We’re willing to bet that if you were to ask your mini millionaire about their favourite memory from last year, the chances are, it's not a toy
It's probably that one a braai with cousins were the toasted marshmallows late into the night, a family holiday you took that long weekend, or even that movie night on the couch that turned into watching the same movie 5 times across that weekend.
We live in a world designed to make kids want things. Item after item, making us want more more more.
The good news though: experiences make us happier than stuff.
And as South Africans, we're sitting on a treasure chest of affordable, meaningful experiences right on our doorsteps, just waiting to be had.
Stuff fades, but stories stay.
There's a reason your mini millionaire struggles to remember half the gifts they got two birthdays ago.
Psychologist Dr Thomas Gilovich spent over 20 years at Cornell University studying this exact phenomenon. His research found that happiness from things fades fast, while happiness from experiences grows over time.
It's called hedonic adaptation, but it’s basically just some fancy words for "new stuff stops feeling new."
Experiences, on the other hand, become part of who we are, actually shaping our identity, not just some short-term satisfaction.
Takeaway: The best things in life really aren't even things.
The experience budget.
Here's a small shift that makes a big difference: carve out a dedicated slice of your mini millionaire's Spend jar specifically for experiences, not stuff.
Let them pick a cool name for it, think: "Adventure Fund" or "Memory Jar" and make it feel intentional.
Have them save toward a chosen experience: a family hike, a local market, a cooking afternoon.
Research shows that even the anticipation of an awesome experience brings us joy, long before it even happens. So the saving itself becomes part of the fun.
Takeaway: The anticipation is all part of the experience. And it's free.
The 24-Hour rule + the swap.
The next time your mini millionaire spots something they simply have to have, you can try two things.
First, the 24-hour rule: wait a full day before spending.
Then introduce them to the swap: "Would you rather buy this cool new thing, or use the same money to do something together?"
You'd be surprised how often they choose the experience.
Research shows that family activities and shared experiences are a powerful source of children's wellbeing.
So it’s really not about saying no to stuff, but rather about saying yes to something better.
Takeaway: Things get forgotten in the toy box. Experiences get retold over dinner.
Not all spending is created equal, and the free, downloadable Spend Stars resource helps your mini millionaire figure out which purchases were worth it, and which ones they'd rather forget.
They rate each thing they've spent money on, from 1 to 5 stars, based on how they feel about it now.
Pssst, we’re more confident than a chatbot giving a made up answer that the movie day with the fam is going to score way higher than the tub of slime.
Download it, print it, and let the ratings do the talking.
