A little lesson in birthday finance...

Since Bailey wanted nothing but an American Girls Doll for her birthday I had to gently explain to her that we had used most of her budget on her giant party. (and I spent A LOT of time explaining to her that even Santa might not have the budget for that as this was her back up plan!) So, together we came up with an alternate idea. She asked Steve and I and her grandparents to only give her money for her birthday - whatever amount they would have spent on her presents. Then, she will work hard, save her allowances and eventually earn the rest of the money to buy the doll herself. Whatever happens, by the time she gets it all saved it will be a good thing ... she'll either have her dream doll and really appreciate it... or if the doll is no longer a factor... she'll have had a good lesson in saving money and also have herself a nice little hunk of cash to keep saving! Smart girl!