There are many reasons you could be coming into this post today. Maybe it is Valentine’s Day or Halloween. Chances are we’re near a holiday and you’re on my blog to learn more about my GIG Pay System. That System being how we handle ALL the crap, I mean CANDY. That flows into our house all year. I confess I love candy. We are NOT a sugar-free house and never will be. Therefore, we solve the problem like this…
The Problem | All that Candy
The literal #StickySide of this situation is candy, pounds, and pounds of it. I get asked all the time how I handle all the candy that we deal with throughout the year. It starts with Halloween, through stocking stuffers, Valentines, Easter Baskets and then really hits with the summer Birthday Party Pinatas or treat bags. Keeping track of all that candy is not only exhausting but a constant battle if you don’t have a plan for it. I can’t count how many times I had to do a bedtime sweep and flip all the mattresses to find the contraband.
The Solution | GIG Pay
As a WAHM I run an Etsy Shop that I inevitably needed the boys to help with, by way of adorable pictures. When they were young it was very tempting to bribe them with a piece of candy {don’t get me wrong, it’s totally still a bribe} but I wanted it to be a tiny bit more educational. So, I made it a Payment System and we called photoshoots Gigs. This language established early on that they were being “paid” for their hard work. Theories aside, the Gig Pay System worked really well and they began to offer photoshoots in exchange for Gig Pay all on their own. We now offer Gig Pay all year for a variety of Gigs.
The Gig Pay System
Each boy has a Gig Pay Bank that I keep in my office. It is their most prized possession at this age, or equivalent to a wallet. Candy that comes into our house is immediately turned into currency and deposited into their bank. I no longer find it under their pillows or hidden in pockets.
Gig Payouts
It was very important to me to make this “payment” system as educational and realistic as possible. I also wanted it to be as far away from a “reward/punishment” system that we normally see. It is still a Positive Behavior Support but there is an element of finance and budgeting that really makes it work. The Boys EARN Gig Pay by doing jobs that they wouldn’t normally do. Likewise, they can’t earn candy for doing something they’re supposed to be doing anyway. The payment only comes for something above and beyond, or for contributing to the household business, my Etsy Shops. They both very much love the idea of becoming businessmen when they grow up, but that’s a story for another day.
They earn a payment of candy based on the jobs listed on their chart. I frequently update and change these based on what they are capable of or what we’re focusing on at Teaching Table. I also add in behavioral challenges that they can conquer. Eventually, they grow out of being paid for these behaviors. But some of my favorites have been beneficial to our household for years including:
Leaving a Gift Shop
This is one of my favorites and is used a TON throughout the year. If they can walk out of a Gift Shop without whining or asking to buy something they earn 3 payouts. Granted, if a grandma is there, they’re going to get something from her anyway and they know that, but not from me 😉
Caught Working Hard or Cleaning
I LOVE to catch kids doing good. It was one of my main focuses when I was teaching. So if I randomly catch them working hard, at anything, helping dad, doing dishes, making their own lunch, cleaning and organizing their room on their own, its a 5 piece payout.
Caught in Public
The same payment is given if a stranger compliments them or me for their behavior while out and about. Whenever we go to a grocery store or restaurant I hear them pre-game pep talk each other in their car seats,
Okay, remember to say excuse me. Great, you hold open the doors for people and I’ll push in chairs!
Wyatt, 4yo
Gig Buys
This new feature was applied this summer. They can now “Buy” with their Gig Pay. This looks like them turning in pieces to me to get me to take over a job or skip a job. Their favorite Buy-Out is me doing their laundry for them. But, it costs 10 pieces of candy, which is very hard for them to hand over. I wish I could catch on video the BRILLIANT and logical conversations they have with each other while deciding if they want to just do the laundry or pay me to do it. They count their banks and ensure they have enough. Or I hear one of these gems,
Wait, if we buy-out laundry we won’t have enough to skip the password tomorrow!…
Cash, 6yo
If Cash ever does one of those estimation games at a baby shower where you have to guess how many of something is in a container without touching it, watch out, he’s winning for sure! #randomguessking
What to NEVER Do
I think it is very important to keep this system free of consequence. I get mad at these Hooligans ALL. THE. TIME. and I would love to just yank all their candy away as some grand punishment. But, that’s not what it is about. Once their candy goes into their bank, they need to trust that it is safe. I make sure that I don’t lose my temper and become a bank robber because then our trust in the system is broken. We have plenty of other consequences and options for their questionable actions.
What they’ve Learned
We’ve been using this System for candy since they were 3 and 4 years old. Since then I’ve noticed growth in both work ethic and budgeting awareness. Right now, standing right next to me, the boys are doing their Etsy Polka Dots and I overheard Cash say he wants to quit. Wyatt followed right up by telling him, “If you quit before it’s done we don’t get paid!” All I need from this tiny little, truly frivolous System is this conversation.
#MomWinning
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