To ask what you give/or not in terms of pocket money?

[Lilacroses]

Dd is nearly 11. When she is older we plan to give her a sort of allowance so that she can get used to managing money (treats, comics, milkshakes) but now, while she is still in primary school we are not sure what to give in terms of amount and wondered what you do. Also, do you give pocket money dependent upon chores/music practice etc?

[olibeansmummy]

Ds is 4 and started school last week so we said he was now 'big enough for pocket money'. He gets £2 a week to spend on what he likes, so far he hasn't spent anything though.

[MeAndMySpoon]

DS1 (5) gets £1 a week (when we remember!) and is very good at hoarding it in his money box and then buying something substantial every so often, like an Octonaut toy. Theoretically he gets 50p base rate and 50p as a bonus for doing certain things, like making his bed, getting his clothes on quickly and without moaning, carrying plates to the kitchen after meals, and so on. We've only had to call him on it a couple of times. I do buy him stuff a lot though - lego minifigures come from me rather than pocket money but that's because I have rather a sad thing about them. I also let him get about 75p's worth of pick'n'mix on Saturdays in addition to pocket money, but only if we're in town. I think it's helping him save and calculate money, but I think the model whereby 10% is for charity, 30% for savings etc is a lot better. All the same, I do balk at giving my 5 yo £5 a week...

[Wuldric]

DD (15) gets a phone contract (approx £30) and an allowance of £75. We pay for all hobbies, music lessons and clothes on top. She is currently angling for a clothes allowance but it ain't gonna happen.

DS (13) gets a phone contract (approx £30) and an allowance of £50. We also pay for his travel card (£50 a month). Again, we pay for all hobbies, music lessons and clothes on top.

None of the above is conditional upon doing chores. They are expected to help and nowadays they mostly do help. Without (much) yelling on my part.

[cammocklass]

DD1 who is 16 gets £15 a month. We started this when she was 14 and it is paid into an account that she has a debit card for. She loves clothes etc as most teenagers do and has a regular weekly job to top the amount up. DD2 gets £2.50 a week and will also get £15 when she is 14. DS, 9 gets £1.50 and often fills the log basket. DD1 and DD2 have mobiles which I pay for-£10/month pay as you go. They do have to do regular jobs around the house and I will pay them for doing things like filling the log basket, cleaning the car. They all do jobs for their grandparents-waitressing at parties, painting garden benches etc which they are paid for, much more generously than I pay them.

[whodunnit]

DD1 (15)gets £70 per month
DD2 (12) gets £2 per month
DD3 (7) gets 75p per week

we worked out the monthly pay for eldest two based on them buying birthday & xmas presents, and paying for their own aerobics classes plus a snack after, plus £3 and £5 per week on themselves. They babysit for me in return for phone credits, and can spend their money as they wish, but would have problems if they run out. Has not happened so far. Extra cash for jobs is available but never taken up. Works great for me inthat I pay out once per month not three times per week at every activity. If they blow their money and have none left fo presents, then they will have to make them or be imaginative. We shall see how that works at Christmas! I also like the fact that they get paid on my payday whatever day it falls on, and so sometimes it is a long month. Welcome to reality, DDs!

[whodunnit]

Aagh DD2 gets £52 per month !! I am not so mean and unfair! I just have a dodgy keyboard!

[minidipper]

DC got £3 a week at primary and that went up to £5 when starting secondary. Grandparents give them £2 when they see them which is about once a month and the tooth fairy forks out loads too.

They have to buy most of their magazines with that, though DH is a soft touch and endlessly treats them to expensive computer or music magazines that I'd make them save up for.

Really like the idea of giving them a Christmas budget. Will do that this year.

[pyrrah]

beastofburden - totally agree... what the heck does a 5 year-old do with £5 a week!

Even more mad, one of DD's school friends got a mobile with monthly credit for her FOURTH birthday. I was a bit about that idea (she doesn't have separated parents or anything like that.)

[flipchart]

DS2 is 13 and he gets £20 a week. His older brother got the same and we have only just stopped now that he is working.
He started getting this amount at 12 and before tthat we didn't bother with pocket money for him, just gave him cash when he needed it.

We pay for his phone and subs to Ice hockey (plus kit, games etc!!) and scouts
He uses family toiletries.

We also pay for the extra holidays ( scouts trip to Switzerland for skiing etc)

I have expected the boys to do stuff around the house since they were toddlers!!!!

[MRSJWRTWR]

DS1 (14) gets £30 per month paid into his bank account. He pays for his Xbox live subscription which is about £5 a month and then for all social activities and 'stuff' he wants. I still buy his clothes, toiletries, school bits and pieces etc. He also gets £5 per week cash from his Grandad. He is quite good with his money and saves up for things he really wants (he bought himself an electric remote control car last month for £180). Has never spent it all and asked for more.

DS2 (7) gets £2.50 per week from his Grandad which goes into his purse and sits and sits there accumulating until we are in town for one thing or another and he enjoys spending some of it. I don't give him pocket money but sometimes, very rarely, there is something he asks for like a Skylander figure he is after or a DVD he sees and I will get it for him.

[stealthsquiggle]

My DC are 10 and 6. At the moment they both get £1 a week - no conditions, except that they need to remember to ask for it. They don't always remember .

It's basically for things we don't want to fund and that they don't need - so the acid test of "well if you really want xyz you can get it with your money" is applied. They never have money with them when we go out (DD's would burn a hole in her pocket if she did) so it's generally us paying and them paying us back as soon as we get home. DD is more inclined to spend than DS, though.

DH did pay DS for 3 days hard labour as a builder's mate last summer (DH was doing the demolition/clear out before builders started on our bathroom, so DS did work hard). He earned £50, and we gave it to him as a £50 note. If it had been in smaller denominations it would have been spent by now, but because it is a single £50 note any prospective purchase has to be weighed against giving that up - and so far nothing has passed that test

[chocolate140]

My 14 year old DD gets £30 a month to spend on trips out with friends, junk food, clothes (or whatever crap items teenagers like to buy) Once every season we go shopping and buy clothes, any other clothes she wants after that have to come out of her allowance. I pay for her phone contract.

She is still expected to keep her room fairly tidy, load/unload the dishwasher, clean up after herself. However if she were to clean the whole house properly she might get £30-40 extra. I expect that when she turns 15 she will receive maybe £45 a month.