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Kmart Kids Money Box Hack & Tutorial – Spend Save Give

Turn a $7 Kmart kids money box into the ultimate ‘Spend, Save, Give’ money box with this easy Kmart hack! A fun DIY project to do with the kids to help teach them good money habits. This personalised Kmart money box hack will have kids excited to start saving their pocket money!

Kmart money box hack

KMART KIDS MONEY BOX HACK TUTORIAL

Kmart hacks are all the rage these days! Kmart is known for its affordable home decor that you can jazz up and re-purpose to do pretty much anything!

Check out my Kmart kid’s vanity hack for another fun DIY project the kids will love!

So when my good friend Cherie shared her Kmart money box hack, we just had to do our own!

This is a super easy DIY project you can get your kids involved in. Best of all, it doesn’t take long!

We did ours in about 2 hours from start to finish. It also helps get your kids excited about earning money when they have a special place of their own to put it!

Although there is more to it! These money boxes actually have a very special purpose in our household, as they will serve as our Barefoot Investor ‘jam jars’, but more on that below!

If you’re looking for a standard money box, Kmart has plenty, but this one is a hack ready to happen!

DIY Spend Save Give Money Box

Kmart kids money box hack & tutorial

Finding easy craft projects you can do with kids is a great way to develop their creativity.

Craft and DIY projects are also perfect for rainy afternoons or weekend entertainment when you need some boredom busters and this one was inexpensive and did not require a lot of materials.

In fact, aside from the $7 money boxes from Kmart, the rest of the stuff we had already! This Kmart counting money box hack is an inexpensive one

So you may be thinking, why is it a hack when you’re just changing the colours?

There’s more to it than that. We are doing a bit of modification too!

Related: Kmart linen cupboard organisation

The Barefoot Investor For Families Money Jars

Teaching kids about money from an early age will set them up for success in managing money when they are older. This starts with pocket money.

In our household, we have become avid followers of The Barefoot Investor system of managing money.

With the release of his new book The Barefoot Investor for Families: The Only Kids Money Guide You’ll Ever Need, it had us wondering what we would use for ‘jam jars’. Cherie to the rescue!

If you haven’t read the book yet, do it!! The easy system author Scott Pape has created to teach children about money is pretty impressive… but best of all, it’s simple!

Even if you have zero money wisdom!

It actually makes sense there is a Barefoot Investor for families Kmart collaboration in future for a jam jar style money box! But until then, we are making our own.

The barefoot investor for families book

How Does It Work?

At the most basic level, kids have 3 jobs to do each week which earns them pocket money at an amount you determine. Their weekly pocket money is divided into 3 sections.

They choose how to divide it so long as money goes into each ‘bucket’… or in their case, each jam jar.

It’s a brilliant way of teaching goal-setting to kids!

They are labelled splurge, smile and give. As you will see in our tutorial, we simplified this even more to suit our girls’ ages – 3 and 5. Our three buckets are Spend, Save and Give.

And instead of jam jars, we went for a Kmart hack that the kids got to help with!


Money Box Hack Tutorial

We have put together a quick video tutorial to show you how we put modified our Kmart money boxes. We hope you enjoy it!

And of course, if you prefer written instructions or need to refer back to any of the steps, the full tutorial is below.

What You Need:

  • Kmart money box $7 available at Kmart Australia or online (you might be able to find similar elsewhere)
  • Craft paint – we used Kaisercraft paints
  • Alphabet stickers – we used American Crafts Thickers
  • Paintbrush
  • Scrap paper
  • Scissors
  • Art smock or old clothes that don’t matter getting paint on them

This is the kid’s money box we are using for our tutorial. They are cute as they are too but we don’t want the coin values on ours which is why we are giving it a Kmart hack!

Kmart money box

Instructions:

STEP ONE – Cut out a piece of paper to use as a cover for the front plastic area to avoid getting paint on it.

STEP TWO – Paint the panels in the colours you wish. Allow the sections to dry between coats. We painted ours white first for better coverage.

Preparing to paint a wooden money box

STEP THREE – Pop out the extra coin dividers. Use scissors to break the seal of the glue if needed but be gentle so that you don’t break the plastic front.

Kmart money box with dividers removed
Painting the back panels on a wooden money box

STEP FOUR – Slide back panel back into the money box.

Kmart kids money box hack & tutorial

STEP FOUR – Decorate your Kmart moneyboxes using alphabet stickers to name the 3 dividers – Spend, Save, Give. Add your child’s name to the top of their moneybox and decorate further if you wish.


That is all there is to it! Super simple and easy craft project to personalise your own kids money box! You can do with your kids to help them learn about money and how to become avid savers and charitable individuals.

Kmart kids money box hack & tutorial

Also since Kmart just keeps on giving, we also grabbed a $5 whiteboard Kmart chore chart when we were in store, which is the perfect addition to your Barefoot Investor chore tracking.

This means no printing out your weekly chore list because you can just use the whiteboard and magnets to do it instead. Gotta love a bargain that will simplify your life!!

Kmart chore chart

If you are just getting started with setting chores for your kids, check out my guide to age-appropriate chores with a free printable chores list and chart too.

While we are onto the theme of teaching responsibility in children, make sure you pop on over and grab my FREE PRINTABLE GOALS WORKSHEET and learn how you can teach your children how to set goals that stick.

Don’t forget to grab yourself a copy of the Barefoot Investor for Families book too so you can have your kids money savvy and fill their Kmart moneybox in no time!

No time to make your own? Get one of these ready-made Spend, Save, Give money boxes instead:

Teaching kids about managing finances early is a great way to boost their confidence and develop enhanced problem-solving skills. Even such a simple skill can help your child to develop their resilience.

Want more hacks and home inspiration:

Kmart kids money box hack & tutorial

Kmart Money Box Hack

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Create your own spend, save, give moneybox with this easy Kmart money box hack.

Materials

  • Kmart money box $7 available at Kmart Australia or online
  • Craft paint 
  • Alphabet stickers
  • Scrap paper
  • Optional: Art smock or old clothes that don’t matter getting paint on them

Tools

  • Paintbrush
  • Scissors

Instructions

  1. Cut out a piece of paper to use as a cover for the front plastic area to avoid getting paint on it.
  2. Paint the panels in the colours you wish. Allow the sections to dry between coats.
  3. Pop-out the extra coin dividers. Use scissors to break the seal of the glue if needed. Take care not to crack the plastic front cover.
  4. Slide back panel back into the moneybox.
  5. Use alphabet stickers to name the 3 dividers – Spend, Save, Give.
  6. Add the child’s name to the top of their moneybox and decorate further if you wish.

Notes

Tip: Paint your moneybox with a white coat first to create a more vibrant colour when you paint the panels in your chosen colours.

Recommended Products

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Did you try this project?

Leave a comment below and share a photo tagging me at @simplifycreateinspire

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