Just Tilly is an energetic, faith-rooted podcast that helps tweens and teens (10–15 years)master money holistically by focusing on character formation and their relationship with God first. We swap lectures for engaging adventures, teaching our next generation that money is not for chasing shiny things, but a powerful tool to fund their God-given purpose, build His kingdom, and impact lives. By investing in these foundational truths NOW, we equip the youth to break the undesired cycle of financial ups and downs, building lasting habits that lead to true generational wealth and financial dominion.
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💳 Can one tap really cost you more than you expected?
In this episode of Just Tilly, Tilly and Sam uncover a surprising truth about digital spending, debit cards, and biblical stewardship. Discover a simple money habit that can help you become a wiser steward, before small purchases turn into big lessons.
Join our village and get a free starter kit: access to our Money Personality Pre-Quiz plus your FREE 7-Day Awareness Tracker!
✨ Helping middle schoolers build financial wisdom, godly character, and lifelong money habits through real stories and God's Word.
Remember, Just Tilly isn't just about listening, it's about living what you learn.
Every episode is designed to help you and your family put God's wisdom into practice. So don't stop here. Complete the activities, talk about what you've learned, and encourage one another as you grow together.
We'd love to hear from you!
Share your family's stories, questions, or encouragement with us. Your message might even inspire a future episode.
Drumroll. Hey everyone, welcome to the very first official episode of Just Tilly. I'm Tilly.
Sam
And I'm Sam. If you listen to our welcome trailer, you know we promised that this show would be about real life, real money, and real mistakes.
Tilly
Right. But before we get to today's disaster, we have to talk about the pre-quiz. We promised we'd share our exact money personalities. Sam, what did you get?
Sam
Awesome! I have been waiting for this. Okay, no surprise. I got the stasher.
Tilly
Oh no. Of course you did. Let me guess. Your money is already perfectly categorized?
Sam
Obviously. What did you get?
Tilly
I got the spender.
Sam
Yes, that is painfully accurate. Which perfectly sets up today's story. Tell the people, Tilly, what happens when the spontaneous spender goes to buy a single cup of brown sugar boba tea?
Tilly
Okay, look, it wasn't just the boba tea. Here is what happened. My parents finally put my monthly allowance on a student debit card last week. No paper cash, just a sleek little piece of plastic connected to Apple Pay on my phone. I felt unstoppable. Tap. I got a morning coffee. Tap. I bought a vintage t-shirt at the thrift store. Tap. I paid for a slice of pizza.
Sam
Notice a pattern here? Tap, tap, tap.
Tilly
Oh no, it gets worse. It didn't feel like I was spending money. When you hand someone a physical $20 bill, your brain registers that it's gone. But tapping a phone? It feels like fake video game currency. It's just a green check mark animation and a little ding sound.
Sam
Until Saturday afternoon. Walk us through the grand finale, Tilly.
Tilly
I went to the Boba shop. Total was $6.50. I proudly double-clicked my phone, tapped the reader, and instead of a green check mark, it flashed red. Declined.
Sam
Oh no! The ultimate high school horror story. The line behind her was like 10 people declined.
Tilly
I was so embarrassed. I ran out of there, opened my banking app, and my jaw dropped. My balance wasn't zero. It was negative $41.50.
Sam
See, Tilly forgot to check her app all week. She thought she had plenty of money left, but she actually only had about three bucks left when she bought that pizza earlier in the day. The bank let the pizza transaction go through, putting her in the negative, and then they hit her with a massive penalty.
Tilly
A $35 overdraft fee for a slice of pizza. The bank basically charged me $35 because I didn't know how to look at a screen. I felt so stupid. I went home and complained to my dad, ready to blame the bank for robbing me.
Sam
But your dad didn't blame the bank, did he?
Tilly
Nope. He was making dinner and just said, I heard you talking to your mom about the bank fee. You know, you really need to be aware of the wolf.
Sam
Wait, what? What wolf?
Tilly
That is exactly what I said. I was like, Dad, I bought a boba tea, not an animal. And then he explained it. He said, Back in ancient times, your wealth was your flock of sheep. If a shepherd wasn't actively paying attention, a wolf could snatch one away, and the shepherd wouldn't even notice until it was too late.
Sam
Oh, so the $35 bank fee was the wolf.
Tilly
Exactly. He told me, Tilly, Apple Pay isn't the wolf. Your lack of attention is the wolf. And then he told me to look up Proverbs chapter 27. I forget the verse. Yes, verse 23.
Sam
Can we look it up right now?
Tilly
Yeah, let's read it together. Because when I first read it, I thought it was a really interesting way to look at money.
Sam
Let me open my Bible app. One sec. Okay, got it. Proverbs 2723. I am reading the NLT version. It says, Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds.
Tilly
God trusts you to manage your resources, but you can't manage what you don't measure.
Sam
He really does. Digital money isn't bad. We live in a digital world. But because it's invisible, we have to work twice as hard to pay attention.
Tilly
Wow, that is actually really cool. I never thought about a bank fee being a literal wolf stealing my sheep.
Sam
Yeah, it's amazing how a verse from thousands of years ago perfectly explains an Apple Pay overdraft fee.
Tilly
Totally. So can we go to our very first challenge?
Sam
Yep. Wait, where's our stopwatch?
Tilly
Oh here, I got it. Let me time it. Ready?
Sam
Alright, that brings us to our very first weekly Just Tilly Challenge.
Tilly
If you want to avoid the Tap2Pay trap, you and your family are doing the seven-day awareness audit with us this week.
Sam
Here is how it works. Hit the link in the description below to download our free seven-day awareness tracker.
Tilly
It's a super simple one-page printable. It has five columns the date, the item you bought, how much it was, and then two checkboxes for need or want and payment method. Once you input this information, the total summary will be populated for your analysis.
Sam
For the next seven days, every single time you or your parents tap a card, spend cash, or buy something online, you have to write it down manually on this sheet and check one of those boxes.
Tilly
No exceptions. Even if it's a $1 pack of gum. We want to see if your digital spending matches what you think you are spending.
Sam
Parents, this is a great exercise to do a dinner. Compare notes at the end of the week and see who is closest to guessing their actual spending.
Tilly
Next week we are launching our first major experiment, the 48-hour rule, where we test whether we can actually survive a trip to the mall without buying a single thing on Impulse.
Sam
Spoiler alert, I will survive easily. Tilly might sweat a little. Now it's your turn, guys. Check the show notes below to download this week's challenge and put today's lesson into practice with your family.
Tilly
And if you're enjoying the adventure, we'd love for you to follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. Plus, you can now send us fan mail using the link below. We would absolutely love to hear from you.
Sam
Have an amazing week, everyone. We'll see you on Thursday for your just tilly pit stop.
Tilly
Thanks for spending this time with us. And as always.
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