pocket money questions

[Tommy]

I have a 7.6 year old and a very nearly 6 year old. I woul;d like to sdtart giving them pocke money so they can save up for for stuff they want for themselves but have no idea how much would be suitable. Also, I would quite like to tie it in with their behaviour - like the pasta jar idea ( we have tried this a few times before but it hasn't worked yet)

Any ideas and tips would be gratefully received - I'm rather at the end of my tether with DS1's behaviour and attitude and he, in particular, is quite keen to buy things like stickers and so on now.

TIA

[evaangel2]

I would start with £5 each...my two teenagers get £10 a week for phone credit etc and if they want something worth more, i encourage them to save
hth

[Hulababy]

DD is 7y and gets £2 a week pocket money. We started pocket money when DD turned 5y, which coincided with her doing "money" at school. We gave her £1 a week. It goes up 50p with each birthday in our house.

I don't tie DD's in with behaviour as such nor any other form of chore/reward system. However if she were to be particularly naughty for some reason I would consider using a reduction of pocket money as a threat if it continues, and would carry it out if required.

[Wonderstuff]

Work out what he would need for what he wants - how much do stickers cost?

I would go for a reward chart - do xyz every day to get points - achieve 90% of the time get money for stickers.

I would give first born a little more or it will seem unfair to him?

But feel free to ignore my pfb is not yet 2!

[CarriePooter]

What do you want them to buy with it? My 5yo gets 50p a week which he usually spends on gogos or hotwheels cars after saving 2-3 weeks but I do buy him craft stuff and comics etc. He also gets some chocolate once or twice a week from me and sometimes sweets from MIL. If I stopped buying him endless supplies of glitter and chocolate then I would give him more pocket money. I also give him extra money for stuff like cake sale at school etc.

[Tommy]

thanks all
I think £5 is way too much!! I was more thinking along the lines of a pound each.

Wonderstuff - they are so close in age and do everything together so I think I would have to give them the same.

DS1 has just started buying Harry Potter stickers - they are 40p each. I have bought him 2 packets so far last week and this. DS2 had sticjers for Ice Age 3 at the same time but is not really bothered by them.

DS1 ios always going on about things from the Build a Bear factory (ridiculous place) and I utterly refuse to buy him naything from there but he could save up for something and get it with his own money.

Tying it in with behaviour not a good idea then? I was hoping to kill two birds with one stone

[Hulababy]

You can tie it in with behaviour if it works for you/him. But IMO you need to be pretty specific about what he can either gain or lose money for. And you need a visual way of displaying that too.

So say, start with £2 in a jar in 10p or 20p. You could use play money for this part.

If he misbehaves in a way you don't like warn him and remind him that he will lose 10p if it continues. If it continues you and him go to the container and remove 10p. (if out do it as soon as home). If he won;t go with you, remove it yourself and tell him you have done it.

You may wish to have a way of regaining money, in a similar way too???

By doing this it means that both your children start with the same amount, but it doesmean they may not recieve the same amount at the end of the week - another good lesson.

[DottyDot]

Ds's are 7 and 5 and each get £1 a week as long as they do their jobs:

Ds1 clears the tea table every night
Ds2 tidies up his bedroom every night

As they get older (probably each September when they go up a year at school) we'll add another job and another 50p or something but at the moment it's working well and is enough that they can save up for stuff (magazines, small toys) fairly easily.

They also get £1 each from their grandma most weeks (when she remembers!) - no tasks associated with this but they don't get it every single week so it's just a nice thing to get when they do.

[Overmydeadbody]

DS is 6 and gets £1 per week as long as he does all his work (20 minutes of writing each morning before school or before anything else in the holidays).

He uses it for things like ice creams, books and go-gos at the moment

It works very well, and I also take away money from him (or threaten to anyway) as punishment for certain things. Usually only the threat of loosing 50p is enough to get him to behave so I have yet to actually take any money away from him.

He also has chores he has to do around the house, but that isn't really tied in with pocket money, he has to do them, it is non-negotiable.

[Tommy]

Hulababy - in the past, the jar thing mostly worked as bribes incentives. E.g. they got a token/sticker etc for getting up and ready in the morning with no shouting, clearing up toys without being asked etc.

I think maybe starting with a pound's worth of 10ps and then adding or taking away may work.

Thanks for all the tips - will go away and ponder now!

[Hulababy]

I'd definitely consider having one each too, so they can see how their own individual behaviour impacts on their amount recieved.

Also if they are mean to one another you could consider that the child who is being mean has to give the removed 10p to te suffering child.

[Tommy]

good one hulababy - that would work (although DS1 would have to give all his coins to DS2 )

[Smithagain]

The going rate in this house is 10p per week per year of their lives. So DD1 gets 70p per week, now that she is seven.

70p may not seem much, but she rarely goes shopping, which means that it accumulates quite nicely. She always has a few pounds to spend if we go for a day out or to a school fair or something.

[stroppyknickers]

DD (10) gets £10 on my payday (monthly) and uses it for dvds or phone credit. DS (6) gets £5, and it generally gets saved up and put in his account, then he gets to buy a game or something. Any (other) money over a fiver that they get gets put in their accounts and then I borrow it let them buy stuff - ds bought a PSP for example. I feel like money is too tight for me to give them cash each week to spunk on sweets/ comics tbh so I buy big packs of sweets that the y get evry so often. I also buy the odd comic for hospitals/ car journeys every so often.

[Hulababy]

Tommy - maybe having to give DS2 all his money the first week might be a good lesson! Might make him think. But do give him a warning to remind him bbeforehand to give him chance to stop.