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Raising six children on a single income means my husband and I have always had to budget and manage our money well. This is something I really hope our children take with them when they have jobs and are managing accounts of their own. While we can talk their ear off about being smart with their birthday money or allowance, 9/10 times they will still blow it on food or meaningless junk…. And yes, that includes my teens! But, when a friend asks them to go to the mall or the movies, they are suddenly regretting using all of their money or worse, not knowing how they spent it all. It makes it hard to know how your kids are spending their money since there is no way to track cash, and it can be just as frustrating for them. That is one of the reasons we signed them up for their very own Greenlight,the smart debit card for kids.
A Greenlight Card is a safe debit card for kids overseen by their parents. And not only is it exciting for kids, but it provides more control and convenience for busy parents who don’t want to miss out on teachable moments. The Greenlight Card App can be downloaded for Android and iOS, and is super simple to use. I am able to customize everything from how much, how often, and why money is deposited into my kid’s accounts. I love that it gives my kids independence to spend their own money while I, the parent, retains control over where their money is spent and how much they have to spend in certain stores or types of retailers.
Since I am someone who believes money should be earned, we have an allowance based on weekly chores. I set up automatic weekly deposits, and as long as they complete everything asked of them, money will be transferred without me even having to think about it using the convenient automated allowance feature. This allows you to ‘set it and forget it’ so your kids always receive their allowance on time, with no fees for you.
Why does Greenlight Card work for my family?
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Parental Controls- I still have the final say when it comes to how and when my kids spend their money. It is also easy to see where specifically they are shopping or how often they are spending- something that was hard to do when they only used cash.
- The App- It is super simple and convenient to use. Whether I am transferring money, looking up a transaction, or freezing the account due to losing their card, it can be done in the click of a button.
- Responsibility- It is teaching them a valuable lesson. They need to be monitoring their accounts to be sure they have enough money for each category. They will have to make tough calls and skip that extra large coffee to be sure they have lunch money for the week.
- Financial Awareness- In this day and age, everything is electronic. We all know how easy it can be to swipe a card all day long and not make a connection to the money we are really spending. Teaching them young to monitor their accounts will go a long way- if there is no money, their card will be declined after all!
Deciding to sign up for Greenlight Card was a family decision, and not a light one. It takes a lot of maturity and responsibility for kids to be in charge of their own money- especially a debit card. But, in the end, it was a great choice for us. We took advantage of their current offer to try it out with this special 30-day trial to see if it was a good fit for our family. We also got a $20 deposit bonus when we decided to sign up after the trial ended!
Greenlight Card costs just $4.99/mo per family, which includes cards and accounts for up to 5 children. It also offers zero-fee loading for parents transferring money into their Greenlight Card account. And if you sign up for Greenlight before 10/30 they’ll deposit a $20 bonus into your account after the 30-day free trial ends! *deposit bonus made approximately two weeks after free trial ends
To learn more about Greenlight Debit Cards and to find out if it is a good fit for your family, visit their website HERE!
Joe Houghton says
Love this idea. As a dad of 4 boys…im going to give it a try for sure.