Money Lessons from the Grocery Store with Chella Diaz

Welcome to the No Problem Parenting Podcast. From toddler tantrums to teenage eye rolls, this podcast is your go-to for updated and old school tips and tools that are gonna help you become the confident leader your kids crave you to be. Do you ever wish there was a specific manual that came with each one of your kids? I mean, what works for one often doesn't work for the other, right?

And let's face it, we don't know what we don't know. And even if there was a manual, it probably wouldn't be able to keep up with all the changes in our world. Well, this podcast is the next best thing. I'm your host, Jackie Finnaman, a 30-year counselor turned parenting coach, and I've got a lot to share, including hundreds of resources that you have access to right from your home and strategies that are going to boost your confidence and energize you. So whether you're knee-deep in diapers or navigating the tween years, or you're launching your child into adulthood, subscribe and share this podcast with your friends teachers and daycare providers we're going to turn your parenting problems into no problem one episode at a time hey welcome back parents to the no problem parenting podcast where we choose to deal with and overcome the emotional and behavioral challenges within our home and actually today we're going to overcome some of our financial challenges in our home with my special guest Chela Diaz. Welcome to the show, Chela. I'm delighted to be here. You've been good with money since the age of nine, and you're on a mission to empower parents to talk to kids about money. I even noticed you purchased your first car at 17 on your own and your first house at 23.

So let's start out by you telling us a little bit about you. Beautiful. The first thing I'd like to share is the elephant in the room, just in case some folks are saying, oh, she had plenty of help. My mother was a housewife and my dad was a baker. So yeah, right. So me buying the house, I did get a small loan from my dad $1,700 because I was short at closing costs, which I repaid back very quickly. Other than that, I definitely did that on my own. That's so cool. What were some of the money stories you heard growing up that maybe inspired you or helped you? The story that I heard is you have to work hard for your money, right? And we all have one. So I invite the listeners to think about what were those money conversations you remember listening to? Because once you become aware that what impact they had. So for me, my dad being a baker, you have to work hard for your money was what I heard. So when I went out and I got paid, my very first speaking engagement, I got paid $500. When I get $500 to, to go and speak something that I'm truly passionate about, my body went into shock because my, you know, how is that working hard? Right? So even though I've been doing this work for a long time, I, you know, for me, it was like reaching out to my mentors, to my coaches, because that was going against what I believed. That was going against what I listen to because how is getting in front of people talking, sharing, working hard. So I

invite you to think about that and then connect the dots. How has that impacted your current, but even better, right? Start paying attention, especially grocery stores. This is my favorite.

When you're at the grocery store, right? And the kid in, in, they put the things at the counter for a reason, right? As you're getting ready to check out, what do you have? You have the candy, have the chips, you have the toys, you have all these things depending on what store you're at.

But become aware and listen to what other parents are saying. And I say listen to other parents because it's easier for us to pay attention to what's outside of us. And then that's going to help us be more aware of what we say. So if you hear we can't afford it, we don't have money, right? What are you listening to? And look at it from the child's perspective. It doesn't matter what age they're at, you know, whether they're five, seven, eight, nine, whatever it is.

You may say we can't afford it, we don't have money, but think about what that kid and what stories they're going to make up, right? So it's not just as adults, you know, if I, you and I were having a conversation and said, I don't have any money, you know, that will be kind of like the end of that. But as a kid, you have to imagine what that is. And I have a real live example of a six year old parents, Friday night, they both are employed. So the, and they make really good money sitting at the table, finished paying off the bills, sending out the checks, you know, good old-fashioned checks, and they said, we don't have any money. This was a Friday night. I happened to pick up this kid Saturday morning to take her over to my house, and we were going to do baking,

go for lunch. That's what I did. And she was really concerned. So the parents said, we don't have money. So what the six-year-old was concerned and worried about is, where were they going to live and where they're going to have money for food, right? So the parents innocently said, right, they didn't have any money because they just paid all the bills until the next paycheck, which for them is every two weeks, right? But that's not what the child heard. And that's what I want you to start thinking. It's not about what you're saying and what your interpretation, it's about what that child is going to take and run with.

So what does that conversation sound like instead mom and dad get done paying the bills or sitting at the table the kids playing, you know, quietly next to them or whatever and instead of saying, Oh man we don't have any money. What do they say, it's very simple. We just finished paying off all the bills we don't have any money until we get paid in two weeks. That's it right let them know that that's coming.

right it's a it's a very very simple because when you leave it we don't have any money it's so open to interpretation for that right and the other part is back to the grocery store i'm telling you the grocery store is such a great place to learn if a kid wants a toy instead of saying no we can't have it or no we already have enough or no we can't afford it no no we don't have any money make the child be part of the decision right if they want this toy they're just like you know what that's great why don't we talk about and see how we can fit it into our spending plan because i don't like the b word i was just gonna ask you that i almost i almost filled it in and said budget not just that word makes me cringe but right that's what i i don't use the B word. I'm glad she said it. So I don't use the B word because spending plan to me,

spending plan is a way for you to plan on how you're going to spend your money, right? It sounds so inviting, right? Because it gives you choices. A budget sounds restrictive. Like you have to be fit into the box. So you tell the kid, you know what, why don't we see how we can fit that into our spending plan. Have them be part of the decision. And I have two sons and I can tell you that this is something we practice, right? They received allowance and they were able to make money whenever they wanted whatever new toy or whatever new thing they want. I said, great, you save up 50% of it and I'll put in the 50%. Your dad and I will put up the rest because then that gives them the opportunity and also takes away the immediate, you know, instant gratification as well. And I got to tell you, 90% of the time they moved on and they were saving and they were being, you know, they have the little, the piggy banks and stuff, but they changed their mind halfway through it because they found something else they wanted to do. This is why having them be part of the decision is important because it's choices. You're teaching them to choose.

You're giving them options. If you take nothing from this listening is give your children options. Let's sit down and talk about this. How can we make it part of the plan? What are some of the best ways that we can empower our kids to even learn about money or want to learn, make it interesting and exciting. And that is a $25,000 question because I started at the age of five, only you know what's appropriate, what's good with my kids. They started planning a meal at age five. On Thursdays, they used to take turns making dinner. Now I know what you're saying, five years old, listen, we ate salad and eggs. We ate pancakes, you know, stuff that they could make.

Right. So they started at five. It not only teaches them about money, but he teaches them about time management. If you're going to make lasagna, you cannot just come home from school or for us from work and make a lasagna, right? You have to know what ingredients you need.

I had a full-time job at the time. So our grocery shopping was done on the weekend, right? So that means that we have to plan when are we going to go grocery shopping? What ingredients you need, right? They have to know how long is it going to take to prep this meal? Is there something they can do ahead? As they got older, right, the dishes got a little bit more involved and they got, you know but um but also how much because they have to check out all the ingredients at the grocery store yes you're paying but they're doing and sometimes as they got older they're actually I gave them money so they actually felt like you know they were paying but that alone because they're going to start to notice oh my goodness it was 18 to buy all the ingredients or it was $35 to buy it doesn't matter it was $7 but they began to connect the money and the meals what a great idea it is also as a bonus tips parents if you have somebody that's kind of picky a little bit fussy about what they eat this is the cure for it because they get there's so much pride when they prepare a meal, but they also learn to appreciate when a meal is prepared for them. I had one rule in the house because we were very open about different foods. And then what about testing new recipes, right? This also expands their horizon as to, you know, not only the costs, but also the time. And so imagine that this five-year-old is preparing this meal,

right of course we're all happy and like i said we were all very very supportive but the one rule was you cannot tell me you don't like it until after you took a bite right you cannot just judge a dish by the way it looks but also if we take that deeper right that goes into life skills right we cannot judge somebody by the color of the skin by the hair by whatever it is right so to me these were now looking back truly truly I had a great time with them but those were some phenomenal years is something that kids still remember having them prepare a meal the lessons will go on beyond the money a lot of times as parents we're just in in a hurry or in a rush or we're tired and we just want to get through the grocery shopping we want to do it without our kids if possible if it's with our kids we typically don't plan enough time for the grocery shop. What I hear you saying is with a little bit of prep work, you can teach way more lessons,

get your kids way more involved so that you're not yelling at them to stay in the cart or sit down or hurry up and follow along and, you know, quit asking for things that you can't have, or your mom's not going to buy for you. You're just really getting them involved as young as the age of five. I started at five, but once they're able to count, you know what I mean? once they're able to count, because then, you know, they may not recognize necessarily the money, but they understand. But it has to be physical money, right? Can't be a debit card because that that loses its touch. But you just brought up a $25,000 tip, Jackie.

I should be reeling in the dough on this episode, man. That's two right now. When planning a meal, two things. I look forward to Tuesdays because that's when I get to this day As of this recording, I still enjoy, and I also brag to my friends when I go grocery shopping, because then I send them my receipt. So I prepare my meals based on what's on sale. For that week, for that month, whatever that may be. Sometimes today it is, I usually, I do meal prep. So right, prepare a meal based on what's on sale, but then do food prep. I just did this with a four-year-old.

the parents are teaching her to be independent and she has to prepare her own breakfast some of the meals but breakfast is the one she likes to enjoy and I told her that she can make smoothies right they have one of those bullet ninja thingies and it's small enough that she can do it for herself so prepping five days worth of smoothies all she has to do is take it out of the freezer, put it into the blender and she's good to go. So I say to you, and independence, right? Because now they're preparing the meal for themselves. But also it takes a way of, listen, I was a working mom, picking up the kids, having to do it. Sometimes you just don't have time. But if you know you have something in the freezer that you can easily take out, or if you have smoothies, I tell you some of these green smoothies, which I still have,

I probably have at least 10 of them in my freezer right now. Again, I practice what I'm showing you. And it makes life a lot easier because you have meals prepared. So you don't have to rush and go spend the $55 at the whatever fast food place you want to go to.

Yeah, for sure. And it's healthier. Let's face it. It is healthier for you to have some Greek smoothies.

But also the independence that you're teaching them. But yeah, prepare your meals based on what's on sale, plan your meals. Can you put a couple of extras in the freezer? So, and I pack my individual size.

So that way, not everybody is ready for whatever happens to be in there, right? But if you pack it up in an individual size, if you have more than one child, they don't all have to have the same thing. So there you go, the $25,000 tip. That's awesome.

And get the kids involved in helping to do at least one meal a week. Start slow. at the beginning they couldn't use the stove so we started with salad but they got very creative with salads right right so you put in like different things in there right yeah so get creative give them the opportunity to learn how to prepare a meal even baked potatoes i gotta tell you at the beginning i mean i would put the potatoes in the oven for them but that's what we did it was like stuffed potatoes baked potatoes you have some ideas about making money into a game that gets kids interested. Yeah. You know, that's part of it. When you, when you start talking about what do they really want? Let's say they want to go to a park. They're making it into a game so they can start paying attention, right? Becoming aware. And that's the first thing, right? And it's not that you're going to price everything, but you know, how much is it for gas? It's not to do it every single day, but the more you do it and you put it into a game, you know what I mean?

Like if they want to save for a toy that's $40. Even planning to take the family out to dinner or out to lunch or to whatever, right? It's about helping them understand what that is. They get very creative.

I got to tell you, they really are. Because kids are so brilliant. Then be open because you may learn some new ways to do things as adults. Watching their mind and watching them come up with ideas.

What if you take them to the park and just to encourage exercise? I used to pay the kids to read the books. Of course, they're regular chores. Absolutely.

But if they wanted to make additional money, right, we made it into a game. How many laps could they do around the track? It's about helping them see that you can make money in so many different ways. Well, and one of the things I like about this too is it's not, it's the money messages, the stories we're giving our kids.

So it's not just about we can't afford things or saying to our kids, oh, you're so spoiled. you get so many things, you know, money doesn't grow on trees, all those kinds of things. You're teaching them one, how to spend, how to save, but also how to make more. And there are lots of ways to make money that don't include your day job. That can be extra side jobs or side hustles or, or different things. So we're also teaching kids how to bring more money in.

absolutely you're considered uh the pricing wizard talk to us a little bit about that where'd that term come from when my clients after working with me were making more money so i just thought decided you know pricing wizard because i help entrepreneurs charge their value that's what i do in the day job uh passionate about empowering parents not only to save money but to become aware of what those conversations are that we talk, that we listen to, so that we can shift the pattern. And because I was a mom with two young kids, and this is something I've been practicing for many, many years, I created a course that's ways to save money, which we already gave some here. The one is, we're going to give one more because I want you to really walk away something, creating a menu based on what's on sale. Frozen is always good because it is going to save you time and it'll avoid you going to the restaurant. But also the other thing, this one of my favorites is purchasing your essentials, your lotions, your shampoos, your dishwashing, your laundry detergent, paper goods, purchasing your essentials only when they're on sale. And that,

again, I'm a huge game, right? So make that into a game. Can you make it into the game so that you're stocking up on some of this stuff because you're only getting them on sale? It's such a great place to be. That's a great trick too. You can kind of predict how much you're going to need for the year and then you can buy that kind of stuff in bulk. Exactly. There is definitely, truly 108 ways to save money. You can choose to use one, you can choose to use five, But also is there's some videos.

I have the videos for you to do some meal meal preps. Right. So it's making it easy for you to save money. My best, best story is a housewife.

When I did the workshop, I gave some of the tips. Housewife was able to save three thousand dollars in four months when she came into a center was a community center. she was in tears, right? Because it's about once you become aware, okay, this is what I'm doing.

How can I do it differently? Planning your meals is one of them. And this are all tested because this is all stuff that I did when kids were younger. So it's not just about saving the money, but also it's going to save you time. Yeah, that's so good. And hassle. The meals are more, can be more structured. We just get home and we're tired and we don't want to cook.

it once you're ahead it makes things a lot easier because then you're not rushing right because when you attempt to go to the store when you're rushed the stress the overwhelm the lines are going to be the longest you're not going to find a parking space you know I mean everything that could go right Murphy's law but when you're ahead that's what I'm saying is yes it's about money and the money you're saving but also you're saving yourself stress overwhelm and you're able to do other things with your children.

And I think it's fun when kids can have a list of things to go get in the store, keep some busy trying to find those things, and then they can price it out. Do we need the name brand for the rice or can we get an off brand for the rice? You know, there's certain things that how much does it cost and how much are we saving and get them really interested in that. And they do learn the value of money and to respect that.

It's just getting them involved about participating and being part of the decision. You know what, that thing is $199. How can we put it into our spending plan? How long is it going to take us to get that?

It's great stuff. Oh, that's really good. This has been a fun conversation because it's a little bit different than, you know, this teaching kids about, you know, how much to save, how much to spend and how much to tithe and, you know, all that kind of stuff, which all of those are important things. but this is just a really fun episode to get people to just think a little bit differently about all the lessons we can learn when we include our kids in some of those basic things that we're spending money on so it's not just about the toys and stuff they want but about putting food on the table and how they can contribute to that so that's super fun i just have to say you're just a day brightener and you just you put happiness around money it is more about how to have fun with money. Thank you so much for being with me today. It has been my pleasure and let's go out and have some fun. All right. That's it for today's episode of the no problem parenting podcast. Hey,

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