“There have been a number of approaches I’ve heard from just giving their kids the $4+ for an ice cream each time to using it as an incentive program for rare occasions to flat out refusing to buy from a truck.”
We go with the latter. We’ve only bought from a truck when out in “tourist mode”, not when the truck comes down our street. We give our kids a small allowance when certain expectations are met. Within our house rules, they can spend the money as they want. When it runs out, it runs out until they earn more.