Three Cups Adventures

I only started the Three Cups program 2 weeks ago, but it has already been awesome! This past weekend at church, my daughter and son decided combine the money from their charity cups and sponsor a little girl from Nairobi, Africa. Last night, my son told me he moved some of his spending money into his savings and charity cup. This comes from a kid who immediately spends all the money he receives to buy toys! Thank you for your wonderful book. I was especially motivated to start the Three Cups program when I saw the illustration of the son driving off to college (on page 19). I hope to teach the principles of Three Cups to my kids while they are young so when they become adults it's second nature to them. Thank you, again!

- Laura Pease

I bought "Three Cups" and read it to my six grandchildren who range in age from 5-15. Instead of using cups, I made a folder (like a picture album) with three of the folders containing envelopes for each of the three categories. I also gave each grandchild the amount of money to correspond with their age and included a scale of how the money should be divided. I will continue to do this until they are 18. My daughters family already understands stewardship! The other day in church my 5 year old grandchild leaned over and said to me; "Grandma, I forgot to bring my money from stewardship envelope!" In addition to giving the book to each of my grandchildren, I am purchasing "Three Cups" for the families of each of my nieces and nephews this Christmas. The younger great nieces and nephews will get cups and the older children will get folders. This has been great fun for me and I also feel like I am helping to teach some values. Thanks!!!

- Kathy Tichenor

My son, who is in 3rd grade, and I are using Three Cups which was given to him at school at the beginning of Lent. The book has provided a great way for us to go through Lent and to talk about the importance of sharing our gifts with others, saving for our future and spending wisely on our needs today. It has also given my son and me a focal point for discussions about the money he receives on birthdays, for chores and so on. I would recommend Three Cups as a great tool that can help all of us live and teach our faith... with our wallets.

- Michael Farrell

My daughter, Makenzie, and I have started our new adventure using the three-cup method. We have three fiesta tea cups which are labeled “Savings”, “Spending” and “Sharing.” So many things have come to life for us; Makenzie is now saving for a pet bunny. One day I was describing to Makenzie the difference between saving and spending and told her she would save her money for a long time and spend it on something big, like her first car. She got really excited and said; “Mom, I could buy a car for you! What kind do you want me to get for you?” We have also been to the bank to set up her savings account and we watch it grow online. Three Cups is also a great lesson for me as a parent to walk the talk. Thank you for sharing such a great message! We are excited to be on this adventure.

- Leslie A Cunningham

My three kids are really into “Three Cups” and, interestingly, are most excited about giving away the money in the Charity Cup. We read the book several times and then they asked when they could start the program. So, we set up the cups. Three sets of 3 identical cups were hard to come by, so we used plastic cups from a restaurant. We wrote Spending, Savings, and Charity on each cup with a Sharpie pen - the youngest two kids can't read yet, so we have to help them remember which is which! They love to divide their allowance into the cups and I enjoy coaching them on what are good splits between each of the three cups. They have yet to buy anything with their Spending Cup money (I think they enjoy watching it accumulate). However, they raid the Charity Cup each week before church and are excited to put it into the weekly collection basket. I am thankful for the inspiration “Three Cups” provides (so eloquently) so that others can have the adventure, too!

- Tracy Miller - Carmel, IN