Your First Four Weeks

Week-by-week script: what to do, what to expect, where kids typically push back, how to respond.

Ages 3-5Ages 6-8Ages 9-12 ~10 min

Runtime: ~9 minutes

What we’re actually doing in the first four weeks

The first four weeks aren’t about teaching financial concepts. They’re about installing the rhythm.

You’re proving to your kid — and to yourself — that this is real. That allowance day happens. That the Banks actually get filled. That when they save for something, the saved money is still there next week. That when you promise a match, the match shows up.

Concepts come later. Reliability comes first.

So this lesson is week by week. What to do, what to say, what to expect.

Week 1: The novelty week

Week one is easy. Everyone’s excited. The Banks are new. The amounts feel big to a kid who’s never had a regular income before. You don’t need to do anything clever — just run the system.

What to do:

  • Sit down for the first transfer day, the ritual we set up in Lesson 8
  • Split the money together
  • Stick the Our Money Rules on the fridge
  • Add the commission list somewhere visible

What to say if asked:

  • “What’s the Save Bank for again?” → “Whatever you choose. We talked about [the goal] — but the goal can change.”
  • “When can I spend the Spend Bank?” → “Whenever you want. It’s yours.”
  • “What’s invest for?” → “I’ll show you something cool about that in a few weeks. For now, just put the money in.”

What to expect:

  • A lot of excitement
  • Probably an attempt to spend the Spend Bank within 48 hours
  • Possibly an attempt to negotiate the split (“can I move some from Save to Spend?”)

How to respond to negotiation: You don’t negotiate the split in week one. “The split is the split. We set it up together. Let’s see how it goes for a few weeks and we’ll talk about it at the review.”

Week 2: The reality check

Week two is where it gets interesting. The novelty has worn off slightly. They may have spent the Spend Bank already. They might want a thing they can’t afford yet from Save.

This is the most important week of the four. Your behaviour here installs the system or kills it.

What to do:

  • Run allowance day exactly the same way as Week 1. Same time. Same ritual. Same amount.
  • Resist any temptation to “help” them buy something they want — no rescue
  • If they spent their Spend Bank and now want something, the answer is “your Spend Bank is empty until Saturday. What do you want to do?”
  • If they want to raid Save for a Spend purchase, the answer is “Save is for [the goal you agreed]. If you want to change the goal, we can talk about that at the review. But Save isn’t for impulse buys.”

What to say:

The scripts that matter most this week:

  • “That’s a no this time. Your Spend Bank is empty. You can put it on your wish list and start saving.”
  • “I know it’s frustrating. Money runs out. That’s part of why we’re learning this.”
  • “You can ask for more, but the answer is going to be the same. Allowance is on Saturday.”

Said warmly, said calmly, said the same way every time.

What to expect:

  • The first real disappointment when they realise the Spend Bank is finite
  • Some testing — they’ll ask for things at the shops, look at you, see what you do
  • Possibly some pushback or whining
  • A new appreciation for the Save Bank, if they have a real goal in mind

The critical move: Do not cave in week two. Not because you’re being mean. Because the entire system depends on the Banks being real. The first time you cave at the supermarket, you’ve taught them that the system is just suggestions. Hold the line for the first four weeks especially. After that it gets vastly easier because they stop testing.

Week 3: The compounding week

Week three is when the early lessons start to compound. The Save Bank is starting to fill noticeably. They might be close to a goal. The Invest Bank has its first month-end match coming up.

This is the week to add a small layer of teaching — not a lecture, but a moment.

What to do:

  • Run allowance day same as ever
  • At the end of the month (if you’re at week 3 or 4), do the first Invest match. Make a small deal of it. “Right, you’ve got $1.50 in Invest. I’m doubling it. Here’s another $1.50.” Watch their face.
  • Look at the Save Bank together. “How much have you got? How much do you need? How many more weeks?”
  • If they want to count all the Banks together, do it. The visible total is motivating.

What to say:

  • “Look at that. Your money’s growing in two ways now — what you add, and what I add.”
  • “You’re [number] weeks away from the [goal]. How’s it feeling?”
  • “Want to check the Spend Bank? You’ve still got [amount]. What are you thinking?”

What to expect:

  • A noticeable shift in their relationship to money — they start to own it
  • Possibly the first time they decline a purchase they could afford, because they’re saving for something better
  • Their first real pride in the Save Bank
  • A growing curiosity about the Invest Bank, especially after the match

The teaching moment: At the Invest match, say something like: “This is the thing about the Invest Bank. It’s not just your money — other money helps it grow. When you’re older, instead of me adding to it, the bank or the stock market will add to it. But the trick is the same: leave it alone, and let it grow.”

That’s the whole compound interest lesson, planted as a seed. You’ll water it more in Lesson 10.

Week 4: The review week

Week four is when you sit down and have an actual review. Pick a time when you’re both relaxed — Saturday morning is good — and have a 15-minute conversation.

What to do:

  • Count up where they are in each Bank
  • Look at the goals they set in week 1 — are they still right?
  • Ask what’s working and what isn’t
  • Ask if they want to try any commission jobs in the coming month
  • Adjust the system if needed (more on this below)

What to say:

The structure of the review is three questions:

  1. “What’s working really well?”
  2. “What’s frustrating?”
  3. “Is there anything you want to change?”

Then you share your view: “Here’s what I’ve noticed working really well. Here’s something I’d like us to keep an eye on. Here’s what I think we should try in the next four weeks.”

What you might adjust:

  • The Save goal. If they’ve outgrown the original goal or want something new, adopt the new goal — but they keep saving toward something.
  • The Spend percentage if it’s noticeably wrong. A kid who’s getting bored with money they can’t spend is a kid in scarcity mindset on Spend. Maybe bump it up 5%.
  • Commission opportunities. If they want to start earning extra, this is when to introduce the commission list more actively.
  • The amount, if it’s genuinely wrong. Not as a reward for the four weeks, but if the original number was off — say the splits are producing 10c allocations to Give and 30c to Invest, and that’s not enough to matter — bump the base.

What not to adjust yet:

  • The rule that Save can’t be raided for Spend purchases. That rule is the system. Don’t soften it.
  • The reliability of allowance day. Not a thing to discuss; it’s a constant.
  • The principle that they keep the money. Don’t introduce conditions or punishments now.

What to do if it’s not working

Some kids take longer to settle into the system. Some are still testing at week four. Here’s how to read the signs.

They’re still asking for stuff at the shops constantly. Normal at week 2, less normal at week 4. Possible reasons: the Spend Bank might be too small for their real wants (consider adjusting the percentage); or you might be still saying yes too often (notice and tighten up).

They’ve lost interest in the Banks. Possible they need a tangible goal in Save. If Save is just “saving,” it’s abstract. If Save is “the Lego set on the shelf at Big W,” it’s vivid. Make the goal specific and visible.

They’re trying to spend everything immediately. Some kids do this for the first month or two. As long as the Save, Give and Invest pillars are getting their share, it’s fine — they’re learning the boundary of Spend, which is a real lesson.

They lost the money or broke a Bank. Replace the Bank, but the money is gone. This is a hard one. Don’t make up the lost amount. The lesson — be careful with your money — is one of the more important ones, and you can’t teach it if you bail them out.

They demand more. The answer is always: “the amount is the amount. You’re welcome to earn more with commissions if you want.” Said the same way every time.

What’s coming

Next lesson — the most important one in the entire course. Compound interest, made real for a kid. The lesson that turns budgeters into wealth-builders.

Action for this lesson: Mark the four allowance days in your calendar. Mark week 4 as your first review. Now you’re ready to run.

— Bec

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