My son is obsessed with money. Particularly coins. He has very little concept of money but he just loves to collect loose change. So I thought it was the perfect time to give him a bank to keep all that change in one place. And who knows, maybe one day he will collect enough to buy something!

This money bank is unbelievably easy. So easy it’s ridiculous. Another bonus: it’s practically free to make! So really you have no excuse not to make one, right?

What You Need

• Empty oatmeal canister
• Duct tape
• Scissors
• Cutting mat
• X-ACTO knife

Step 1
Rip off a strip of duct tape and, piece by piece, line it up and stick it on the canister to form a striped pattern. Double up on the white tape so that you don’t see through to the design on the canister.

Step 2
Trim off the excess tape at the bottom. To get a clean look, cut a bunch of slits in each piece of tape so it will lay flat along the edge of the canister.

Step 3
Lay a strip of duct tape on the cutting mat and, with the X-ACTO knife, cut out a name, pattern, or design of your choice. Well, of your little one’s choice. We have to remember this is for them, not us!

Step 4
Arrange the name or design on the canister.

Step 5
Lay the lid on the cutting mat and cut out the money slot. This is maybe the most important part of the bank, right?

Put it all together and hand it over to those little money-loving fingers!