Mom who owns a business reveals she has her two young children on payroll — but there’s a valuable twist

Parents often opt for creative ways to teach their kids about finances and responsibilities. Among them is charging rent from a young age. A mom named Taja Ashaka (@travelwithtaja on TikTok) revealed that as a businesswoman, she has imaginative plans to teach her kids about finances, per The Daily Mail. The mom revealed that she does not make it burdensome or unaffordable, but a fun and clever way for her kids to understand expenses, saving and even the basic idea of rent. In her video, the mom explained the breakdown and the impressive reason that is being applauded. 

“When it comes to teaching kids money skills, there isn’t one way to do it,” Rick Kahler, a financial planner and financial therapist and founder of Kahler Financial Group in South Dakota, noted, per The New York Post. He commended another mom who had a similar procedure for her younger kids and said, “I applaud her for being aware that she has a responsibility to teach her kids money skills.” Kate Yoho, a financial adviser at Tennessee-based TBH Advisors, noted, “Kids get excited about stuff when they’re little — especially money because they don’t understand it.” This makes it an ideal age to teach them about money, per the financial adviser.

In the case of Ashaka, her kids are just a tad bit older, and she has a plan designed to help them figure out frugality and finances. “I have my own company, and I have my kids listed as my clients,” the mom noted. In a previous video, she mentioned creating mini-apartments out of her daughters’ rooms. Each room has a door, a doorbell, a mailbox and other simple things that make it more of an apartment than a room. “[The mailbox is so] I can give them eviction notices if they don’t pay their rent on time, inspection notices to see if their room is clean, or just little ‘I love you’ notices,” the mom noted. “It was fun [setting it up], and the girls enjoyed it,” she remarked. 

“They have to pay $5 every week for rent and another $5 for utilities,” she explained. Additionally, her tween girls have to keep aside $10 for their savings account. The mom has a time and date assigned for the payment. If not adhered to, she treats them like any other tenant who has missed the payment deadline, but with a twist. “They get a first notice where they don’t get their phones for 24 hours, and they have to pay an extra dollar. The second notice is no phone for three days and an extra $5. The third notice is to evict the room and pay an extra $10,” Ashaka noted. 

The mom also has surprise inspections in the rooms, and again, the kids receive 3 notices to clear up. “On first notice, they get 24 hours to clean it. Second notice, no phone for two days, and third notice is no phone for a week,” she mentioned. The mom mentioned that she also tries to incorporate simple extra chores now and then. Many people commented on the video, applauding the mom for her idea. @k.hollon said, “I would’ve loved this.” @blonkikai added, “This is such a neat idea!” In another video, the mom mentioned the best part about it all. “When they send their bill money, we put it into an account, which they will get when they’re ready for a second apartment.”

You can follow Taja Ashaka (travelwithtaja) on TikTok for more content on family, kids and lifestyle.