Every kid needs a place to stash his or her cash. Whether it’s in a ceramic piggy shaped like the rotund, pink farm animal, or in an electronic gadget that can add up its deposits, just having a place for coins and bills helps kids appreciate the benefits of saving money.
The Classic Ceramic Piggy Bank
Lillian Vernon offers a glazed ceramic piggy bank personalized with a child’s name painted on the side. It measures 7 inches long and 6 inches tall and has a slot on top for deposits and a rubber stopper on the bottom for withdrawals. Choose a motif of hearts or sports. Price: $29.98 plus $8.99 shipping and handling.
Electronic Money Jar
Kids keep track of their coins with the Electronic Money Jar by YOUniverse. This plastic bank automatically recognizes each coin that falls through its slot and keeps track of all deposits and displays the total in a window on the jar’s lid. This bank is best for long-term savings. It won’t calculate periodic withdrawals. After unscrewing the lid of the plastic jar and removing money, kids have to re-deposit all remaining coins to get the jar to display the correct amount. Requires two AA batteries. Amazon.com price: $12.99, plus $4.46 shipping and handling.
Moonjar Moneybox
A simple box with three compartments and an accompanying passbook teaches big lessons to little savers. Children deposit their money in each of the three sections, marked “save,” “spend,” and “share.” Kids decide what portion of money they will allot to each category and keep track with the passbook. This bank not only teaches the value of saving but also the benefits of helping others by encouraging kids to give their “share” portion to charity. A Moonjar family guide encourages children and parents to work together to develop a budget and set goals for their savings. Moonjar price: $6.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Volume pricing is available.
Plastic Homemade Piggy Bank
HGTV has step-by-step directions for making a classic plastic bottle piggy bank. Materials: empty bleach bottle, felt, four tapered fabric softener bottle caps, pipe cleaner, scissors and a pencil. Just unscrew the bottle cap (which is now the pig’s nose) to access the cash. Cost: The time it takes to dig through the recycling container.
Knit Guinea Piggy Bank
Measuring all of 5 inches from nose to tush, this knit Guinea piggy bank makes a subtle alteration to the classic pig theme. Made by “Handsewn” with acrylic yarn and sold on Etsy for $7 plus $1.50 shipping in the U.S.
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