Dollar sense.

Commercials are making you insane. Not because they interrupt your show, but because you’re sick and tired of being nagged, day after day, for all the stuff your kids need right now, or else they whi-i-ine until you beg for mercy. When does it end?

It doesn’t. But you may be able to temper the tantrums and teach them the value of money using one little trick: Stop buying them what they want.

If your kids want something, fine, but insist that they save up and buy it themselves. For younger kids, work out a deal—i.e., match what they save from birthday money or allowance dollar for dollar. They’ll appreciate the purchase that much more if they’ve had to work for it, rather than watching you whip out your credit card. And maybe, just maybe, their idea of what they “need” will begin to change…