to ask how many of you charge your 18 yo to live at home?

[Popsicle434544]

Nothing.
Shes still in full time education. But to be honest at 18 I don't think they should pay anything in education or not

We don't charge ever

What if they are still living with you at 35, showing no sign of ever moving out? Or what if they are earning a decent wage, frittering it away while you provide everything they need? Would you feel the same then?

No. money is tight but he works hard and has saved most of his earnings to help with university so why would I charge him to live in his own home ?

I lived "rent free" until I left school. When I lived at home for a while during my degree, I paid a nominal amount of rent (I think it was about €10/week) and then paid a higher amount of rent (€250/month) when I came back to live in my parents' house while working full time.

I think it is lifes lesson to expect your offspring to contribute to their upkeep when aged 18 or above and earning their own money - anything else is enabling them to stay a dependent

My friend's Mum took 100 a week from her from age 18...this was when that was quite a lot, then when my friend was 25, she gave it all back to her!

I should say, when I was paying €250 a month, my parents were spending a lot of time living elsewhere so I had the house to myself at least 50% of the time. If I was living "with" them the whole time, I expect it would have been lower.

Not when he was in education, he's 20 now though and earns more than me ! He pays 10% of hi wage which leaves him plenty .

budgiegirl , my eldest has been through uni ( debt free) and is working ft whilst living at home now , he doesn't fritter and I don't care how long he is here . It doesn't cost us any more to run our house because he lives here so why would I charge him to live in his home unless I needed the money .

I think that once you are an adult and in work you should contribute financially to your your living costs. A family is a team and everyone in that team has to put in to make it work.

I find the comment that they shouldn't be charged to live in their own home odd. I have to pay to live in my own home, if he lived in shared accommodation or bought his own house he would need to pay to live in his own house. Even if you don't have a mortgage you still have enpenses to run the house and I would expect my DD to contribute to those costs when earning, just as I already (she is only 4) expect her to help with keeping the house tidy.

user1477282676 - that's a really good idea if u don't need the money but want them to learn about budgeting for themselves. That must've been a nice surprise for your friend!

My nearly 19 year old does 20 hours at college and approx 20 ish hours working.
Earns between £110-£135.00 a week and gives me £10 on pay day.
He pays his own phone bill of £25 p month and his travel which is £20 a week.
We bought him a car taxed and insured it and paid for lots of lessons etc to help him but expect him to get used to paying for luxuries himself so him paying his travel is getting him used to when he has to put petrol in his car when he passes his test.
Parking will only cost about £10 a week so ilnpayvthat to help him out there and I buy him the odd pairs of jeans/t shirts etc as and when I feel like it but want him to get used to budgeting his money.
It's a good lesson in life. My parents did the same with me if not helped less financially as they didn't have the income but I budget and manage money well so it worked with me.
My sister not so unfortunately.
She's older than me but was never expected to contribute at home or pushed to further herself or get a good job and now she's unemployable lives off benefits and is constantly relying on bank of mum and dad.

I would charge them something (albeit probably only a small amount) if they were working, or if they weren't in education and were refusing to work.

I wouldn't charge them if they were in education (or had left education and were making a genuine effort to look for work).

I paid to live at home when I was 18 (11 years ago) i started when I was in full time work. It was a small amount and I had absolutely no issue with paying it. I had to start paying my way at some point and at 18 I was an adult.

Our eldest went from FTE to a well paid job in another country, so it never came up for him, the others are all in FTE and are unlikely to be able to get a job in their fields anywhere that would make it feasible for them to live at home.
However, this evening we are seeing very close friends whose DS finished his BTEC last June. He has an easily marketable qualification and was offered temp work (with a company he'd done a placement for) over the summer period - "no thanks, I'm entitled to a holiday", he said.
Seven months on, the entitled brat (aged 21) is still "on holiday" and living in his parents' home at their expense.
I know his mother is at her wits end - it's not physically possible to kick him out or make him get a job..... and she can do without the stress as her O/H is having chemotherapy.......

Nothing she is at college . Older dc lives here works full time and contributes

My DD is in in full time education at the moment.
If she is living at home and working full time then myself and DH have agreed she should pay a nominal amount which we will put in savings for her

If they were in full-time education then no but if they were an adult working full-time then yes I will. I suppose for me it's a question of where is the cut off? I have ever no intention of having them at home rent free at 30 for instance. I pay to live in the house, eat the food and use the utilities as does dh so when the dc are adults and working then they will be expected to contribute as well.

Depends on all sorts of factors surely. If the parent is struggling to feed herself and teen in question and the teen is earning good money, then it would make sense for the teen to contribute.

My dd spent last year working full time: even with saving for the future, that left her with an awful lot more spending money than I have after paying the bills. So she was very happy to contribute a small amount.

And yes, it does cost more to have another adult living in the house: you spend more on water (we are on a meter), more on electricity, certainly more on food. If you are well off, you may not notice this, but other families certainly do.

When she goes back into full time education, I will not complain at all about having to tighten my own belt a little extra to help her if she needs it. But tightening my own belt just so a young adult could spend more on nights out wouldn't have seemed right to either of us.

I discovered my younger sister was living at home paying nothing until she was 30, i was working at 16 and in college and half my pittance of wages went to mum which of course i didnt mind at the timebut when i found out sister had never paid a penny made me a tad cross

In education/apprentiship no board due
Working 20% of wage as board

wow! all these teens earning far more than I am, with my three degrees!

I won't charge my children anything to live at home, ever, but would expect, if they are working, that they will be saving hard towards their own place.

that's a really good idea if u don't need the money but want them to learn about budgeting for themselves saving in secret for them teaches NOTHING about budgeting. If people want their children to learn to budget taking money for board and giving it back years later isn't the way to go about it.

but would expect, if they are working, that they will be saving hard towards their own place
I do love your optimism!

I'm 18, work full time and give my Mum £250 - £300 a month.

It doesn't cost us any more to run our house because he lives here so why would I charge him to live in his home

It's fair enough if you don't want to charge, but of course it costs you more to have him there. Extra gas, electricity, water, food all cost money.