Each of Sandra's "What Would You Do" books addresses different issues for slightly different age ranges. Read a story from Sandra Humphrey's second book "It's Up To You... What Do You Do?"

To Bury or to Spend

Cindy, Ashley, and Betsy waved good-bye to their grandfather and watched as his airplane glided down the runway and took off.

His visit had been great as usual. They had gone to movies, fished for hours from the dock, and had picnic lunches almost every day. That morning as they helped him pack his bags, they wished that he never had to leave and could stay with them forever.

As their grandfather closed his last bag, he told them that he had something very special for them. Then he gave each sister an envelope with fifty dollars in it and told them they could use their money in any way they wanted. It was his speical gift to each of them.

Although the girls were triplets and looked a lot alike, they didn't always think the same way about everything. They had all been taught the importance of saving money as well as the importance of spending money wisely, so they did a lot of serious thinking about what to do with their gifts. Then each one came up with a different plan.

Cindy wanted to be sure that nothing happend to her money, so she hid it in a corner of her closet under her shoe shelf, where she know it would be safe and where no one else would be able to find it. Then when their grandfather visited them again at Christmas, she would show him the whole fifty dollars still safe and sound just as he had given it to her.

She didn't even write anything in her diary about where the money was hidden. She wasn't taking any chances that someone might find the money. She wanted to be sure that her money stayed right where it was until she saw Grandpa again.

Ashley thought a long time about her fifty dollars and then finally decided to put her money in a bank where it could earn some interest and increase in value over the next few months. She called all three neighborhood banks and found out that one bank had a special college account where her money would earn higher ineterst than if she just put her money in a regular savings account. That sounded good to her, so she decided that was where she would put her money. She would do what she heard Mom and Dad talk about. She would "invest" in her future.

Ashley could hardly wait until their grandfather returned at Christmas to show him how her money had grown in her account and yet she was able to keep it in a safe place where nothig could happen to it. She knew that no one could have done more with their fifty dollars than she had and she was feeling really great about her plan.

After a lot of thought, Betsy finally made her decision about what to do with her fifty dollars. Her class was taking donations to sponsor a young boy named Vinod in India. The money would be used to buy clothes and school supplies and medicine. Then each donation was goint to be matched by a big computer company in their city.

That meant her money would really be worth one hundred dollars once it was matched by the computer company and she would also be helping her class reach their goal of supporting Vinod for an entire year.

Betsy felt pleased with her decision and was sure that when Grandpa returned at Christmas, he would also be pleased.

Which of the three sisters do you think put her money to its best use? Why?

More to think about:

Why do you think Cindy hid her money?

What do you think of Ashley's plan?

What do you think of Betsy's plan?

What do you think their grandfather will say when he finds out waht each girl has done with her money?

What would you have done with the money? Why?