Kid Mode keeps track of your kid's money in jars. Save is money for later and Spend is money for now; both are always on. You can add a Give jar for helping someone else. Goals fill from the Save jar, and keep-safe money is a goal that's saved for surprises and never spent.
How it works
- Jars: Save and Spend are always on. The Give jar is optional. In the Big kid view, the Game & gift-card money jar keeps game coins and gift cards apart from real money.
- Where the real money is: for each jar, note where the real coins and bills are, like Coin bank at home, a grown-up who is holding it, or a place you type. Kid Mode only tracks; it never holds money.
- Jar pictures fill against a jar size that steps up as the jar holds more ($5, $10, $20, $50, $100 and so on) and never shrinks.
- Goals: your kid adds something to save for. The Save jar fills goals from the top of the list down. In the Little view, the first goal fills.
- Keep-safe money: a goal that fills like the others but is never spent on a purchase. It's money for surprises. When it's full, it shows Kept ✓.
- Buying a goal: when a goal is full, your kid can buy it. It moves to the shelf of things they saved up for.
- Wish list (Big kid view): Can I buy it? shows which jars can pay and how long it would take. Add to wish list makes a wish wait before it can be bought. You set how long on the Settings tab under Wish-list wait.
What you can do
On your kid's page (Settings, Family tab, then open your kid):
- Money tab: Add money or Take money out of the jars, see every entry, and edit goals with Edit price or Archive (your kid won't see an archived goal; you can bring it back).
- Settings tab: turn the Give jar on or off, set where each jar's real money is, and in the Big kid view set the Money rule.
An example with real numbers
Leo has $18 in Save and two goals: a $12 book, then a $30 game. The Save jar fills the book first, so it's full and ready to buy. The other $6 goes toward the game, which shows $6 of $30.
Assumptions and limits
- Kid Mode is for tracking only. No real money moves, and Kid Mode money is never added to your family's totals in Beyond Payday.
- Turning off the Give jar moves its share of the money rule to Spend.
FAQ
Where is the real money? Wherever your family keeps it, like a coin bank or money you hold. Kid Mode only tracks it. Note each jar's place in the kid's Settings tab.
Can my kid spend keep-safe money? No. Keep-safe money fills like a goal but is never spent on a purchase. It's there for surprises.
How do I add money for my kid? On the kid's Money tab, choose Add money, type how much and pick the jar or split. Choose Take money out to log spending.
Why did a jar picture get bigger? Jar sizes step up as a jar holds more ($5, $10, $20, $50, $100 and so on) and never shrink, so the picture always shows how full it is.
FAQ
Where is the real money?
Wherever your family keeps it, like a coin bank or money you hold. Kid Mode only tracks it. Note each jar's place in the kid's Settings tab.
Can my kid spend keep-safe money?
No. Keep-safe money fills like a goal but is never spent on a purchase. It's there for surprises.
How do I add money for my kid?
On the kid's Money tab, choose Add money, type how much and pick the jar or split. Choose Take money out to log spending.
Why did a jar picture get bigger?
Jar sizes step up as a jar holds more ($5, $10, $20, $50, $100 and so on) and never shrink, so the picture always shows how full it is.