Six small purchases or one large purchase: count is not spending
By Erik Nilsen · Kroni2 min read
Counting purchases can help recall events, but it does not tell you how much your child spent. A week with many payments can cost less than a week with one. Add the amounts before comparing.
Make a total for each week
In a hypothetical example, your child makes six optional purchases costing 2 units each in week A. In week B they make one purchase costing 18. These arbitrary figures are invented and do not suggest an appropriate spending level.
Week A costs 6 × 2 = 12 units. Week B costs 18. A contains five more purchases, but spending is 18 − 12 = 6 units lower. Starting each week with 30 would leave 18 after A and 12 after B.
Write both “count” and “total”. A receives 6 and 12; B receives 1 and 18. Do not add 6 + 18, because that mixes purchases with money units.
Check what the list measures
A practical snag is your child saying “I only shopped once” as evidence of low spending. That one payment may be large. An adult can also be wrong by assuming many small purchases cost more without calculating.
Adding another purchase costing 20 to week A makes the count 7 and the total 32. A now costs more than B. The comparison changes because the amount changes, rather than because seven is always a problematic number.
Count can answer other questions, such as how often your child needs to record an event. To check remaining money, however, you need the total. Give each actual purchase one line with its amount and date, then add all lines from the same period.
Ask your family: “Are we discussing how often something was purchased, or how much money went out?”
Clarify what the virtual balance represents
Kroni keeps track using a virtual balance and does not transfer money. Cash your child has received and amounts an adult still owes are different things. This exercise concerns money actually received. Agree how it fits your record so the same amount is not counted both as received and still unpaid. Read about allowance in Kroni.
