Heath's commission

Heath has seen a photo of a toy on the back of his car box that he got for Christmas. He has pointed it out several times since December and last week I finally told him he had two choices if he wanted that toy: 1- he could put it on his birthday list and wait for June to see if someone would buy it for him, or 2- he could start earning money and save on his own to buy it. He decided that it would be better to 'make money because then you don't have to wait so long.'

We ascribe to the Dave Ramsey principles of money management and so I went back to reading his advice on how to separate chores that you do because you are part of this family, and earning a commission by doing extra tasks that help your parents or the household. Heath is already a GREAT helper, and so I wanted to be sure that this earning money was not confused with the 'chores' he is already doing naturally: brushing his teeth, clearing his table, unloading the silverware from the dishwasher, putting his toys away.

So I told Heath I would think about some new ways that he could help us out and make money to save. I researched the toy and told him I found it at Walmart for $35 or at Amazon for $21. He recognized it will be easier to save $21, so we set that as our goal. I gave him a clear mason jar to put his earnings in so we could see it add up. He rushed to his room to quickly add the 6 coins he had previously collected from pocket findings or dresser tops. We talked about the difference of 46 cents and $21 and how it will take some time and work, but buying his toy before June is possible.

Heath earned a quarter by cutting out coupons for me in the Kroger mailer

Heath also earned a dollar the following weekend by helping Jonathan with some yard work outside, hauling debris from the front yard to the back. He stuck with it the whole time.

As soon as he got his earnings he ran into his room, grabbed the jar, and said "I've got to count all my money now!"

Do you have any ideas for the commission list?

UPDATE: April 25, 2015 we counted his money jar (again) after cutting out morning coupons for mom and earning another 12 cents. Heath successfully earned and saved $22.64, so we placed the online order and it is due to arrive in 2 days thanks to Amazon Prime!