3 Essential Money Saving Tips for Teens

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Teaching your teen about money can be a difficult task, but it is one that will pay off for both you and them in the future. Here are three essential money saving tips that you can teach your teens to help them see how easy it is to budget their money and keep more of it in their pockets.

Make a Budget
One of the hardest things to do moneywise is to make a budget. Most adults have never sat down and created a written budget for their household. If the adults find it difficult to do, teenagers are going to find it just as difficult. This is something you might have to learn to do together if you have never done a budget yourself. But when you have a record of where all of your money is going each month, you can see where you need to make cutbacks so you can save money.

Cook at Home
In today’s culture, it is so common for households to just go to the restaurant and grab some food and bring it home to eat. But this is a costly habit. If this sounds like your household practice, start cooking at home. Make cooking at home a habit and record how much money you are saving  by preparing meals at home instead of going out so much. Show your teen the record and they will be more likely to prefer home cooked meals as they grow into adulthood.

Give Them a Prepaid Debit Card
Put some money on a Tom Joyner card or another prepaid debit card and give your teen some financial freedom. A prepaid debit card is a great way to teach your teen about saving money and being frugal with their finances.

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Teaching Teens to Bargain Shop

Bargain shopping is back in fashion now that people are looking for ways to stretch every dollar. But let’s face it, everyone loves the thrill of getting a good deal any time. The best way to teach your teen to bargain shop and experience some of that thrill is by bargain shopping yourself and taking your teen along.

Here are some tips for saving money and getting good deals on everything you buy:

  • Use the Internet: Almost every store has a website. The competition is fierce online. Take advantage of that by comparing prices and shopping at sites like www.offers.com.
  • Coupons can save you money: Most store websites offer printable coupons that you can use for some really good discounts. Sometimes you can even sign up for a coupon mailing list.
  • Shop at your favorite store’s outlet: Outlet stores are really just “overstock” stores. This is where the store sends merchandise it needs to move, often at a reduced price, to make room for new stock.
  • Buy major clothing purchases out of season: Items like jackets, sweaters and swim suits are always cheaper as their season is ending. Stores are constantly clearing floor space to make room for the new seasonal items. At the same time, stores often lower the price on non-seasonal items to sell them as quickly as possible.
  • Shop at thrift stores: The truth of thrift stores is that people sometimes get rid of things like blue jeans and T-shirts because they no longer fit. You can find almost-new items if you look carefully.

Now is the perfect time to teach your teen to save money by bargain hunting for as many items as possible. Smart shopping is a good lesson to learn.

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What is Pop Psychology?

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Popular psychology, or more commonly referred to as pop psychology, is psychology for the layman. It basis itself on popular academic theories in psychology and then reinterprets them in a way that is accessible to the general public.

The term is frequently used to describe new age practices and self-help strategies. It is because of this that the term pop psychology is often used to dismiss information as irrelevant. However every theory and approach in psychology has its use somewhere.

Types of Popular Psychology

Types of popular psychology can include the following:

  • self-help books and other information
  • every day advice that can be found in the media, such as a radio or television program like Oprah
  • terminology which has become popular amongst uneducated people, such as ‘left brain/right brain’ and ‘emotional intelligence
  • psychological theories and practices which have not been scientifically proven, such as hypnosis

Benefits of Popular Psychology

There are many benefits to a person accessing popular psychology information.

  • It allows a person to explore themselves at their own pace and in their own way.
  • It allows a person to take charge of themselves, their emotions and their behavior.
  • Compared to a therapy session, it is much more cost-effective.

Dangers of Popular Psychology

  • A person could misinterpret the information and label themselves as having a psychological disorder when they don’t.
  • The person, after having wrongly diagnosed themselves, could then go on to further information which does not apply to them.
  • People tend to label other people as having a psychological disturbance more freely after reading popular psychology literature.

 

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