Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
i never got an allowance--ever. and i did have chores from the time i was about 7. the only time i had my own money was when i got my first job. i was allowed to spend birthday money. but i was not the type of child who asked for things either. my parents bought what i needed and would reward me with toys etc at report card time.
i dont have any regrets about it, and i am responsible with money now.
My husband and I give our daughters allowances. Our 14-year-old gets $40/month, the 12-year-old gets $30.
They receive that in exchange for the basic chores (cleaning their rooms, helping in the kitchen, etc.) and for babysitting. My 9-year-old son is autistic, and needs someone around 24/7. They are asked to watch him when I need to run out on quick errands and such, or for the "date" my husband and I have once a month, so I build those times into their allowance. (babysitters are NOT cheap!) Plus, and I admit this, I spoil my daughters a bit more because of my son - it's hard to put into words, but they signed for the long haul when it comes to caring for their brother. I'll just leave it at that (I certainly could go on about THAT for a while!)
They are allowed to spend that money any way they choose. There are times I bit my tongue as I saw them buy things they don't need, but I have also seen them become more careful, frugal shoppers because of allowing them to make those "mistakes."
We've always expected that helping out around the house - keeping room clean, mowing lawn, etc. was part of being a family and making things work - we all pitch in. When he was younger he never really had a need for money. If he went to the rec center with a friend, I would just give him the money, etc.
As he got older he would do mowing for the neighbor, etc. to earn a little cash. Last summer he started working for the family business. He has to keep a time sheet and track his hours. From that he deposits money in his checking account and puts a certain amount into savings. We don't dictate that. He's just always been a saver.
One thing we have done to help teach him the value of money is to get him a visa Upside card which is geared towards teenagers. Each month I "load" money on it. He then uses that card to purchase his essentials - clothes, shampoo, deodorant, etc. It forces him to make good choices and he's become quite the coupon clipper. He can not use that card for "wants". Such as the texting on his cell phone. He has to pay for that and he pays for it out of paycheck. He knows when he starts driving he has to pay for his gas, and at least part of the insurance - and that he has to keep his grades up to keep insurance lower or he won't be driving.
My twins are 13 and do get an allowance. I pay the equivalent of $1.00 per year of age per week. Since my kids are good at budgeting, I give them their allowance once a month rather than weekly (which works out to $56.33 per month, and broken down equals $13 per week).
I pay for clothing and school supplies (and other necessities) that they need. They pay for extras that they want. If my daughter needs a new coat or shoes or outgrows her jeans, I will pay for replacements. If she has sufficient coats, shoes or pants that fit and just wants new/more, it comes from her allowance. If the kids want to buy books, earrings, video games, it’s all out of their allowance.
I pay for school lunches and an extra $5 after school once a week if they go out for pizza or juice (but if they don’t go they don’t get the extra $5). If they want to go out after school more than once a week for snacks (or buy snacks at school which the lunch money I provided doesn’t cover), they have to pay out of their allowance
The purpose of their allowance is to learn to budget. It’s working well for us. They’re misers and while they may want everything they see, they don’t want it if they have to pay for it!
I still pay for movies and snacks at movies or similar activities and for extracurricular activities/classes.
They have chores but they aren’t connected to an allowance.
Mrstewart: I just want to say "good for you" for having your children do basic chores (without an allowance) and having them earn one. My child is only 2 (and she is learning as we go along), but I'm amazed by the number of teenagers in my neighborhood who do nothing at all. Parents pay for getting lawn mowed and house cleaned and these kids don't even learn to clear a table and do dishes. I frankly don't think doing chores is a disincentive to studying. Time management and work-life balance are important skills to learn early on.
I had a roommate for a while in college who never had to lift a finger growing up and this was the first time he ever lived away from home (5 miles). He left his junk all over the apartment, didn't know how to do his laundry, and I had to show him how to "cook" a can of green beans (he had never used a can opener). He would drive to his parent's house every morning to pick up his lunch that his mom had prepared, and soon his mother would drive to the apartment, pick up his clothes, take them home, clean them, and bring them back to the apartment and put them away.
His solution to the problem of being so helpless was to find a new live-in mother, a.k.a. a wife. He would date girls and a month into it, propose. After a year and a half, he found a taker who seemed happy to do everything for him. I thought it was just pathetic.
I never got an allowance. I did my chores cuz I was told to do 'em. Of course, being a teen does have its expenses; movies, trips to the mall-- My parents never really deprived me of things like that. They gave me the money, but if it was something nuts like fad gym shoes or clothes-- I was on my own, I had to find ways to earn that cash, baby sitting, paper route. I had to get a job when I was 16 too.
Many kids I see don't do anything....even the young one's can do laundry sorting, garbage collecting, dusting etc.
My kids, ages 6 & 8, get a "token" (plastic gold coins left over from pirate party) each day if they earn it (getting good report from teacher, helping out, not fighting w/ me or each other etc). They basically count as $1 each and can be used for movies, icecreams, etc. We tried the $$ thing but it just kept getting lost and we would forget or not have cash on hand etc. I got the idea from TV supernanny, but she used poked chips.
$10 a week per child. We do not pay them for doing chores. However, if chores are not done, then we subtract from that amount. It's amazing how mindful they are of making their bed when they stand to lose money in the process.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
