• The “Saturday sweets” tradition began in the 1950s
• Children decide for themselves how much of their budget they will invest in candy
• The benefit of this tradition goes far beyond healthy teeth
Every Saturday afternoon, Lilleholmen square in Stockholm is crowded with families entering the local shopping center. If you look more closely, you will notice that on the way out, the majority of children are clutching a bag of various candies in their hands, writes in his material BBC.
The Swedes love this Saturday tradition so much that they even have a special word for the occasion: lördagsgodis, which literally means “Saturday sweets”.
Children in Sweden look forward to the weekend for their weekly candy ration. But besides enjoyment, behind the “Saturday sweets” there is another unsuspected benefit.
Sweet tradition
“Lördagsgodis has always existed,” Robert Lundin told the BBC. He just bought marshmallows for his 5-year-old daughter. “You wait until Saturday to buy candy. And it’s kind of a small but meaningful event with your parents. They brought me here as a kid, and now I bring my daughter.”
In addition to enjoyment, behind the “Saturday sweets” in Sweden lies an unsuspected benefit.
The Lördagsgodis tradition dates back to the 1950s. Medical authorities in Sweden are beginning to recommend sweets only once a week, in an attempt to limit the increasing cases of tooth decay due to the general affluence of the country’s population, says Sophie Tegsveden Devo, a writer and lecturer on Swedish culture and values.
The Swedes’ tendency to trust their country encourages them to follow the advice of limited sweet eating until Saturday, a trend that eventually becomes a beloved family pastime.
“The children really like it,” says Hui Jiang, who emigrated to Sweden from China ten years ago. The tradition is also present in her family, where just at the mention of lördagsgodis, the children start jumping for joy. – Sophie Tegsveden Devo
A thought for the weekly budget
Sweets are a great reward for anyone who wants to relax at the end of the week. But cultural commentators and economists alike argue that there is much more to be learned from the lördagsgodis tradition. According to them, the event encourages children to think about the weekly budget, which develops their independence from an early age.
“My children have had bank cards since they were six. Every week I deposit 20 kroner into them. Then, every Saturday, they go to the store and fill the bag,” says Tegsveden Devo, who has seven-year-old twins. “They need to carefully budget their Saturday candy, toys, or anything else they don’t need,” she explains.
“Saturday sweets” encourage children to think about the weekly budget, which develops their independence from an early age.
Up to 40 bulk candies can be bought in the shop for 20 crowns. Her daughter usually comes home with a bulging bag, while her son chooses to buy smaller, lighter sweets to keep more money in his account.
Promoting financial freedom
While Coke bottles or chewing gum may not initially seem like symbols of financial freedom, Tegsveden Devo says her family is far from alone in using the lördagsgodis tradition as a lesson in managing personal finances. “Candy is usually among the first things children regularly spend money on if they are given a weekly allowance, which has been common in Sweden since the 1960s,” she says.
7 out of 10 Swedish children currently receive weekly or monthly pocket money, according to 2020 data shared by Swedbank, one of the country’s largest banks. 6 out of 10 parents surveyed said they and their children had some sort of agreement about what their money should be used for.
Américo Fernandes, an economist and personal finance consultant for SEB, another large Scandinavian banking chain, agrees that the lördagsgodis tradition is definitely a useful tool for understanding the value of money.
“It’s hard to talk to an eight-year-old and try to explain the importance of saving,” he says. “But when children are given money to spend on weekly sweets or other little things, they can learn basic financial planning. It’s easier to understand that if I give you 20 crowns and you spend it right away, you won’t you have money for the rest of the month or week.”
A Swedbank study shows that the average weekly pocket money for a seven-year-old child in Sweden is 20 kroner (about 2 euros). This rises to 500 kroner a month for 15-year-olds, with children making a habit of spending it on clothes or activities with friends, such as eating out or going to the cinema.
There is evidence that encouraging financial responsibility from an early age creates healthy
savings habits: more than 7 out of 10 parents surveyed by Swedbank stated that their children sometimes save some of their pocket money.
The role of the state
Americano Fernandez believes parents around the world could learn a lot from the Swedes’ tendency to talk about budgeting and personal finance with children, at a time when household spending is skyrocketing. But he reminds us that it is important to view Swedes’ spending habits in the context of their long history of social welfare and a culture that encourages individualism and independence at all ages.
Education is free and healthcare is subsidized by the state, helping to reduce the financial pressure on families. In addition, all parents, regardless of income, are entitled to monthly child benefits of 1,250 kroner (nearly 120 euros) until their child turns 16. Thus, everyone has the opportunity to save for their children or give them weekly or monthly pocket money in a way that is impossible in many other societies.
When children turn 16, the state stops paying child benefits to their parents and starts giving them the same amount directly in the form of a tuition grant, as long as they continue to study.
“So, the idea with weekly or monthly allowances is that they slowly add up to the tuition amount,” adds Tegsveden Devo. “It’s a smooth transition from getting money from parents to getting money from the state.”
The Future of “Saturday Sweets”
Whether it’s children learning to budget using coins and banknotes, or bank transfers and apps, there is little debate in Sweden about whether the lördagsgodis trend will continue – even as Sweden moves ever closer to a cashless and digital society. wallets.
Parents around the world could learn a lot from the Swedes’ tendency to talk about budgeting and personal finance with their children.
“I think the tradition of children spending their first pocket money on candy will continue. I don’t see why that should change,” Fernandez said.
However, he points out that already on weeknights, some people are abusing the treats, with national figures showing that consumption of chocolate and confectionery has been rising steadily over the past few years.
“People may eat more sweets during the week, but they won’t give up the lördagsgodis tradition,” Devo is sure. “It’s really deeply rooted.”
