The article reflects on the author's daughter's experience with gift cards, highlighting how they teach financial literacy and delayed gratification. Initially, the daughter took time to choose toys at Target with her $25 card, and later she demonstrated patience by waiting for additional funds before purchasing a desired craft set. The author contrasts this with her own childhood lessons and the importance of budgeting, seeing her daughter's understanding as a positive reinforcement of financial wisdom. This journey underscores that budgeting can create opportunities rather than limitations.
The day her second gift card arrived, she ran straight to my laptop and said, 'Now I can get the unicorn craft set!' The excitement in her voice made it clear - delayed gratification wasn't a burden, but part of the fun. She'd discovered that waiting makes something more special.
A budget, to her, wasn't a restriction; it was a plan. She didn't see it as a list of things she couldn't buy, but as a way to get exactly what she wanted when she was ready.
Watching my daughter methodically plan her gift card purchases is reemphasizing lessons I learned as a kid about saving and planning.
She spent exactly three minutes picking what she wanted. 'I already know how much everything costs,' she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
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