Chores For Hire- Pockets and Cards

So, you just read the Chores for Hire Magnet Board post that proceeds this one?... Well, lets just get to it then! Here is how I made the pockets and the cards that go with it. But I think first I need to cover the inspiration behind the pockets and cards:

Home Made by Carmona

I love this! She knows she is limited and wants to engage her kids' help via an incentive. I can totally use this... I also love that the money is right there and there will be no more I.O.U.'s in my kids' banks! But, because I have a little one, some of my chores are going to include some change, quarters specifically. I needed more like a pocket to hold the change and to make it uniform, they all would need pockets.

POCKETS

 Using a paper trimmer, I cut the 12 x 12 paper into 3" strips and then in half at 6" so they were 3" x 6".  I cut a "template" rectangle that measured 2.75" x 3". 

I wrapped the cut scrapbook paper pieces  around the template gluing the overlapping paper in back. 

Once that was done and dried, I used the sewing machine to zig-zag stitch the bottoms of the 'tubes'. I knew I wanted them protected as I am hoping to use this system for a long time. But being they are thick AND I needed to glue magnets on the back, I couldn't just run them through the laminator machine. 

So yes, I am a nerd and figured it out. I took my laminating sheets and ripped them in half, so I only had one side of the sheet. You know how they are sealed at one end? I just ripped that apart. I lined up a grid of pockets and laid the laminate sheet over the top. (no pic) Then placed an extra piece of card stock over the top of the half laminate sheet that was on top of the pockets. I placed a clothes iron on the card stock and heated it through, getting the sealing process started. The laminate stuck to the pockets well enough for me to then load that into the laminator. This ensured the laminate was really in place on the pockets, and that the other side remained paper so I could glue on the magnets.

Of course I cut them all apart, and trimmed up the edges of the laminate. I just chose a few of the pockets to wrap a ribbon around. I tied it in a knot and then trimmed the ribbon.

CARDS

Because this project was a craft group project, I was asked a lot of questions as to what you could put down for the actual chores. So I whipped up a list and you can find it here. There are a wide range of chores on the list. Some for older kids & younger kids. I hope you can find some ideas there.

I then designed the actual card to put in the pocket. It is also a Word document and within the doc there are instructions for how to customize it and make it your own And you can find the card doc here. I printed it on regular paper and then laminated it. I trimmed them down and now they are ready! 

I printed cards that are things I frequently need help with. Things that I am comfortable delegating, and save me the time and more specifically my knee. Since my knee surgery has not recovered in a more desirable way, I tend to choose chores that get closer to the floor. :) I keep the money in the pockets, and I use a dry erase marker to write a date on the back for a quick reminder as to when it was done last.

People have told me they thought I was daring to keep the money in the pockets and asked if I was worried if it would go missing. Answer... No. I hope I have taught them well enough. Also, I have told them if it does end up missing, my kids will do all of the chores for free :) But over the last 5 months I have not had any issues.

Well, I hope you can make this your own and find a way to lighten your burden. It has really helped me out physically, and my cute 8 year old had a chance to earn a new Transformer toy.