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The Best Piggy Banks That Can Help Teach Kids Money Management Skills

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I’m always on the lookout for gifts that can teach my son about money management. A while back I bought him a kids piggy bank designed to instill positive financial habits. I know some of you thought it was pretty neat, so I went searching for similar kids piggy banks you can give to the children in your life. Here are the best options I found for different age groups.

What Is the Best Kids Piggy Bank?

The best kids piggy bank varies depending upon the personality and age of the child you’re shopping for. Some kids are natural savers and may like a plain, transparent coin bank that allows them to visually track their financial progress. However, other children might feel more motivated to save money in a fun kids piggy bank with a unique design, such as an animal, a letter shape or a shape of their favorite toy – like Lego or a Disney character. 

If you’re shopping for a tech-savvy tween or teenager, they’ll appreciate an electronic piggy bank with features like an LCD screen and balance counter. Check out our top product picks below. 

Best Kids Piggy Banks: 10 and Under

Maxwill Bank Blocks

Maxwill bank blocks - piggybank

Image source: Amazon.com.

This bank has three sections to help children learn to budget their money – save, spend, and share for charitable donations. The colorful plastic compartments are shaped like Lego blocks and stack on top of each other for easy storage. Customers appreciate that the bank is transparent, allowing kids to see their savings grow. You can find it here on Amazon.

Moonjar Classic Moneybox

Moonjar savings/piggybank example

Image source: Amazon.com

Some children may prefer this opaque money box because it provides financial privacy from siblings. It’s made of tin and has three hexagon-shaped compartments for saving, giving, and spending. It comes with a small passbook to discreetly track deposited funds, plus an acrylic band to hold the canisters together if desired. This product is a hit with kids and parents alike, earning an average of 4.7 stars on Amazon with over 2,400 reviews.  You can get it on Amazon for $19.99.

Large Wooden Piggy Bank

Wooden piggybank for kids

Source: Amazon.com.

Studies have shown that kids form a stronger attachment to customized kids piggy banks, which makes them feel more motivated to save. This letter-shaped piggy bank by Ladenk comes in initials from A to Z to match your child’s name. For a small fee, you can even get it engraved with a special message fee to personalize it further. 

The wooden bank features a clear plastic cover and comes in two large sizes (9” or 12”), providing plenty of room for bills and coins. One happy customer said this kids piggy bank is “well-built” and “has been dropped several times already and is still going strong.”

Amazon has it for $22.99.  You can also get less expensive versions at Walmart, here.

Money Savvy Cow

Picture of Moolah The Money Cow

Image source: Amazon.com

Moolah the cow-shaped bank is made by the same creators as the pig above. It also has four labeled compartments (save, spend, donate, and invest) that empty individually for convenience. Moolah is award-winning and has a 4.8-star rating on Amazon. A satisfied customer said that it’s a “great learning tool and fun for kids” and plans to buy two more.

Money Savvy Pig

Picture of kids piggy bank, money savvy pig - blue

Image source: Amazon.com.

This kids piggy bank from Money Savvy Generation is the one that my son has. I bought it for him because it has an investing section, which is helping me teach him about the stock market and the power of compound interest. It also has saving, spending, and giving sections to show kids how to create a balanced budget. I also appreciate that it’s made of durable plastic and comes in a fun selection of colors, including pink, blue, and green.

You can get it on Amazon.com for $27.99, here.

Electronic Kids Piggy Banks for Tweens and Teens

The piggy bank above are better for younger kids.  But, children’s math and other cognitive developmental skills progress as they grow, so for children in their tweens, you’ll want piggy banks that are a bit more engaging.  Here are three that should do pretty well.

Faux ATM Piggy Bank 

Saidrip piggybank for kids

Image source: Amazon.com.

This faux ATM has a money slot that makes depositing savings more fun. Kids can use the keypad to set a four-digit passcode and keep their cash secure. It can even hold other valuables such as baseball cards and jewelry.  It sells for about $24.98 on Amazon.

Digital Coin Jar 

large vertical digital piggy bank for boys

Image source: Amazon.com.

Tech-savvy teens will appreciate this digital coin jar, which has an LCD display and built-in counter. It automatically detects coins as you drop them inside and tracks your savings total on the screen.   While it may not look like much from the picture, this change jar has over 12,928 reviews on Amazon with a 4.4 star average rating. 

It sells for $12.99 on Amazon.

Fingerprint Piggy Bank 

If you like high tech piggy banks, this is one you should look at:

 

Fingerprint Piggy Bank For Kids - small safe

Image source: Amazon.com.

If you’re looking for a sleek, modern piggy bank for a tween or teen, this one fits the bill.  Whats great is that this piggy bank is fun and high tech at the same time. It has a touchscreen, a fingerprint smart lock, and a money and coin slot. It comes in your choice of pink or black and even plays music when a deposit is made. This is the piggy bank I plan to upgrade to once my son is a bit older.  

This one has a 4.3 star average rating on Amazon with 55 people weighing in.  It retails for $19.99.

DIY Kids Piggy Bank 

And for those of you on a budget, you don’t have to pay for a piggy bank.

If your child enjoys doing crafts, you can make a simple DIY kids piggy bank out of a mason jar. You can either unscrew the lid when your child wants to make a deposit, or carefully create a money slot in the metal lid using a tool like a mini hacksaw style. To personalize the piggy bank, your child can paint it their favorite color or decorate it with a variety of fun stickers. For added flair, you can tie ribbon around the top or middle of the jar. To help your child track their savings, you can even attach a mini chalkboard to the ribbon using a clothespin.

Making an origami piggy bank is another craft that can get kids involved and interested in saving. The video below by Craft with Sahar will teach you how to turn a simple piece of paper into an animal-shaped mini coin bank. However, it’s important to keep in mind that origami is fragile. Remind your kids to be gentle with their creation so they don’t rip it!

Lastly, some of the links in this article are “affiliate links.” If you click on the link and make a purchase or sign-up, Blogging Away Debt will receive an affiliate commission – which will help keep the site going.  I only recommend products we think will add value to Blogging Away Debt readers. I are disclosing this in compliance with Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Car Camping

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I realize that my choices are not for everyone. People here at BAD hate my kitchen remodel, couldn’t believe that I chose to homeschool my kids, never liked that I chose contract work over a corporate career, and I help my kids too much, etc. I could probably list a dozen other of my decisions that the BAD community has not liked about my choices.

And there are probably 1/2 of those that in hindsight, you were right about. Way too many cars, too much money/efforts spent on kids’ activities, etc. I definitely have made more than my share of screw ups.

But here’s the deal. For the first time in, well, as long as I can remember, I am on the cusp of what I cherish most. Freedom.

What’s in my favor

As I work toward selling my house and moving into my car, these are the things I believe are in my favor:

  1. Almost all if not absolutely all of my debt will be paid off with the sale of my house. *these numbers are dependent on how much my sells for, but I’ve got a plan for this and #2 based on that amount
  2. I will also have some money put away for when I do settle again. *these numbers are dependent on how much my sells for, but I’ve got a plan for this and #1 based on that amount
  3. I can easily live on what I am bringing in now after my debt is paid off, my mortgage is closed, and I no longer have utility bills.
  4. My car is paid off. It’s been well maintained. And there is no reason that I can’t go another 100K miles with just regular maintenance costs. This is wholly economical and gives me what I need to have the freedom to go and see the world, or at least the United States.

What about your family, your future

  1. My kids are all wholly independent and making wise financial choices. (I did something right.)
  2. I can help my mom and dad during her final time her on earth without the constant need to return back to Georgia.
  3. When I do decide to settle again, and I truly don’t have any clue where or when that could be, I will have everything (outside of a bed) to set home back up. I realize many of you think $79 for storage is crazy in this situation. But there are just things that I will not get rid of. And I won’t apologize for that.
  4. I can travel to my hearts content. Something else the BAD community has had issue with. I’ve tried out car camping over the last two years multiple times. I’ve read up on everything. I’ve planned extensively for what I need in my car and what I don’t. Starting when the must haves and a list for “future” should it become a longer term thing.

What’s the plan

Do I plan to see my family and spend time with them in Texas? Yes, absolutely. Especially while my mom is still living, so I can give my siblings and dad a break. They have been her full time care givers for almost 5 years now. (She’s been on hospice for 2 1/2 years now requiring 24 hour, complete care.)

Will I be able to contribute, yes. I will cook and make sure my dad eats real food. I will give my dad much needed breaks from the house. Have I asked and discussed ad nauseum these expectations with my dad, yes.

It won’t be easy. But we’ve already discussed me taking breaks and travelling for weeks or months at a time. My car is set up. I’ll share more on that later.

I will have two dogs with me. This is planned for. And they enjoy life on the road. (We didn’t think Cali would live into this year. But until it’s her time to go, she will stay with me.)

It’s not for everyone. It’s not forever. It’s not chaos. It’s exactly the type of adventure that I have longed for, for years, if not decades now.

Free at last

And I will be debt free. And staying debt free. Isn’t that what you want for me to do? This is the quickest route there.