When you’re working, it can be hard to stick to the two-hour maximum for TV/computer time. I sometimes get so focused on my work that more than an hour will pass before I realize that Megan’s STILL playing on the computer. It got especially bad when Matt was out of work for five months and neither of us knew how much time the other one had allowed.

My idea? TV dollars! I found some free, printable money (just Google “free printable money”, here’s the one I used), printed four of them and cut them out. Each ‘dollar’ counts for one half hour of TV or computer time and I set the timer. (Actually, I printed six, and the other two are a once-a-week prize for good behavior.)

It didn’t take long for Megan to latch on to the idea. She thinks it’s kind of cool to ‘pay’ for her TV and computer time. She even sticks one up on the refrigerator when I forget. It’s also helping her learn to subtract!