish any of the other very important goals on your list if you are working full time as the family housekeeper.
Reason #6: Prevent Drudgery
Many parents resent rewarding kids for their work and contributions. They say, “Why should I reward them? I don’t get paid or rewarded for what I do.” We believe that is a problem. You should be rewarding yourself for what you accomplish. It is healthy for parents to be rewarding themselves for their hard work and effort. Otherwise, everything becomes drudgery.
Moneypants rewards you the parent with spending money. It gives you something to look forward to and plan with. You can use that money to go out to lunch with friends, buy gifts, go shopping, purchase a book, go to the salon, donate to charity, take piano lessons, get a gym memberships, upgrade your computer, buy a plane ticket, decorate your home, etc. There is a healthy balance in the home where parents and kids have things to work for and look forward to.
Reason #7: The Family Vacation Budget
Okay, so maybe this one is a bit of a copout. We are still in development of this feature, but this is the idea. The end goal is to put the entire family budget into an app similar to Moneypants. Every bill and every expenditure will get assigned its own piggy bank. We subscribe to the 10-10-10 rule. 10% of income goes to tithing, 10% to savings, 10% to fun money, and the remaining 70% goes to bills.
That’s how Moneypants piggy banks are set up. We would put the family budget on the same routine, and all Moneypants earnings would come out of the family’s 10% fun money budget. Then, what’s left over goes into the family vacation budget. Alas, we haven’t finished this product yet, but we know it will work and are excited about it.
Reason #8: Improve Family Relationships
The reason Moneypants will improve family relationships is because it helps everyone prioritize and manage their time. It will help you focus on spending that individual time with your spouse and kids that is so important for developing relationships. Also, it helps you take better care of yourself.
Often as a parent, we are so dedicated to caring for those around us we forget to care for ourselves. Unfortunately, this makes us less effective as parents. If we’re not taking the time to exercise, refuel spiritually, get sufficient rest, and develop talents, we actually aren’t able to give as much to our families. Moneypants helps put balance back into the personal lives of parents. As a result, you will feel more energetic, more positive, more enthusiastic, and more patient with your spouse and with your children.
Reason #9: Set A Good Example
With Moneypants you are teaching kids to work hard, be consistent, care for themselves, set goals, strive for balance and health, and develop their minds and talents. If you are using the system, your kids will notice. How wonderful for them to see that those things will continue as they get married and have children of their own. They will see you caring for yourself, working hard to improve, and rewarding yourself for your work. When your kids see that, they will want to be more like you. They will realize that what they are doing is important. It’s that social reinforcement from their parents.
Reason #10: Reduce Criticism And Promote Appreciation
By focusing on your own habits and improvement, you’ll understand what your kids are experiencing. You’ll understand how challenging it is to try and accomplish all the goals on your chart. You’ll understand why there is no need to criticize your children on payday. You will see payday as a reward. And you’ll understand why having payday each week is critical. How it refuels and resets you for the next week, and how it builds trust. You’ll be on the same page with your kids.
Summary
And that’s it. Those are our top ten reasons to put yourself into Moneypants. Be the leader and set the example for your family. You’ll thank yourself for it, and so will your kids.
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What about you? What do you think of our list? Did we leave anything out? Leave a comment below.
