Topic 3 of 7
🛍️Spending smart
Spending money is fun. But your money is like a small army of helpers — each pound can only fight one battle. So choose your battles!
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A kid sorting items into a 'Need' pile and a 'Want' pile
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Soft flat illustration on cream background. A kid (simple round face) sits cross-legged on a soft rug sorting cartoon objects into two bins. Left bin (sage green, labeled with a heart icon, no text): a toothbrush, a sandwich, school books. Right bin (warm pink, labeled with a star icon, no text): a video game, a fidget toy, a glittery sticker pack. The kid has a thoughtful expression, finger on chin. Limited palette: cream, brand green, soft pink, warm yellow accents. Rounded shapes, thick 2px outlines, paper texture. No text in image. 16:9 composition.
Needs vs Wants
Needs keep you alive and healthy: food, a bed, warm clothes, school. Wants are fun extras: sweets, games, the cool shoes. Both are okay — but spending on wants before needs is how money disappears fast.
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A clock showing 10 minutes ticking while a kid thinks about a toy
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Soft flat illustration. A giant friendly wall clock with rounded edges showing the minute hand sweeping from 12 to 2 (motion arc lines). Beside it, a kid stands looking at a shiny red toy car on a shelf, finger on chin, thinking. A small thought bubble above shows a question mark. Cream background, sage-green floor. Limited palette: cream, brand green, soft pink, warm red. Rounded shapes, thick outlines, paper texture. No text in image. 3:2 composition.
Receipts: your money story
Every time you spend, keep the little paper slip (the receipt) or log it in your TreeHouse app. At the end of the week you can see where your money actually went — sometimes it's a surprise!