Keep things easy at first by putting an equal number of dollar bills in each container. Alternatively, divide things up so that you need only singles and no change, say, by distributing $2 each week for both spending and giving and $4 for saving. After a few years, consider allowing the children to decide how to divide the money. At that point, there can be an extra incentive for saving. Financial planner Brent Kessel and his wife pay interest on the money their kids save and that which they set aside for charity.
