$5 in cash per kid, in an envelope with their name on it$5
A finds card: an index card with three rows for the thing, the price and why it's strangeHave
A pencilHave
Your phone, for a photo of your kid and recall checksHave
Where: Any shop full of odd, cheap things: a thrift store, a rock and fossil shop, a hobby shop or a used-book store. Two small shops close together work well.
Before you go in
Take a photo of your kid at the door, so you can show staff exactly what they're wearing if you get separated.
Agree on a meeting spot, like the register. If they lose you, younger kids ask a store worker and older kids go to the spot. Nobody leaves for the parking lot.
Younger kids stay in sight. Ages 5 to 7 shop beside you; older kids stay in the same section.
Check secondhand toys at CPSC.gov/recalls before you pay. If there's a child under 3 at home, skip small parts and small balls.
02Steps
Give the mission
DadAt home, hand over the envelope: "Five dollars. Your mission is the strangest thing in the store that costs less than five. Not the best thing. The strangest." Tell them tax may get added at the register, so the tag should be a little under $5.
Set the rules at the door
TogetherBefore you go in, take their photo and point out the meeting spot. Say the shop rule once: "Look with your eyes first. Ask me before you pick up anything that could break."
Hunt for three finds
KidGive them 30 minutes to find three candidates. For each, they write the thing, the price and why it's strange on the finds card. You browse nearby and keep your opinions to yourself.
Compare the finalists
TogetherLine up the three. Ask: "Which is strangest? Which is the best deal? Would it cost less somewhere else? What would you do with it at home?" Two cheap things that fit under $5 together count too.
Decide and pay
KidThey pick one, carry it to the register, hand over the money and count the change. If they decide nothing is worth it, they keep the $5. That's a real choice too.
Show and tell
TogetherOver a snack or at dinner, each person presents their find: what it is, what it cost and why it's the strangest. Keep the card in the envelope for the next expedition.
03If it stalls
If they fall for the first thing they see, say: "Great, that's candidate one. Find two more to beat it."
If everything strange costs more than $5, point them to the bargain bin, the book cart or the small-stones tray.
If two kids want the same thing, whoever found it first gets it. The other keeps hunting.
If they ask what you think, ask first: "What makes it worth five dollars to you?"
04Variations
Ages 5–7
Give $2 or $3 in coins and one bin or shelf to search. Help them read the price tags, and stay side by side.
Ages 8–12
Visit two shops and compare the same kind of thing at each, like a rock, an old book or a puzzle. They explain which shop had the better deal.
On a normal errand
For shelf tags and unit prices on your regular grocery run, try the [grocery price detective](/plans/price-detective/).
A field card like this one for the weekend, one quick plan for a weeknight. Nothing else. The first letter hasn't gone out yet. You'll get one email to confirm.
Small spending choices for young kids. The CFPB's Money as You Grow page on young children and shopping suggests giving your child two dollars and letting them choose what to buy, asking out loud whether something would cost less somewhere else, and says spending money always means making a choice. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Checked Oct 15, 2026
Comparing prices, ages 6 to 12. The CFPB's page on school-age children and shopping says it's a good habit to shop around and compare prices before you buy, that you're the one who decides when you spend and what you buy, and suggests practicing rounding up for sales tax to estimate what you'll pay at the register. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Checked Oct 15, 2026
If you get separated in a store. NCMEC's KidSmartz going-out checklist says to take a photo of your children just before leaving and remember what they're wearing, to teach younger children to look for store employees or security officers if separated, and to have older children go straight to a set meeting spot and never leave or go to the parking lot to find you. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (KidSmartz) Checked Oct 15, 2026
Secondhand toys and recalls. CPSC's December 2025 holiday safety release says to verify recalls at CPSC.gov/recalls before buying secondhand products online, and to keep balls and toys with small parts away from children younger than three. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Checked Oct 15, 2026
Oddball shop expedition: the strangest thing under $5
Five dollars and a shop full of odd things. Your kid hunts for the strangest find, compares prices and makes the call.
Time
90 min
Cost
$5 per kid
Ages
5 to 12
Where
A thrift, rock or used-book store
What you need
$5 in cash per kid, in an envelope with their name on it
A finds card: an index card with three rows for the thing, the price and why it's strange
A pencil
Your phone, for a photo of your kid and recall checks
Before you go in
Take a photo of your kid at the door, so you can show staff exactly what they're wearing if you get separated.
Agree on a meeting spot, like the register. If they lose you, younger kids ask a store worker and older kids go to the spot. Nobody leaves for the parking lot.
Younger kids stay in sight. Ages 5 to 7 shop beside you; older kids stay in the same section.
Check secondhand toys at CPSC.gov/recalls before you pay. If there's a child under 3 at home, skip small parts and small balls.
Steps
Give the mission. Give each kid $5 and the mission: the strangest thing under $5. Tax may be added at the register.
Set the rules at the door. At the door, take their photo, point to the meeting spot, and say: ask before touching breakables.
Hunt for three finds. Hunt for 30 minutes. Write three finds on the card: the thing, the price, why it's strange.
Compare the finalists. Compare the three: strangest, cheapest, most useful at home. Ask if it would cost less elsewhere.
Decide and pay. They pick one, pay and count the change. Keeping the $5 is also allowed.
Show and tell. At home, each kid presents the find, the price and why it won. Save the card.
If it stalls
If they fall for the first thing they see, say: "Great, that's candidate one. Find two more to beat it."
If everything strange costs more than $5, point them to the bargain bin, the book cart or the small-stones tray.
