Feb 25, 2011

Money Savvy Pig Review & Giveaway

Money Savvy Pig

Growing up, money was kind of a taboo topic in my household. We didn’t really talk about money at all to be honest. I have a vague recollection of an allowance, but I’m not sure if it was just given to me to spend or if I was encouraged to save? Either way, my husband and I have known from pretty early on that we wanted to be really open with our kids about money. You might recall a few months ago I wrote an article on Momtastic about How To Teach Your Kids The Value Of A Dollar. Well about a month ago, I decided it was time we really started practicing what we preached.

The problem was that explaining money to a preschooler is kind of like talking into the wind. Without concrete visual and tangible examples, our son didn’t have any way of understanding the concept of money (let alone it’s many uses!).

Enter the Money Savvy Pig.

Money Savvy Pig

This is by no means your typical piggy bank. Money Savvy Pig is an educational tool first and foremost. It’s a fun way to learn the basic fundamentals of finances that even adults struggle with.

One slot piggy banks have been around for….centuries. But the world h
as changed. Now we have a highly sophisticated financial system, a system whose complexity has outstripped the ability of most adults, many of whom grapple with credit card debt, even bankruptcy.
Personal finance education needs to start young. How? With the same universally loved childhood toy, the piggy bank….but with a 21st century twist! The Money Savvy Pig piggy bank has four chambers, one for each of the four money management choices a child should be taught from the time they are small. They are SAVE, SPEND, DONATE, and INVEST.

Amazing, right? I definitely thought it was something that we could have fun with. Something that would help us teach the building blocks of financial education. Gradually. I did not have any illusions that they would really grasp the concept this early on in life. I do think that the Money Savvy Pig has exceeded my original expectations.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I know that my son is not a financial whiz worthy of Wall Street at this point. I will argue that he probably has more financial knowledge then most children his age. I will also argue that using the Money Savvy Pig as a teaching tool, bridged the gap between a concept that would otherwise be considered abstract and foreign to something touchable and identifiable.

I filmed a short little video showing you the highlights of the Money Savvy Pig and how we use it in our household. Sometimes it’s easier for me to understand a product when I see actual customer videos, so I hope it is helpful. It is my first web video (self made with my Flip camera…nothing fancy!) so please forgive me for the total lack of professionalism.

As you can see, we are big fans of the Money Savvy Pig. We will likely be ordering another one in a year or so for Elizabeth to use. Are you interested in purchasing your own Money Savvy Pig? You can order one on the Money Savvy Generation website for just $16.99!

What about winning one? Money Savvy Generation has been so kind and so generous and will be giving away a Money Savvy Pig, right here on Family Friendly Frugality!

Here are the rules to enter:

MANDATORY Entry

Sign up for Money Savvy Generation’s free monthly e-newsletter “Helping Kids Get Smart About Money” (here’s the link to subscribe: http://tinyurl.com/MSGenNewsltr).

Optional Entries:

“Like” Money Savvy Generation on Facebook (let them know @Family Friendly Frugality sent you!)
“Follow” on Twitter
“Like” Family Friendly Frugality on facebook
“Follow” Family Friendly Frugality on Twitter
Subscribe to Family Friendly Frugality by email (subscription must stay active to win)
Blog about the giveaway! Just leave a comment letting me know where to find the post…you can give yourself TEN extra entries for this one!
Tweet and/or post on facebook about the giveaway. Possible 10 entries (5 for tweeting, 5 for posting on facebook) for this step
Sample Tweet: Enter to #win a Money Savvy Pig from @familyfrugal . This #giveaway is great for #preschoolers #parents #teachers http://tinyurl.com/5rrrdbm
Sample Facebook post: Enter to win a Money Savvy Pig from @Family Friendly Frugality. Enter the giveaway here http://tinyurl.com/5rrrdbm

For each action you complete, write it in the comment section. I will be using random.org to pick the winner. So if you earn 5 entries for tweeting, post 5 comments saying “I tweeted”. Be SURE I have a way to get in contact with you. You can leave a link to your blog, or preferably your email address (I recommend breaking it up like heather dot familyfriendlyfrugality dot com).

Entries open NOW and are open until March 4th 2011! Sorry but this giveaway is only open to US residents 18 years of age and over.

Money Savvy Generation provided me with a free Money Savvy Pig to review. They will be providing a free Money Savvy Pig for the giveaway. I have not received any compensation to write this review. The opinions are 100% my own.

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