Month: May 2024

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Teaching the children about money in 2024

A learning experience for the Jays and the Dees

We have decided that is is surely the proper time to start formally teaching the children about money in 2024.
Crypto is popping up more often these days- online shopping, crypto atms, local coffee shops, and more.
Fiat currencies are already readily available for everything in our daily lives.

So it sort of makes sense to teach the younger generation a thing or two about these ways of money – new and old. After all, we were taught about the value of money, and how to earn it, and also how it could be lost, throughout our youth and our experiences growing up.
The added bonus that makes it easier though, is the fact that the majority of the current youth, are already digitally enhanced. They have mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and various other devices, that they use pretty much every other day. Bankcards, licences, identifications, documents, qr codes, the list is almost endless.
This is akin to a ‘GenE-D’ – Generation Everything Digital.

“The Path We Take”

This is Jays n Dees story, of how we are going to be teaching our children about these financial systems- both fiat currency, and the possibilities of cryptocurrency. Earning, spending, saving, and interest gains will all be included. Interactions with them as a customer and also as a seller will be taught as circumstances arise.
Our 4 children range in age from preteen, right back through to almost 3 years old. this year, they are J1-13yo, J2-9yo, and J3 and J4 twins-3yo.
This last month or so, both myself (D1) and D2, have been busy working out how we will encourage our children to be more proactive with their –chores– i mean responsibilities.
Because thats what they are. Responsibilities. They each have a responsibility to be an active contributing member of our household. Just as we both do each and every day.
This is the basis for teaching the children about money in 2024.

As a starting point, we have created a master plan of everything we hope to achieve. This plan is very fluid, and can adapt and evolve as necessary.
We have created a Behaviour Board, where each week we add to a list, a single entry that we as the parents feel each child needs to work on to become a better person. Even both of Us (D1 and D2) have a new entry each week.
Alongside of that, we all have a consequence that we must do if we do wrong against our proper behaviour. More into that, if we get 3 strikes, then we have an immediate media blackout for a 24 hour period.
Here is an image of our Media Usage Rules:

jaysndees teaching the children about money in 2024 media usage rules image

The media blackout is inclusive of phones, tablet devices, laptops, computers, gaming systems, television, and the ability to have a say in the evening movie with dinner.
These actions and consequences accumulate over the lifetime of our system, and the hope is that we can remember each of them and automatically perform any of the set consequences whenever our action is broken.
Here are a couple of our weekly examples:

jaysndees teaching the children about money in 2024 family behaviour board image

Back to the main topic, we have decided to pay out the allowances for our children in either fiat, crypto, or a combination. This decision is left as entirely their own, from which the basis of their decision is from whatever we can teach them, in a way that they can understand.
We all know about the principle, or their given weekly allowance, We have sat down with them and discussed their set weekly amounts, and the responsibilities that is expected of them consistently, as well as the extra stuff on the behaviour board.
We have also explained the basics of how the ‘we pay for’ versus ‘they pay for’. This is essentially that we pay for their education, food, sports/extracurricular activities, uniforms, safety, excursions, medical, hygiene, birthdays, and all the main important ‘child growing up’ things, but if they want that new shirt, toy, treat, game, or anything like that, then that is something they need to pay for out of their allowance.
To keep track of their allowance, we have a dedicated diary that has the inputs and outputs for each child on their own pages. On the same note, in a dedicated safe, we have a 1:1 equivalent of their allowance accumulated total in fiat currency.
This is the Bank of Mum and Dad.
All it needs, is a formal set of transaction id’s, and it would be its own blockchain!

Introducing The Bank of Mum and Dad

jaysndees teaching the children about money in 2024 parent bank bank of mum and dad image

Anyway, to wrap into all of this, is that the Bank of Mum and Dad gives interest. 5% for every $100 banked. This has its own set of rules to prevent cheating – can only earn the interest for each preset milestone once, minimum hold periods, no overdraws, no loans, fiat and crypto are seperate entities, no BofM&D interest on crypto, BofM&D cash out when the child gets a job, and many others.
This compares to a select number of cryptocurrency blockchains for our specific educational goals.

Now for the crypto part of it. They each have a protected wallet on their devices. We have physical backups of all the keys for each wallet in multiple locations. We even went so far as to generate each of them with their own personalised specific crypto address for the purposes of the BofM&D. All the private stuff is held by us, in multiple safe locations.
Eventually, after some teaching, they will have the option of keeping the provided wallet, or setting off with their gained wisdom to work out some of the finer details themselves.
We are serious in making this work out right for them. Such is the value of protection.
This is another part of teaching the children about money in 2024. Security of funds, and the keys/passwords/pincodes that protect it all.

Would you like to donate to each of the Jays? Or maybe to the Dees? Or even jaysndees itself?
A million “Thanks from All of Us” if you choose to. Know that it is appreciated beyond words.
We will post the basic wallet addresses here on this page for Litecoin (LTC), and we have numerous other different crypto addresses which are all available from Our Crypto Addresses page.

CRYPTO ADDRESSES (LTC)

We do have a common BTC wallet Address where donations will be split between the four Jays and ourselves. This wallet address is:
Jays n Dees BTC Wallet Address
– bc1q6cenfz55g348xmlyxlws0efk85pglqpqpqkf0l –
– bc1pzgw3cdqvlvzullkru9h7qru4852swjhyz3yecn9asp2fzquctylsvskmyt – (Taproot)
– 1Cw2K1WYZHy1QFU1zQojGiGVB1CJZSMMs1 – (Legacy)

We have also set up a provided cryptocurrency converter for all of the necessary actions. As it becomes necessary, we will show them how to use it correctly.
Here is where we will begin our teachings about fees, including our accumulated knowledge gained through our time of dealing with cryptocurrencies. For no matter if you want to convert fiat or crypto, send or receive fiat or crypto, or if you are dealing with BofM&D, banks or decentralisation, there is always going to be fees charged to the actioning party – aka the sender. Fees are there for the txid on the chain. Some are fair, some are extreme.
This is right through to the fees that we get charged to send crypto to them initially, and the nigglies that get exposed when it comes to tax time with gains and losses, and the like.

Alongside of this, we are also starting to explain interest and staking as ways they can earn more on idle funds, where it is possible and worthwhile. This comes back to the BofM&D 5% per $100 and crypto staking options.

There will be numerous discussions about important crypto events and how they may affect the crypto they hold. In saying that, we will not bombard them with every single happening or such other items, except where we may see a problem. We will however, expose them to news relating to the financial sector as a whole, both fiat and crypto.

As a compliment to all of this, we are trying to guide them on the path to good bookkeeping. We are open with the BofM&D bookwork with them. They get to see each of the inputs and outputs that occur when they spend and receive.
This is where the true teaching is. Always be aware of your inputs and outputs, no matter the circumstance.

I personally have a strong belief in the future of cryptocurrency. When you really think about it, a lot of us are doing it anyway when we do online banking. We are sending out from our account or wallet where we are storing our funds for access. The resulting send gets recorded with a transaction id. At this point, the funds settle with the receiver.
We do it at retailers where we use a card or the physical currency to obtain goods or services. We then get a receipt with a transaction id.
The only thing different, is that one uses tangible items – cash, card, receipt, central authority. The other is digital and decentralised.
A number is still a number, value is still value, and buying and selling remain unchanged.

* Not intended as financial advice. DYOR *
* This article is for educational purposes only. No warranty is intended or implied *

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THE BREAD THING recipe and instructions

Recipe Ideas from Jays n Dees – The Bread Thing

The Bread Thing recipe and instructions. We at jaysndees absolutely love food. So much, that occasionally we will come up with a new idea or improvement on an existing one to satisfy the needs and hungers that occur with Our Family of 6 people – 4 of whom, are growing people. When we find almost perfection to something we have cooked up, it will be shared here.
So read on to find out how to make a super yummy The Bread Thing!

jaysndees The Bread Thing recipe Main Image

Basic Information:

History/inspiration. This particular dish that is known as The Bread Thing in our family was randomly thought up not too many months ago now, drawing inspiration from consecutive cold wet nights, a few too many drinks, and also some fond memories of when my (D1) deceased dad used to talk of some of the foods he ate growing up- one of those being a whole loaf of bread, ripping the guts out of it, and stuffing it with chips and gravy.
Basic dish information. Although there is not a vast amount of veggies to be found in this dish, it does go well when complimented with a side of nice fresh veg.
There is not much to the dish, but there is a decent amount of preparation work that goes into it.
Cooking style – Pot/Pan, frypan, bbq, slowcooker, etc. BBQ or oven; we only use a bbq for it though, except the mac and cheese, veg, and bacon. We use a pot for these on a gas cooker.
Preparation Time. First time with the dish, expect and allow for about half an hour.
Cooking Time. We allow about 45 minutes for this part. Remember that this includes the initial preheat of the loaf too.
Serves. Serves 2 adults and 4 children, aged between 12 and 2, with enough left over for a lunch or major snack the next day.

INGREDIENTS:

jaysndees The Bread Thing recipe Ingredients
  • 1 x 800g loaf white toasty bread; unsliced. Preparation required.
  • 1 x fresh roasted bbq chicken. Preparation required.
  • 250g bacon pieces. Preparation required. (not shown in image)
  • 1 – 1 1/2 cups grated/shredded cheese.
  • 2 slices of fake cheese (cheese slices).
  • 1 x sachet mac and cheese.
  • 1 x 250mL sachet traditional gravy microwaveable (or make your own equivalent).
  • 1/2 cup frozen veg (winter veg or peas,corn,carrot). Preparation required.
  • 1 heaped tablespoon of crushed/minced/paste garlic.
  • 1 teaspoon crushed ginger.
  • Garlic and Herb seasoning (shaker type).
  • “Everything” seasoning (shaker type).
  • Salt and Pepper. We use pink Himalayan salt, and whole black peppercorns, both in grinders.
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar (we use raw sugar).
  • BBQ sauce. Try smoky bbq sauce for an interesting variation!
  • Sweet Chilli Sauce.
  • Approx 75g Butter/Margarine. We use salted butter.

UTENSILS:

  • 1 or 2 tupperware type containers
  • Cutting knife, fork, spoon
  • Measuring implements – cup, tablespoon, teaspoon
  • Stirring spoon or similar
  • Small pot
  • Shallow tray with suitable space for the loaf and the top to sit comfortably
  • Piece of baking paper to line tray
  • Microwave safe container/cup
  • Microwave
  • BBQ (or oven)
  • Cooktop for pots/pans

PREPARATION:

– All initial tasks – measuring, weighing, scooping, guestimating, cutting, chopping, grinding, maiming, etc.
– Other initial food preparations – preheats, pre cooks, etc

  • Preheat BBQ/oven to between 150-180 degrees celsius. We use a 4 burner BBQ, and only ignite the two outermost burners on high.
  • Fully shred bbq chook. We usually remove all of the skin first and set it aside in a corner of a tupperware container. Then we take off the legs and wings, putting them aside on a plate. After that we will strip off all of the major flesh components- breast meat, back meat, etc, until we have reclaimed all of the usable meat. Put all of it on the plate with the legs and wings. Finally we will harvest any stuffing (seasoning) from inside the chook, and put it in the container with the skin. Now to shred the meat – piece by piece off the plate, we use a fork to shred the flesh, placing it in the container as we go. Remove any gristle, bone, and other undesirable parts during this process.
    Once it has been shredded, we add our sauces over the top and give it a quick hand mix.
  • Prepare the bread loaf. Cut about 2cm off the bread top, the whole length of the loaf. Remove all inners, leaving around 1.5cm on the walls and 1cm on the floor. Press the top, walls and floor firm, WITHOUT BREAKING the loaf!
    Once preheat is complete, it is safe to put loaf in, use baking paper on a shallow tray, put the loaf and top on the tray, and place it in the centre of the BBQ for 10-15 minutes, or until the internals are starting to get a feel of toast.
  • Melt butter in microwave on high for 1 minute in a microwave safe cup. When done, mix in the garlic, ginger, and herbs, and stir very well until everything is blended in consistently. Set aside until ready to use.
  • Cook Mac and Cheese with the frozen veg + sugar on a stovetop. Follow the directions on the mac and cheese packet for cooking. Set aside until ready to use.
  • Heat bacon pieces in a shallow pan on stovetop. Stir regularly on a medium/high heat for 3-5 minutes, until it smells like nicely cooking bacon. Set aside until ready to use.
  • Make or heat the gravy, follow packet instructions if using microwave gravy. This is usually high heat for 1 minute. Set aside until ready to use.
  • Prepare cheeses as necessary. Break sliced cheese into 5 strips per slice. Set aside until ready to use.

METHOD:

The how to do step-by-steps
This section assumes that the bread loaf frame has just finished the initial warm up and is fresh out of the BBQ.

  • Take the main loaf and place it on a firm surface. Proceed to spread your garlic butter over each of the walls of the loaf- rotating the loaf as you do so. We prefer to use a spoon for this rather than a butter knife, as it is easier to grab a spoonful to spread and deposit the mixture to where it is needed. Apply liberally so that it looks nice and moist on all of the walls. Once complete, proceed to rub more of the mixture over the floor of the bread loaf.
    Remember to keep your current working section on a firm surface to prevent breakage of the walls of the loaf.
    By the end of the main part of the loaf, you should have only about a quarter of the garlic butter mixture left. Coat the inside toasted part of the top piece with the remaining butter mixture.
  • Now it is the time to assemble The Bread Thing.
    Make sure to gently spread and pack each layer as you go.

Once it is done cooking, remove from the heat and stand to cool for about 5 minutes. This also helps the external shell to finish hardening to make for easier cutting.


– Floor: Mac and Cheese + veg layer. Cover the entire floor.
– Chicken layer. Make sure this layer is a decent thickness, but do not pack it to a smooth layer.
– Bacon layer. Fill up all of the random depression areas you created on the previous layer.
– Cheese layer. Provide a nice thick layer of the grated/shredded cheese, up to 5-6mm thick. Gently press.

– Gravy layer. Use a generous amount to mostly cover the cheese.

– Stuffing/Seasoning layer (optional). Break apart the stuffing and sprinkle the entire amount across the cheese and gravy layering.

– Bacon layer. A nice quick sprinkle layer with a minor firming press.
– Chicken layer. Add a slim layer over the top of the mac and cheese.
– Mac and Cheese + veg layer. This layer will use the rest of your mac and cheese and veg. Spread even and firm.

– Sliced cheese layer. Add on this layer as an angled crosshatch vision.

– Chicken layer. Add all the remaining shredded chicken across this layer. Do not pack down this layer.
– Gravy layer. Pour out all remaining gravy. Ensure to top up any low spots in the chicken with the mix.
– Shredded cheese and bacon layer. Mix together and spread out over the previous layer. Gently firm down evenly.
– Final layer: Chicken skin over the entire top. Add a crack of salt and pepper over the top.

– ADD THE LID ON THE TOP NOW.

Put the final construction back into the BBQ, and heat for between 20-25 minutes, or until the shredded cheese is melty looking. Yes, this will require you to lift the lid of the loaf, but no big deal. Also, remember to turn the tray at least once whilst it is cooking.

When ready to serve, slice the loaf without the top on so that you can properly support the sidewalls as the knife is drawn through. Slice the top also to make extra garlic bread.

EXTRA INFORMATION:

..extraPara/closing statements, etc
The J2 Plate:
Our J2 does not like gravy. I know, what a weirdo, right? Anyway, we make up a special deconstructed version of the bread thing dish just for him. It is literally everything except the gravy, separated. Also, he gets bones, as we give him a drumstick and wing that was pulled off the chook at the beginning. We do not remove the skin or anything beforehand.
At least he is still happy to enjoy the dinner with the rest of us!
For his garlic bread, we simply cut a couple of slices off the inners we removed, and load them up with some of the garlic butter concoction. Easy, crustless garlic bread!

DISCLAIMER

Whilst all due care is taken with writing out this recipe, we cannot accomodate for any food allergies or intolerances. You as the reader are however, more than welcome, to provide a comment of such as to how you overcome and/or substitute ingredients, methods, or otherwise, to provide YOUR PERFECT VARIATION OF THIS PARTICULAR DISH!
We welcome any and all feedbacks, comments, criticisms, or suggestions.
All images are copyright and the property of jaysndees.

Additional Information:

VARIATIONS:
  • Use fresh crushed garlic for a little extra blast of flavour in the dish.
  • Add chilli if you really want to – we recommend fresh sliced jalapenos. Just make sure to add a bit more milk to the mac and cheese to balance out the heat. If you are not concerned about heat, then by all means, use some carolina reaper sauce over the chicken in place of the sweet chilli sauce! Warning though – IT WILL BE VERY HOT! (Not suitable for children AT ALL!)
  • Add more variety of veg – some salad, a bean mix, capsicums, etc. This gives a nice colour too when done properly.
    The next time I (D1) make The Bread Thing, I will add these veggie variations and update this post with the photo.
  • Pepperoni/salami/kabana always works great as an extra, as does ground beef (mince). Just remember to prepare these before adding into the final construction method (cook, peel, etc)