Chris Healy, Realtor Coldwell Banker Real Estate
Providence East Side Office
225 Wayland Avenue
Providence, RI 02906
www.ProvidenceEastSide.com
401-258-8534 Office
401-258-8534 (best) Mobile
401-270-6176 Fax Email
Chris Healy's PowerAllowance Challenge
Dear Parent,
I'm the father of a young boy. I developed this win/win challenge as a way for him to take some more responsibility at home, develop environmental consciousness and earn extra allowance. This program is producing fantastic results for my family. Consider offering this challenge to a child of yours. If they decide to give it a try and are successful, they will achieve . . .
1) A savings on your family's electric bill
2) A powerful understanding of how saving energy really pays off
3) The habit of conserving energy that could last a lifetime
4) The satisfaction of doing their part to reduce pollution and global warming
5)
An increase in their allowance
Light Switch OFF = Money Switch ON
I explained to my son how my Lights OFF = Money ON challenge works. If he conserves electricity at home, he will get paid 100% of the savings over the same month from the prior year. He gave it some thought, then reluctantly agreed to give saving electricity for money a try. Thirty days later our much-anticipated electric bill came in the mail. We did the math and it showed that he had saved $30. I immediately gave him the $30 in cash. This made a big impression on him. He enthusiastically exclaimed, "Now I know why you were always after me to turn out the lights!" He learned in a powerful way the direct relationship between not wasting electricity and getting extra money.
For three months now, my son has been saving electricity and has already made over $100. For my child, turning off lights has become a habit. At our home, if no one is in the room, a light or TV is seldom left on. Believe me, this was not so before he began this program. Now my son admonishes me for leaving on a light - - I'm costing him money!
Kids figure out fast that there are many money switches at home. They're all over the house. In fact, every electrical switch is a money switch, each with the potential for making or loosing money. The more money switches that are ON (lights OFF), the more money is saved. This is a meaningful lesson in economics and conservation.
"Turn off the lights!", especially when proceeded by, "How many times do I have to tell you," is a tired expression that can "turn off" kids instead of lights. I present a more positive message, "turn ON the money switch". Now that's a win/win deal!
If you decide to allow your child to save electricity around your home, I recommend that you formalize the program by putting it in writing. You can use the same
Agreement Form with program rules and the savings worksheet that I put together and use.
If you like the results your child achieves, spread the word. Maybe your kid's friends will want to increase their allowances too! All I ask is that you email me feedback. Tell me how the program can be improved and how it is working in your family. Maybe altogether we can make a big positive difference and feel better for doing our part for the environment!
