How to teach kids to shop smart: spot the supermarket traps, tell price from value, and hand them R50 to learn what it is really worth
Picture the scene, you’re almost in the clear, about to make it out of your favourite grocery shop with the weekly shop.
Your trolley is packed, your wallet is out, ready to pay.
And then, right there at knee height sits rows and rows of sweet treats, cute little plastic toys, or the shiny thing your mini millionaire already has both hands on…
That stretch of shelf is no accident. It is the shop's last attempt at getting more of your money right before you pay.
But it’s also where teaching your mini millionaire to shop smart really begins. It’s the moment their Spend Jar either stands its ground or springs a little leak.
Know the diffs between price and value.
Teach your mini millionaire the one question they should carry with them into any shop: do I actually want this, or does the shop want me to want it?
South African retailers put serious money into getting us to spend more with them.
Everything from children's eye-level displays, sweets and toys parked at the till, and "original" prices bumped up so a SALE sticker looks like a saving.
The thing is, an item’s price will tell you what something costs, but value tells you what it is worth to you and your mini millionaire.
Help them understand that even if something looks to be at a good price, it doesn’t mean it’s good value.
Takeaway: Price is what it costs. Value is what it is worth to your mini millionaire.
Just cause the price says it’s cheapest, it doesn't always make it so.
The next time you're in a shop, pick two versions of the same item:
Then, read the small shelf label that shows the cost per kilogram or per litre.
Now that’s the number that’s the real comparison. Because the biggest box is not always the best deal. And house brands often do the same job for 30% to 40% less.
So if you can get your mini millionaire into the habit of pausing to compare all the options before the till catches the impulse buys, they could significantly reduce their spend on staples and treats alike.
Takeaway: Teach them to check the shelf label before putting the item in their trolley.
Show them the money and let them feel it.
Give your mini millionaire R50 to spend at your local grocery shop and let them decide which option they'll pick for the one thing the family needs that week. Think bread, or milk, or even spread for sandwiches.
They’ll need to check the unit prices, weigh name brand against house brand, and decide what makes the R50 stretch furthest.
If they blow it on the fancy option and come up short, that sting teaches more than any lecture from you. But if they come in under budget, whatever they’ve saved goes straight into their Save Jar.
Takeaway: A child who spends their own R50 soon learns what yours is worth.
This week's free printable resource turns your mini millionaire into a spending critic.
With the Spend Stars resource they list things they have bought lately, note what each cost, then rate it from one star (wish I had kept my money) to five stars (worth every cent).
A R200 sticker pack and a R200 stationery set can earn very different ratings, and that is the whole point.
It shows them, in their own handwriting, that price and value are two different things.
So print it out, stick it on the fridge, and let the pattern show itself over a few weeks.
