to ask how much, if any pocket money do you give to a 7 yr old?

[shouldbeelswhere]

My 7 yr old has come home from school today asking if he can have pocket money. He doesn't seem to know why he wants the money but has offered to do extra chores for it (clean out the bunnies and or clear the table). I've said I'll think about it and we can discuss options. Just interested to know what others do? do you give money per chore? How much? Are some chores just expected and don't count towards pocket money? Thanks lovely MNetters

[Portofino]

I have just started giving my 7 yo, 1 euro per day - if she is good. If she is not, stike one - no euro, strike 2 etc - euro removed from the tin. We have agreed that she will then pay for anything she wants (apart from clothes) and must learn to save up for things. Also she is now expected to be much more helpful at home in return for this. She normally ends up with about 5 euros - which is basically a magazine at the British Shop and a bar of chocolate, if she decides to blow it.

[valiumredhead]

Ds started getting pocket money at 7 and we gave him £2, he is 10 now and still gets £2 a week. He does extra jobs if he is saving up for something big.

[wannabestressfree]

I give my 7 year old five pounds and ten year old seven fifty but out of that they have to pay admission to a club on a friday night and are both into warhammer so have to save for it as its expensive.
It is dependent on rooms being tidy and homework being done though.

[piprabbit]

DD is 7yo and gets 50p a week.

[Bloodymary]

Little girl has just turned 6 and I give her £5 a week.
However, she does pay it into her bank, and she will be allowed to draw some out for Christmas pressie's, holidays etc.
Also, if we go anywhere near the dreaded Claires Accesories she can spend some of it there.

[KirstyJC]

50p a week, when we remember! He usually saves up for small toys, like smaller lego packs or similar. We occasionally top it up for him for something bigger eg if he wants to spend his birthday money and it comes to £25 but the toy he wants is £30, but that's because we forget to give his pocket money so often it probably evens out, plus occasionally he spends it on us - like the day he got 2 portions of chips from the locakl chippy with some birthday money and shared it with us.

He doesn't do specific chores for this but he will be 8 next week and boy is he in for a shock.....

[LauraShigihara]

DS(8) was having £3.50 a week but he had to complete some chores for that, didn't want to and so lost his money.

He has £2 for Saturday sweets though - we go to an old-fashioned sweetshop and he can buy what he likes with his money (Pez, chocolate mice and sherbert dibdabs mostly). Plus his Dr Who comic. So he isn't hard-done-by by any means.

[Oblomov]

Goodness me. Ds1(7.8) gets no pocket money. I just buy him things as an when I see fit. He wanted some Bumpeeze. I said no. then I bought him £4 worth. No more I told him.
Goes off to read thread. Had no idea I was behind the times, as it hadn't even OCCURED to me to start giving pocket money.

[acatcalledbob]

DD1 used to get £1 a week, starting when she was 5.5. She saved up, blew the lot in Build a Bear and was devastated. Now I buy her a chapter book every month (she's collecting Rainbow Magic Fairies that cost £5 each here). She's 7 this month so I might add in a little pocket money per month to help with maths and money management.

She's not paid for chores. Making her bed, clearing her plate away, homework etc are expected to be done regardless of payment.

[aldiwhore]

Mine gets £1 to spend at the sweety shop on a Friday, and if he's done everything he's expected to he'll maybe get a magazine (or book preferably, as they're not any more expensive!) on a Saturday.

He has a money box too, so if we ask him to do a 'job' that's not among the usual small chores, we pay him and he puts the money in his box.

[Hulababy]

At 7y DD used to get £2 a week. Her pocket money increases by 50p on each birthday.

We don't link pm to chores, we expect her to be part of the family all the time and being part of the family means chipping in and helping out without pay.

However we do reserve the right to withdraw pm if behaviour was poor enough to warrant it. Never happened yet though.

DD is really good at saving pm for bigger items.

[Lizcat]

DD is nearly 8. Basic pay is £3 per week and then bonuses are paid for keeping her room tidy (50p per week) and making her bed (50p per week), deductions are made for various things - currently I am having a hit on table manners every instance of eating without a knife and fork, talking with mouth full or chewing with mouth open looses 10p. I do not buy her anything else - so I can be heard saying in shops you have no more money.

[missismac]

Another one for 10p per year of age, so our 7yr old DS gets 75p (he's now 7 1/2). He's just saved it up & bought himself a playmobil thing that he wanted. We do this until they're at secondary school then they get £5 month until they're 13 then £10 month, £20 at 14 or 15 (depending on when they ask).

It's not chore related -chores are just part of living in a family, well have to do them- & they're expected to subsidise it themselves (work) if they need more.

[looblylu]

DD (5) gets £1 a week... but gets £2 if shes very good!

[voddiekeepsmesane]

7yo DS gets all my change from 10p down not a regular weekly amount. He then puts it in his money box which has a flipper, some of the change goes into a save part some into a spend. Every now and again we count up and hes allowed to go to the shops with it :)

[chelen]

8yo SS gets 50p, but also gets bought extra things as treats. Some people give their teenagers more money than I currently have to spend on myself!!!!

I hope my SS doesn't read this thread as it confirms we are very tight. He has already complained at the fact the tooth fairy seems to pay less for his teeth than for his friends' teeth.

[MuddlingMackem]

We started giving ds pocket money when he was about two, £1 a week, initially so that when we went to the amusements he would have his own money to spend. Once dd was born she too got £1 a week. Now that ds is in Year 3 his will go up to £1.50, although he was given the option of the raise or to continue his Doctor Who comic. He opted to continue with the comic until the latest series finished on the telly and then have the extra money instead. Last week for the comic this week, so £1.50 next week, or at least until the next series is on. :)

DD will continue to get £1 until she goes into Y3, but as she's only just started Reception that's going to be a while.

I'm another one who can be heard saying 'well, you've spent all of your money' to her children in shops. :)

[Jenny70]

We've just started... £2 for DS who is just 8, then £1 for DD who is 6 and a few coins for DS who is 3.

They both spend it as soon as it hits their hands, but then complain they can't afford bigger things... but I guess it takes a bit of practice to save etc. Part of the lesson of pocket money.

And both start doing daily chores, which if they don't do willingly they get docked (haven't had to yet!). Other things like tidying, homework etc and a given.

JennyH

[wahwahwah]

£7. It began as £1 per year of his age but I think this may get out of hand...

[TheEndlessArete]

DD (nearly 8) doesn't get anything, and hasn't mentioned it yet, even though her best friend gets £5 a week. Agree with principles of saving/value of money stuff, but quite happy to avoid the faff of it for a wee while.
She's still expected to do chores etc - good IMO for them to learn to do that without being coerced with payment.

[ouryve]

DS1 has had £1 a week since he was 5, to spend as he wishes (usually goes on lego or cars and he will often spend ages with his nose in an Argos catalogue or on Amazon working out what to save up for next!). He gets chances to earn extra in school holidays. We will be upping it to £2 a week when he turns 8 in December.

[shouldbeelswhere]

Thank you everyone, really appreciate your input on this. We've settled on £1.50 a week if all jobs completed. I've already deducted 20p for not doing jobs requested, not sure that was such a good plan but I was cross and it just kind of came out. I brought the message home!

[shouldbeelswhere]

sorry, meant to say it brought the message home.