Free tool
Teach needs and wantsin fifteen minutes.
A game to play together, a wish list that teaches waiting, and three jars for allowance. Built for parents who want their kids to be better with money than they were taught to be.
- Price
- Free
- Format
- On this page, always current
- Built by
- Salman Feroz, CPA, CMA and team
- Code word
- KIDS
What is inside
5 parts, one workbook
Inputs are marked in colour. Everything else calculates. The first sheet is a one-page guide.
- 01Needs or wants game: 20 everyday things with a talking point for eachIncluded
- 02Wish list: what it costs and how many weeks of savingIncluded
- 03Three jars: Spend, Save and Give with running balancesIncluded
- 04My goal: one savings goal with a progress barIncluded
- 05A one-minute guide for parentsIncluded
Who it is for
Kids money kit: needs and wants: who gets the most from it
"I want a PlayStation." "You do not need it, you want it. Let us see how many weeks of saving it takes."
Built by The Accounting Doc team in Pickering, Ontario, from the working files we use with clients.
- Parents of children aged 6 to 14
- Families starting an allowance
- Grandparents, teachers and coaches running a money talk
Get the kids money kit: needs and wants
Tell us who you are and the full template opens on this page, straight away and every time you come back. Free. We also send you the new tools as they come out.
- Needs or wants game: 20 everyday things with a talking point for each
- Wish list: what it costs and how many weeks of saving
- Three jars: Spend, Save and Give with running balances
- My goal: one savings goal with a progress bar
The template, on the page
View it here, copy the structure into your own sheet. The template stays on this page so it is always the current version; inputs are the shaded cells, everything else calculates.
Leave your email to open the full template
Free. The view opens straight away and stays open on this device.
Open the template| The Accounting Doc | ||
|---|---|---|
| A 15-minute game to play with your child, a wish list that teaches waiting, and three jars for allowance. For ages 6 to 14. Sit together and let the child do the clicking. | ||
| How to use it | ||
| Step 1 | Play Needs or wants together. Let your child pick an answer for each one, then read the note that appears and talk about it. | |
| Step 2 | Open Wish list. Your child types what they want and what it costs. The sheet shows how many weeks of saving it takes. | |
| Step 3 | Open Three jars. Set the allowance and how it splits between Spend, Save and Give. Add a line each time money goes in or out. | |
| Step 4 | Open My goal to watch the progress bar fill up. | |
| Colour key | ||
| Yellow cells | You type here. Sample entries are already in: type over them or delete them. | |
| White and grey cells | These calculate on their own. Leave them alone. | |
| What is in this workbook | ||
| Needs or wants | 20 everyday things. Need, want, or both? | |
| Wish list | What I want, what it costs, how long to save. | |
| Three jars | Spend, Save and Give, with running balances. | |
| My goal | One savings goal with a progress bar. | |
| For parents: the idea in one minute | ||
| A need is something you must have to be safe, healthy and able to learn. A want is something that is nice to have. | ||
| Many things are both. Shoes are a need. The most expensive pair in the store is a want. That is the conversation worth having. | ||
| When the answer is "I want a PlayStation", the reply is not "no". It is "you do not need it, you want it, so let us see how many weeks of saving it takes." | ||
| There are no wrong answers in the game. The note in the last column is there to start a talk, not to mark a test. | ||
| Built by The Accounting Doc, Pickering, Ontario. accountingdoc.ca. A working tool, not tax, legal or financial advice. Want the numbers kept for you? Ask for a fixed price quote at accountingdoc.ca. |
Needs or wants?
Pick an answer in the yellow column. Then read what we think and talk about it.
| Thing | My answer | What we think | Talk about it | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A warm winter coat | Need | (calculates) | (calculates) | Need | Canada is cold. But does it need to be the brand everyone has? |
| A PlayStation | Want | (calculates) | (calculates) | Want | Fun, and worth saving for. How many weeks would it take? |
| Breakfast before school | (calculates) | (calculates) | Need | Food helps your body and brain work. | |
| Candy at the checkout | (calculates) | (calculates) | Want | Shops put it there on purpose. Why do you think they do that? | |
| School supplies | (calculates) | (calculates) | Need | You need them to learn. Do you need the fancy ones? | |
| A new phone | (calculates) | (calculates) | Both | A way to reach family can be a need. The newest model is a want. | |
| Running shoes | (calculates) | (calculates) | Both | Shoes that fit are a need. A CAD 200 pair is a want. | |
| A place to live | (calculates) | (calculates) | Need | A safe home is one of the biggest needs, and the biggest family cost. | |
| A trip to the movies | (calculates) | (calculates) | Want | A treat. What could you skip this week to pay for it? | |
| Medicine when you are sick | (calculates) | (calculates) | Need | Health comes first. | |
| In-game coins or skins | (calculates) | (calculates) | Want | They cost real money and you cannot hold them. Still worth it? | |
| Water | (calculates) | (calculates) | Need | Water is a need. A drink from the vending machine is a want. | |
| A birthday gift for a friend | (calculates) | (calculates) | Want | Kind, and worth planning for. This is what the Give jar is for. | |
| Internet at home | (calculates) | (calculates) | Both | Families use it for school and work. Three streaming services are a want. | |
| A bike | (calculates) | (calculates) | Both | If it is how you get to school it is close to a need. Otherwise it is a great want. | |
| Toothbrush and toothpaste | (calculates) | (calculates) | Need | Small cost, big difference. | |
| Fast food on the way home | (calculates) | (calculates) | Want | There is food at home. How much does one meal out cost for the whole family? | |
| Winter boots | (calculates) | (calculates) | Need | Feet grow. That is why parents buy them every year. | |
| The toy from the ad | (calculates) | (calculates) | Want | Ads are made to make you want things. Did you want it before you saw the ad? | |
| Saving for something big | (calculates) | (calculates) | Need | Trick question. Saving is how wants get paid for without borrowing. | |
| Answered | (calculates) | ||||
| Same answer as us | (calculates) |
My wish list
Type what you can save each week. Then list what you want.
| I can save each week | 10 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What I want | Price | Need or want? | Weeks of saving | Still want it after waiting? |
| PlayStation | 649.99 | Want | (calculates) | |
| Soccer cleats | 85 | Both | (calculates) | |
| Lego set | 59.99 | Want | (calculates) | |
| (calculates) | ||||
| (calculates) | ||||
| (calculates) | ||||
| (calculates) | ||||
| (calculates) | ||||
| (calculates) | ||||
| (calculates) | ||||
| (calculates) |
Three jars: Spend, Save, Give
Set the allowance and the split. Add a line every time money goes in or comes out.
| Weekly allowance | 20 | Spend | Save | Give | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share to each jar | (calculates) | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | |||
| Goes in each week | (calculates) | (calculates) | (calculates) | ||||
| In the jars now | (calculates) | (calculates) | (calculates) | ||||
| Date | What happened | Into Spend | Into Save | Into Give | Out of Spend | Out of Save | Out of Give |
| 2026-11-01 00:00:00 | Allowance | 10 | 8 | 2 | |||
| 2026-11-04 00:00:00 | Bought trading cards | 6.5 | |||||
| 2026-11-08 00:00:00 | Allowance | 10 | 8 | 2 | |||
| 2026-11-09 00:00:00 | Raked leaves for Nana | 5 | 5 | ||||
| 2026-11-12 00:00:00 | Food bank drive at school | 4 |
My goal
What are you saving for?
| I am saving for | PlayStation |
|---|---|
| It costs | 649.99 |
| In my Save jar now | (calculates) |
| Still to save | (calculates) |
| How far I am | (calculates) |
| Progress | (calculates) |
| I save each week | (calculates) |
| Weeks to go | (calculates) |
Kids money kit: needs and wants: your questions
Is the kids money kit really free?
Yes. Leave your email and the full template opens on the page straight away, and stays open on this device. No card, no trial.
What do I need to open it?
Nothing. It opens on this page as sheets you can read; the shaded cells are the inputs and the rest calculates. Copy the structure into your own spreadsheet, or ask us to keep it filled in for you.
Will you email me afterwards?
You get the template, then a short series of practical emails for Canadian business owners. Unsubscribe in one click.
Can you set it up for my business?
Yes. That is what the monthly plans are for: we keep the numbers current so the template is filled in for you. Ask for a fixed price quote.
Rather have us keep the numbers?
Two questions, then where to reply. You hear from us within one working day with an indicative range and the plan that fits. The exact price is confirmed in writing before any work starts.
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