Is this a crazy plan?

[stayathomegardener]

Hi DD is 13 I currently buy all her clothes-basics and unnecessary treats,we shop together and both enjoy this, at other times by herself she will see something, email me a pic and the price and if I OK it will then put it on her card for me to pay later.
However she is now getting to the stage where she is seeing things that she 'needs' for example a £40 pair of skinny jeans that are 'just perfect' and is looking for ways to generate extra cash-so getting to the point would it be unreasonable for me to expect her to actually work for this,we have discussed her doing the cleaning at home for which I currently pay £22 a week?

We had 'training sessions' on each room last week,I was surprised how basic this needed to be-dust from the top down and not into my open handbag! For example.Today was the trial run,it went really wellalthough she is very slow (much faster than training )and shattered

Advantages-

It would be a genuine saving for me.
It could be a great work ethic for her.
It may make her tidier.
It takes the cleaners 2 hours(I work with them and would do so with her)so not a huge commitment timewise

Disadvantages

Once I give the cleaners notice that's it I won't get them back,so she can't stop and start.
I'm quite fussy re cleaning,dust allergy's etc.
I don't expect to have to nag her .....Oh dear wobble wobble

Do you think she might give up?

The hardest thing for me would be the nagging! With a cleaner she would just get on with it - with your own child you might have to nag.

My boys have started emptying the dishwasher for me (which is a job I hate!) for the princely sum of 50p each FOR A WHOLE WEEK! but I am not sure how long this will last.

IT sounds like a great idea actually, if your DD is keen and you are confident she will keep it up for the forseable future. Could you put her on a three month trial to start? Then either of you can get out after three months?

MY DS is 9 and does various chores around the house (extra to his normal ones) when he wants to make a little extra. He always cleans all the windows ( 20p per pane inside and out), that's his job, but sometimes he dusts and hoovers for a week or so to earn a little extra.

I thkn you'd need to make definate times when she has to clean, like you'd do with a cleaner, so she doesn't put it off or think she can do it later.

And how will be when she is back at school?

School 8-4pm

Homework - can be hours I have heard!!

When will she actually do it?

could you ask the cleaner to cut back on a few jobs and let your dd do them for a smaller amount?

I think she should already be doing something around the house, I wouldn't expect to pay a 13 year old the same rate as a professional cleaner though nor would I expect them to be able to clean to the same standard. Could she look into getting a paper round and paying for treats that way?

Hmmm... great idea in theory, but I can see the novelty wearing off quite quickly? Then you've lost your cleaner and have the weekly headache of having to chase her to do it. I think personally I'd rather keep the cleaner who I know is going to turn up and do a good job every week without being badgered. Are there not other jobs she could do to earn money? Car cleaning, dog walking etc.? As as teenager, I had friends who's parents would give them their family allowance money (child benefit now), but they were expected to use it to buy some of their essentials too (tampons, tights, hair products) rather than just having it as pocket money. Taught them to budget.

Oh I have been very clear under no circumstances will I nag, if she is to be paid the same rate as professionals then she has to behave as such.

Sounds very hard but I did have a little wobble watching her clean loo's in her new tiny rubber gloves

Think I should have started with small jobs years ago collision and dead.

Did consider a trial but the house would be clean anyway from the cleaners.Hmmm

I think it sounds like a good idea only you can guess at how much nagging it will take to get her start cleaning and complete it to your standard.

Could you do a breakdown of the jobs?

£4 for clean streak free windows
£3 for dusting
£3 for cleaning the sink and bath
£4 for the toilet

then you can judge how well she has completed each task and things won't get forgotten.

crazy

keep your cleaner and pay her to do something else!

She was thinking Saturday mornings?

I guess the cleaners may be willing to come once a fortnight,I think they do that for other clients

Katienana-she actually did a great job and although she would get the same money as the cleaners it would take her almost twice as long.

Wouldn't get rid of your cleaners. Give her a task that is more manageable and less vital - e.g cleaning car weekly, ironing and putting away washing, cleaning interior windows etc. for pocket money.

And maybe a clothes allowance rather than you buying everything? You can still shop together.

Could you get the cleaners to do different cleaning jobs for a few weeks to give her a real trial run. If the cleaners come on a Wed you and dd could do the cleaning on Tues then when the cleaners come they could do another job. Maybe you could hire a rugdoctor and they could clean your carpets.

I'm being nosy but I just have to ask. Why, in the name of all things holy, do you "work alongside" your two cleaners? Surely the whole point of having a/some cleaner/s is so that you don't have to do it?

Other tasks is a good idea: it's a living for your cleaners but not for your DD, iyswim. Car washing, ironing etc, as suggested above?

Sparkle I think we both liked the idea that it was a real job with real savings and that made it more serious- cars, ironing etc go by the by here.

Good plan 'when she was bad' I am sure that a month at least could be devoted to ovens and other neglected things.

Graham I put things away and pick up to dust so I know where things go back before the cleaners arrive, one then only hoovers whilst the other only mops and I do downstairs bathrooms whilst they do upstairs.This means they are done within the hour and I don't need to do anything else till next week-works for me

I earned my pocket money by doing our cleaning when I was a teenager. Also car washing.

I wouldn't get rid of cleaners altogether )reduce hours to once a fortnight if you must) Your DD can still clean every Saturday morning even if the continue to come weekly.
If you stop having the cleaners you will be asking your DD to do what 3 people currently do each week.
So, say cleaners come mid-week, DD cleans again on Saturday morning.
Your house will be sparkling.

Or, instead, put her in charge of something else:
dishwasher loading/ unloading 3 evenings £5
Changing the beds £5
Putting washing away £5
Tidying £5
Maybe if she completes 4 tasks she could earn £20 (£5 a task)

I think it sounds like a brilliant plan [muses on when I can get 22 month old dd started]

She's 13 and has her own card? I take it that it's not a debit card either if you have to pay it off? Is it just me that thinks 13 is too young for that?

I have a dd 14 who is clothes crazy think this sounds a good idea. I give her 40£ a month so long as she helps around the house and her behaviour is good-she's a angel really bless her-for this I expect her to Hoover, clean her room, do some washing, help clean after dinner, read with her brother etc she manages quite well on this budget but if she really 'needs' a £40 pair of jeans When we are out i would ask her to wash the car/go without her cinema trip etc to pay for it then its her choice as to whether its worth it to her or not and i hold her to it. I think your idea could work so long as she does the work and you don't have to nag.

Oh and my dd when out sometimes carries my credit card to which she has the number in case of a emergency-she has never used it. I vividly recall being stranded once. I would not allow her to put clothes on it though it is strictly emergency, missed the last bus, friend has fallen and is hurt eg needs taxi to hospital etc etc.

Bambino no it's a debit card with an emergency £100(for similar reasons to mama) and any birthday or Christmas money- if she makes an agreed purchase she then has to take my cheque to the post office to pay in.
I don't have a credit card myself so did think it interesting that when she first opened the account she used to refer to it as a credit card

As you say you are a bit particular about your cleaning, and currently have a cleaner who you are happy with and say you'd not be able to get back, I'd be loathe to get rid of them. Is there not something else you can think of that she could do - for example the ironing - that she has to do, to earn, but means you aren't left without a cleaner when the novelty wears off ?

My niece has cleaned for me for nearly 2 years now, (she was 15 when she started) but I think it's a bit different, because it's not her house - she "goes to work". Also, I'm not bothered if she doesn't come one week, but it sounds as if you might be. I don't think any of my dcs would do the job for me (although might for someone else). I also think it would cause difficulties in terms of them doing stuff around the house (as they are expected to) if I started paying them for part of it, but expected them to do the rest as part of the fact the live here IYSWIM? Also, in terms of their siblings pulling their weight if I'm paying one of them.

and £22 is an awful lot of money for a 13 yr old - per week. IMVHO!

approx £88 per month to be getting used to.

I think I would hand the ironing over to her for £2 per 5 shirts etc or doing the windows for £2.

Am loving my boys doing the dishwasher!

Just give her a clothing allowance per month and pay it into an account. This will help her learn about budgeting, if that isn't enough she might look for other ways to supplement it herself. I had this as a teenager and it taught me a lot about money management.