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Original poster

What do your Yr 5/6 Dc buy with their pocket money?

52 replies

LockUpAlone · 17/03/2022 13:59

How much is the going rate and what do you expect (allow?) them to buy with it?

OP posts:
popandchoc · 18/03/2022 06:08

Year 6 - she gets £4 a week . Sometimes she spends it on snacks , sometimes she saves it to buy something more expensive eg clothes etc . It’s her money to spend on what she wants .

SnowWhiteLobelia · 18/03/2022 06:55

My yr 6 (and Yr 7) get £5 a week but can earn more by doing chores.

They buy robux. I'm not thrilled about it but it is their money. But my Yr 7 has decided to save up for an ipad after getting some money for christmas so he has just put together a savings plan which I am hopeful about!

Forgothowmuchlhatehomeschoolin · 18/03/2022 07:00

Magazines and stickers for her sticker album
She was getting £10 per month but recently has had a rise because it didn't leave her much to save for holiday spending money.

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liveforsummer · 18/03/2022 07:06

Whenever dd goes shopping she usually comes back with a lip balm and some chewing gum. Doesn't seem to have much imagination 😆

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 18/03/2022 07:10

When and how do the y5s spend their pocket money? Dd got birthday money but we dont routinely go to the shops so I'm not sure when she will spend it. If she asks for a thing we can go get it, but otherwise it just sits there.

So I'm wondering with pocket money do the kids just take themselselves off to the corner shop every now and again to buy sweets?

Forgothowmuchlhatehomeschoolin · 18/03/2022 07:12

@liveforsummer

Whenever dd goes shopping she usually comes back with a lip balm and some chewing gum. Doesn't seem to have much imagination 😆
We could sink a ship with all the lip balm in this house!!
liveforsummer · 18/03/2022 07:14

@CliveThighs

Dd is now 12 but started going into town with her friends in Yr 6 (I was trying to get her a bit more independent before starting secondary school).

They mainly go to mcdonalds or starbucks, flying tiger and primark.

We got her a bank card as so many shops wouldn't take cash due to covid. We've found that dd is very sensible with her money, so I tend to top up her bank card with £30 when it gets low (I want her to have enough in there to cover most emergencies).

Sometimes the £30 will last for 2 months, but during the school holidays she can arrange to go way more frequently, thus needing top ups more frequently. And I want to encourage her meeting up with friends and wouldn't want her missing out because she's got no money.

It depends on what type of spender your dc is I guess. If they are likely to spend all the money in one go on every trip then set weekly pocket money. If they're sensible and don't blow it all then just top up when needed.

Dd is now almost at the stage where going clothes shopping with me is an utter trial for both of us, so I'm thinking of giving her a clothing budget and she can buy what she wants rather than my sensible hunt for 100% cotton tshirts. Plus she's started buying her own skin care and face masks, so that's something I'll divert from the weekly food shop budget to her.

Every trip she takes into town, she always brings back a little gidt for her younger brother. Usually a 50p pack of popping candy or a lollipop, or a car from the pounds hop. Something cheap, but it always makes his day. And I'd hate to limit her money in a way with a set amount of pocket money in case she felt like she couldn't do this anymore

Very similar here, hair pop money in the card when I can afford so she has access when she needs, and she'll often buy a little gift for her sister. Agree with the shopping being a chore. It's painful. We were in primark last week and dc had gift cards. DD8 within 5 minutes had selected a pair of leggings, a jumper, a set of scrunchies, a stitch cushion, lip balm and pack of tic tacs to exactly her £15 budget. Half an hour later dd12 was still wandering around asking me what she should buy and ignoring any suggestions 🤯. Leaving it to her friends to deal with from now on
Aroundtheworldin80moves · 18/03/2022 08:03

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

When and how do the y5s spend their pocket money? Dd got birthday money but we dont routinely go to the shops so I'm not sure when she will spend it. If she asks for a thing we can go get it, but otherwise it just sits there.

So I'm wondering with pocket money do the kids just take themselselves off to the corner shop every now and again to buy sweets?

I take them shopping every few weeks... we have an outlet centre with The Works, Claire, Sweet shop, and B&M which seems to satisfy them. Or Asda.
MaizeAmaze · 18/03/2022 08:15

Y6 gets £10 on the first of each month (saves scraping about for change!).
He pretty much saves it. Occasional sweets, but that's it.

Original poster
LockUpAlone · 18/03/2022 09:17

She almost never comes to the shops with me! I was thinking about £5 a week but she has to budget for gifts to the family herself. Doesn't sound unreasonable then. At the moment she doesn't get anything as she doesn't go anywhere without us, doesn't really ask for anything either. She did make some pretty horrible remarks to her brother about the gift he chose for her birthday so we feel it would be good for her to get an idea about how money works!
We were thinking cash for now and eventually when she gets a phone to change to a pre-pay card or app.

OP posts:
mizzo · 18/03/2022 09:19

Prior to covid mine got £3 a week. One to spend, one to save, and one to donate. It stopped in covid because we weren't going anywhere and weren't using cash. Now they're year 5 and 6 and don't get anything regularly, they don't go anymore on their own yet. My older DC we're out and about more at that age and getting more pocket money.
They usually get given money for birthday/Christmas/Easter etc by family that they use for bits and bobs throughout the year.
My godchildren get pocket money on a Friday and then pester my friend incessantly to go and spend it, I don't really want that happening!

onemouseplace · 18/03/2022 09:21

Y7 DD gets £5 a week which she mostly fritters at the school cafe, but has just wised up to this and has asked me to set up a savings account for her (she has one that we pay into but that is separate) so she can start saving for things she wants.

Y6 DS gets £2 a week and mostly spends it after school in the sweet shop on Friday and occasionally manages to get enough for a Calvin & Hobbes book.

JS87 · 18/03/2022 09:25

Yr 6. Currently gets a £15 Nintendo gift card every two months he buys vbucks with. Works out at £1.50 a week but I buy any treats and clothes etc. will need to look into a bank card for year 7

caulkheaded · 18/03/2022 09:25

50p per age currently. Expected to spend a 1/3, save 1/3 and give a 1/3. Additional clothing budget from about age 10.

mizzo · 18/03/2022 09:25

I've just looked at GoHenry cards, are they £3 a month?

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 18/03/2022 09:29

We will be getting DD a bank account with debit card as soon as shes 11.

SnowWhiteLobelia · 18/03/2022 13:37

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

We will be getting DD a bank account with debit card as soon as shes 11.
Wr did this for DS1 as soon as he turned 11. It is great. he gets paper statements which he checks to make sure it correlates with what he thinks he has spent and then we file away and he has a debit card that he can check the balance on. It is through HSBC and does not cost any in admin fees. His birthday and christmas cheques go in the account and it works really well for us. Plus it gives him a customer profile for the future. We considered a Go Henry but the admin fees were a great portion of the money that would be going in. I also like it because I can transfer him pocket money direct from my HSBC account really easily.
liveforsummer · 18/03/2022 16:30

Are the debit cards contactless for 11 plus? I've just given dd12 my Monzo card that I only really use on holiday which is easy but would be good to have her own

SnowWhiteLobelia · 18/03/2022 16:33

I specifically asked for a pin card and it seems to be a pin only card.

liveforsummer · 18/03/2022 16:38

Ah I'll stick with the Monzo then. It's handy for her tapping on the bus etc

TwinkleToesStrikesAgain · 18/03/2022 18:17

DS1 has a Santander account - contactless or on his phone. For DS2 we might go first direct as you can associate a savings account with the current account I think, which you can't with the Santander one ...

BeHappy91818 · 18/03/2022 18:24

I don’t give my daughter anything direct. She’s 11.

She has her contract paid for.
Premium Roblox account paid for.
And I buy her pretty much whatever she asks for.. books, Costa, games, treats.

whysoserious123 · 18/03/2022 18:26

@Iputthetrampintrampoline

My dd is 10 in Yr 5 and heres goes on clothes and stupid bits and bobs from claires accessories and then on buying stuff like tokens and coins to allow her to continue further on in games like minecraft etc. She gets £50 a week plus tops up for an odd starbucks or cinnabon treat, Now before anyone jumps on me for such a stupid amount its not all me I promise you! Its £10 a week from me then £10 a week from Granny then her big brother slips her £20 for a little treat every saturday and then £10 from her uncle. She is very lucky.
Hope she pays rent 😎
TwinkleToesStrikesAgain · 18/03/2022 18:29

I don't give DS2 anything. He never has any ideas of what he'd like for his birthday - to the extent that when asked by family if he'd like money he's told them not really he's fine as he is. He's just not bothered about stuff

Newnormal99 · 18/03/2022 18:31

My Y6 gets about £30 a month which is too much but me and her dad are separated so she gets double bubble.

She buys robux, sweets and drinks from corner shop, Boba / Starbucks if she wants it and I don't want to pay (most of time) she has been known to buy herself a takeaway!

Plus occasional clothes and toys.