Why TreatJar exists
I wanted something that made responsibility feel visible, fair, and a little less exhausting for everyone.
I want my three kids to understand the value of hard work. I also want them to show up for our family and for one another, not because there's money in it, but because that's what families do. I couldn't find a system that made room for both.
The paper star charts did not survive a car ride, let alone a week away. By the time we got home, I could not remember who had earned what. Money from paid jobs lived as a running tab in my head, which meant I sometimes forgot to settle up. I was trying to teach responsibility while becoming the unreliable part of the system.
So I built TreatJar: stars for contributions, money for paid work, and one shared place for everyone to see what's been done. Kids can log their own progress. My husband or our sitter can approve it. Rewards and savings goals stay visible, even when I am not in the room.
The change in our house was immediate. My kids started looking for jobs, tracking their progress, and even proposing work I hadn't thought to add. When friends saw it, they wanted it for their families too. Thirty-some versions later, TreatJar is the app I wish I'd had from the start.
Susie, TreatJar founder