Turning bill paying and budgeting from a tedious task into a fun one is easier when you make use of some of the free or affordable apps that you can get right on your smartphone. Even children who enjoy playing games or browsing the Web on your phone can get on board with financing apps that are geared towards them. Many of the child-friendly apps are designed like games, giving children the motivation they need to complete their chores, collect an allowance and save towards an ultimate goal. Check out the following five apps to discover a new one that will make your whole family get on board with the budget.
PiggyBot
PiggyBot is like a virtual piggy bank where your children can save their money and watch their savings grow. While the app does not allow parents to send their children actual money, it will keep track of how much you owe your children for allowance or for extra chores done around the house. PiggyBot also lets kids set goals for savings. The app teaches younger children to be responsible for their finances while giving you reminders about paying your children’s allowances. When your kids are ready to cash out their funds, they simply let you know, and you can give them their money in one lump sum rather than in smaller portions every week.
Allowance & Chores Bot
This app is similar to PiggyBot in that it allows you and your children to keep track of an allowance digitally. However, this app also helps slightly older children keep track of their chores, giving them reminders of what chores they have left to do and giving them rewards for chores that are done. This app teaches your kids responsibility and also ties work to reimbursement, setting them up for success with later jobs. This app can be used for the entire family to allow you to track chores and allowances for multiple children.
BusyKid
As your children get older, their needs for a finance-based app also change. Consider BusyKid for older elementary children and even teenagers. While this app tracks chores and allowances and helps kids save, it is tied to many other parts of the real world, such as donations and investments. Children can choose what they want to do with their money, from saving it for a special goal or choosing a gift card to buying real stocks or donating to charities. Your kids will learn how their financial decisions are very important and how responsibility is vital for gaining money. The app communicates with parents via text messages.
EveryDollar
This app is geared more towards adults but is useful if you are helping your teenager build a budget for job earnings or if you are planning a family budget. This free app lets you manually build a budget, track expenses and view how much money you have left to spend each month. It is based on the concept that every dollar you earn should have a designated place it goes. For a small monthly charge, you can connect EveryDollar to your bank account for an easier time tracking expenses.
Wally
Wally is a somewhat simpler budgeting app that may be good for children just starting out earning money around the neighborhood. Instead of creating a detailed budget, your child will be able to track earning, spending and saving totals. Seeing the percentage that they put towards savings can help them make smarter decisions with their purchases in the future. The simplistic design of the app is easy for anyone to understand.
There are literally dozens of other apps that will help you stay on track with your finances and spending and others that can help you save money while you shop with rebates and coupons. Find your favorites, but be sure to make use of them frequently to get into good habits. Children who see good money habits modeled by you will be motivated to get on board with a family budget, save their own money and make smart financial decisions as they grow older.
