Making smart decisions about money feels great. However, money is easy to spend, but not so easy to save. Everyone has feelings about money: people get happy when they get a raise, feel sad when they lose money, and they feel greedy sometimes and want a lot of money. Managing money and developing good personal finance habits can start when you are young. Kids can use their allowance as their first experience with money.

If you want a raise in your allowance, offer to do more work. You can let your parents know what your expenses are. You can also go into business for yourself. Think of your interests and how you can utilize them to make money. Perhaps you like kids; then, babysitting may be the business for you. You could also turn an interest in pets into a pet-sitting business, or you could take an interest in fitness to finding people who want their yards mowed or their driveways shoveled. Make sure to always keep your customers happy by doing a little bit of extra work. You also need to market your business by letting people know what you offer at a reasonable price. Above all, have a lot of fun!

Making money is great, but you also need to retain what you have, and invest it in order to have money later on. Do not buy items that you do not need. Also, pay yourself first. It is important to have savings goals and to meet them. You may be saving for a big purchase, such as a bicycle, or you may want to save for college. Saving for unexpected things can also help. You never know when an emergency might arise. Put your savings in the bank or ask your parents for help with investing in mutual funds. Be aware, however, that investing in funds requires that you do not touch the money for at least 10 or 15 years! Have a good attitude towards saving—this is your future.

A Smart Girl's Guide: Money: How to Make It, Save It and Spend It by Nancy Holyoke, 2014

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