Lisa Zahn

We don't hold family meetings regularly or often, but when we want the kids' attention, we call one to order after dinner. So yesterday, we notified them in advance and called a family meeting. The kids were quite wary beforehand. Turns out, they thought it was all good (except for the announcement of what their summer yard chores would be, ha ha). We told them about our "Mom and Dad Matching Plan": any activity they want to do, they pay half and we pay the other half. So basically, we'll match their money. When I said some people might find us abusive for expecting our kids to cover half their expenses at their age, Rose piped up with, "but mom, no kids I know get a $50 a month allowance!" Woo hoo! We're training them well... We extended our matching program to their future transportation needs and also said they might want to start saving for a car at some point (Eli has only two years before he can possibly get his driver's li...

Go here to enter to win one of five lifetime memberships to Financial Peace University . I don't need to enter because we're already lifetime members, meaning we can take the classes anytime, anywhere forever and our $93 is already paid. But if you haven't joined FPU already, go comment at Simple Mom's post to win! Also, if you look at FPU's webpage under Find A Class , you'll see a list of all the classes near you. Often they're offered at churches, but not always and there's usually several going on in any city. Good luck!