Tired of constant “Can I buy this?” requests? Try an Online Shopping Day, a financial literacy activity for kids that teaches spending control and patience.
Does your child or teen come at you throughout the week (or even daily) to purchase something online with their money?
Mine did.
All the time.
It got kind of ridiculous – for both of us (hint: kids don’t love being told “no” all the time, just as much as we adults don’t like repeating it).
That’s when I created something new in our household that is SO useful: the Online Shopping Day.
It’s been SUCH a game-changer that I’m sharing it with you in the hopes that it’ll change some things for the better in your home, too.
Why a Monthly Online Shopping Day
Thanks to just about every store being online, your child’s impulse purchase requests aren’t limited to trips to Walmart or Dollar Tree anymore.
Hint: You might also want to check out my article on the two strategies for when your child always wants to buy something at the store.
Instead of asking you on a whim while you’re in a physical store, they now think that shopping can happen at any time (because it technically can).
Creating a single window of opportunity to shop online resets that endless-shopping expectation.
It teaches them that their wants and needs aren’t instantly satisfied (which rarely happens in real life), but handled during one set time when they can place an order using their allowance, commissions, or even birthday money.
It forces them to really think through what they want to buy (after all, they can only afford so much, and if they don’t prioritize what they really want, they’ll have to wait another month until the next window of opportunity).
It’s also great for encouraging your child to make their first savings goal – they can use this opportunity to research how much something costs, decide if they actually want it, and know how much they have to save to get it.
Honestly, there are so many wins with this strategy!
How to Set Up an Online Shopping Day
We’ve been doing monthly Online Shopping Days in our household for six months or so now, and it’s led to:
⭐ Way less nagging from my son to go online and look stuff up to buy
⭐ My son being much more intentional with his online spending
⭐ Reaching the free shipping threshold online with each order
Set your own up by downloading this free Online Shopping Day Calendar I created.
Start with the month you’re in, or the following month. Set a date for when you’ll take all online orders/allow your child to online window shop. Mark the calendar on that day.
Then, tell each family member about this new process for online shopping at home.
Let your child know that they can use the left-hand side of the Online Shopping Calendar to write in their current wishlist of things they want to buy in that window of opportunity, and the things they want to research further. They can also count up their money and put the total in (or the total amount you’ve approved for them to spend on that day – your household Money Rules still apply!).
Hint: You can print out one of these sheets for each child, if you have more than one.
Post this calendar where everyone will see it, like on your refrigerator or family bulletin board.
When that date rolls around, set a timer and let your kids do their online shopping and product research!
Seriously – this system is a thing of beauty, and I hope you make good use of it.
Amanda L. Grossman is a writer and Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI®), a 2017 Plutus Foundation Grant Recipient, and founder of Money Prodigy. Her money work has been featured on Experian, GoBankingRates, PT Money, CA.gov, Rockstar Finance, the Houston Chronicle, and Colonial Life.
Amanda is the founder and CEO of Frugal Confessions, LLC. Read more here or on LinkedIn.
