Suggestions?
Posted on July 23rd, 2008 by Meg
I have been having trouble figuring out what to use my birthday money for. I have received $40.00 ($20.00 from my great grandparents & $20.00 from my mom& dad ) And I have saved $40.00 of my own accord. I spent $5.00, so in all I have $75.00. I like to read a lot but we own LOTS of books I have been thinking about buying a bike but we have a lot of old bikes that Mom and Dad could help me fix.
Mom said I should ask you guys so, any other suggestions? If you have a suggestion please comment. (If it helps I’m 10)
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A bike is a good idea. My daughters both enjoy sewing, knitting and crocheting so they often buy some sort of supplies with their birthday money.
How about getting $4,000 for that 75 bucks? That’s what you’d earn over 50 years, by foregoing the pleasure of spending that money now (at 8% interest). Ok, that’s not practical, but I couldn’t resist plugging that into a calculator. A bike is a great idea!
next time your mom goes to walmart go along and shop, sometimes it is more fun to just get what you like at that moment. something like music, clothes, candy, games, crafts, books or whatever else might strike your fancy. you could get a bike but why bother if you have one to ride allready.
how about a board game that you could enjoy with your family?
Or,
- a musical instrument
- A collection of DVDs
- an ipod shuffle
- clothes
How about something for your hope chest. You could even buy something that you could be using now like a beautiful tea set to have a tea party with your sisters and your Mom. You could buy material to make napkins and a tablecloth to go with the tea set.
I think 10 is a good age to start thinking of things you would like to have in your future home. I bought a beautiful lamp that I had admired with babysitting money. It is still in my bedroom (I am sure it is an antique by now) and I love it.
You might consider investing $25 of it in Kiva. Kiva does microfinance — small loans to very small businesses in poor countries. You choose a borrower you would feel good about helping and contribute $25 toward their loan. When they pay it back, you can either get your $25 back or you can lend it to another borrower, so you can get the satisfaction of helping more than one small business with that same $25.
You might consider spending it on something memorable like a whitewater rafting trip or a horseback riding trip. Or you might choose something a bit more expensive but also more memorable, like Space Camp.
I forgot to say, SAVE it with a goal of something more memorable but more expensive, like Space Camp! $75 will get you about 20% there if you’re aiming for a 3-day camp next summer.
For myself at 1O it would have been art supplies and more art supplies. What are you interested in? Do you like to sew or garden? How about music? Cake decorating? Maybe a locket? Is there a sport you like that you need gear for? My children started wanting “real” things not toys when they were about your age but they needed to think about it first to find what they were interested in.
My ten year old daughter thinks you should get a pink scooter. Scootering is her favorite thing to do outside. My 14 year old daughter agrees, and pointed out that after she was sore from riding a horse, she could still scooter, even though she couldn’t ride her bike.
Well do you like to sew or crafts? You could buy different supplies for crafts or if sewing is something you would enjoy you can save it towards an embrodery machine (since I know you mom has a sewing machine) Those are fun and still something I would like to someday have. Than you can turn the embrodery machine into a business and make more money.
If you have a hobby, you might think about spending it on supplies for that hobby. Also, you can buy stamps at the post office for different years or coins from banks that were minted in your birth year. Those would be keepsakes and you would still have money left over to do something else with. I love buying books- I still have books from when I was a little girl but we are so running out of bookshelves for books since I seem to be unable to let any of them go!
chocolate, lollies, shoes, hair accessories… yeah i was never very good with money.
seriously though I used to like to spend my money on things like my own linen set or quilt cover so it could be different from my sisters, i bought good quality so i still have them today to use on my guest beds. my own beanbag was fun. I also liked craft kits, candlemaking, beading, stain glass. maybe instead of a bicycle you could get a unicycle, i had one that i mastered it was so much fun and everyone thought it was the coolest!
Hmm… my daughter just turned 11 and she seems very interested in redecorating her bedroom. For her, I have bought a silver bathroom caddy with all kinds of lovely things that are also practical (a new scented body wash or lotion from Bath and Body Works, Cucumber Melon deoderant, new light-up fun toothbrush, lip gloss or fruity chapstick, skin care products like Clinique or Nuetrogena, a fluffy washcloth in your favorite color, etc.) Hey- it makes personal hygiene a bit more fun. She would also like to have a badmitton net and rackets for the backyard (FUN AND GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH). She has this African stone game that she loves to play with me called Mancala. A special piece of jewelry might make you feel “sparkley.”
How about some soft pastels and paper or some watercolors? Or save your money and don’t spend it until the day you happen to be out shopping with your mom and you just see something you LOVE. It is a rare thing to find something that really catches your attention and be able to buy it on the spot! Just be patient and a good steward of your money. You certainly don’t have to spend $ right now just because you have some. I hope these ideas are helpful!
When I was about 11 my mom and I took a cake decorating course together. It was so much fun and has really come in handy through the years.
My other suggestion would be to second the lotions/soaps idea! That’s always special- unless your skin is sensitive to scented soap! 
Of course, if you’re still not sure of what to get, I’m sure if you just save up, the “right thing” will eventually pop out at you, and you can keep saving while waiting. 
Happy shopping!
I like Michelle’s idea of saving for an embroidery machine. You really could turn it into a small from-home business. I also love the idea of cake decorating classes.
How about an animal? I don’t remember if you all have any pets, and maybe traveling would make this impractical, but for $75 you could probably get a bunny and all the things necessary to take care of it…or certainly a guinea pig or even a cat. I’ve even seen things like goats on craigslist for $75-100, and I’m sure something like that would be negotiable.
Have fun! Trying to decide is often the most fun part!
My ten year old niece likes Webkinz animals. Kinda like a beanie baby only a little bigger. I think they are between 10 and 15 dollars. Then you can register them on the Webkinz website and you can play games and lots of other stuff. Not sure what your parents would think of this, but it’s just a thought.
My daughter (who is 9) says she would buy material to make a dress or a quilt, some tiems for her hope chest (like a table cloth and a tea kettle), or a lamb that you could either raise and sell for profit or have meat for your family.
Can you tell I don’t let my kids have fun stuff?
Motherofmany had a wonderful idea. Make a quilt for your hope chest for your future bed when you are married. I would love to make a quilt for my bed but it is on the bottom of the list of things to do. You could do it now when you have a little more time.
So what did you end up getting?