Creating Your Four-Slotted Piggy Bank

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Four slotted piggy banks can be whatever works for your famjly. We have a few suggestions, but ultimately it's up to you!

By Julie Frans, Chief Community Officer

Originally, when Alec first launched his family's Cents of Responsibility journey, it was called Money Monday. His family used the four slotted piggy bank below, which at the time, seemed like a great idea.

Down the road, Alec realized that his bloody knuckles couldn't take many more months of digging into the sharp holes of the piggy, and the coin dollars were not really the best for real-world money lessons. It was time to upgrade!

Alec turned to nice, smooth, wide-mouthed plastic jars that could fit plenty of dollar bills and were a longer-term, more sustainable (and less painful) option. Four white jars with lids became his family's four-slotted piggy bank.

Years ago, I followed Alec and got the actual four slotted plastic piggy to embark on our allowance journey. I was so turned off by the piggy, the bloody knuckles, and the requirement for a constant supply of coins, I quit as soon as we started.

When I relaunched the program with my now 11 and 13 year old, we found small wooden treasure chests and little wooden holders that housed all four mini-chests. John and Cassidy each wrote the words on their chests, and we discussed at that time what each chest represented to get them a little more familiar with the COR concepts and what was to come.

Glass jars also are a great option for the 4 slots. Some kids are very motivated by seeing the dollar bills through a clear vessel, and they like to watch their money grow. Other kids might be better with opaque containers so they are not constantly tempted to spend. You know your child best and can decide what will be the best vessels for your piggy bank.

Shoot, who knows? You might LOVE the 4-slotted piggy bank that Alec and I were not so into. To each their own. Or, you might create something completely unique that works for your kids and fits perfectly in your space. Here's one family's COR creation:

With the COR labels that you'll receive with your COR course purchase, you can place them on whatever receptacles you end up using. You can also allow your kids to decorate the labels and the vessel if that is something that will be motivating or connecting for them.

Make sure that you have your four-slotted piggy bank ready to rock and roll before you launch your first COR day. We can't wait to hear about your family's version in the community. Now, let's get into that allowance!