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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think kids should have money?

167 replies

opheliacat · 16/09/2017 14:40

Obviously I don't mean hundreds a month but anywhere between £2-£20 a week depending on age for over 7s seems reasonable to me.

I would hate to never be able to buy a treat for myself.

Does anyone not give their children any money?

OP posts:
Hangupyourhangups · 16/09/2017 14:44

My Dd is 8 and I have just started giving her pocket money in return for odd jobs. Teaching her the value of money as well as teaching her to keep a clean home and responsibility when saving for what she wants. She is so happy!

GeraldineT · 16/09/2017 14:45

Um yes. Why do you think no one does?

KanielOutis · 16/09/2017 14:45

My 6yo and 9yo get £10/mth. Children that young don't need money - they have no bills to pay and I buy everything they need. It's mostly about teaching them the value of coins and basics of budgeting. I only have £10/week disposable income so we don't have a lot of money to splash around.

Launderetta · 16/09/2017 14:46

Sunday newspaper "story" in the making??

upperlimit · 16/09/2017 14:47

No. I don't give them pocket money. They do have money though, from Birthdays/Christmas/ Easter but they prefer to save it and spend my money in the shops.

I don't have any objection to it, I just forsee a lot of foot stomping when one has forgotten to bring their money while the other ram raids the sweet isle.

Original poster
opheliacat · 16/09/2017 14:48

Yeah, course it is Laundretta

A mum wouldn't start a thread relating to parenting on Mumsnet now would they? Obvs it's a journalist Hmm

Kaniel but suppose my husband paid all the bills and bought me clothes and did the grocery shop? It would still not be right not to let me choose the odd thing for me just because I wanted it!

OP posts:
upperlimit · 16/09/2017 14:50

Oh, sweet isle sounds amazing - I meant sweet aisle.

livingthegoodlife · 16/09/2017 14:51

No pocket money here. Why would a child need to "treat themselves"?! I understand the theory about learning the value of money etc but for three kids you're talking about £240 a month spent on kids treats (£20 a week each).

Original poster
opheliacat · 16/09/2017 14:52

I'm thinking that more for teens, living, and like I say, i would hate to never be able to get myself some sweets or a new top.

OP posts:
Original poster
opheliacat · 16/09/2017 14:53

FWIW i never had pocket money and it was rubbish.

OP posts:
HainaultViaNewburyPark · 16/09/2017 14:53

Mine get their age in £ each month. So DD (13) gets £13 per month and DS (11) gets £11 per month.

twofloorsup · 16/09/2017 14:54

I give my teens £10 a month pocket money and £20 clothing allowance (I buy all uniform and underwear and shoes).
I transfer it to their bank , main reason being I want to teach them the value of budgeting. One will spend £20 on one item , the other will go to car boot sales and get a whole new wardrobe.

Original poster
opheliacat · 16/09/2017 14:54

Sounds fair, as long as they aren't at home when they are 40! Grin

OP posts:
geekone · 16/09/2017 14:55

I never had pocket money I was fine. My DS7 doesn't get pocket money. He doesn't need any Confused

KanielOutis · 16/09/2017 14:57

The children don't need to 'treat themselves'. That's what birthday and Christmas is for. There is no need for the constant accumulation of stuff. We spend on days out, experiences and adventures. We rarely go to the shops, and they don't watch TV with adverts so they don't have the idea that their life is lacking and they are missing out without more and more stuff in it.

Frequency · 16/09/2017 14:57

My 14yo gets £5 a week from her Gran. £5 a month on her itunes account from her Aunt and 2 pot noodles per week from my mum.

I asked her once if she wanted £10 a week from me but it would be under the proviso that she then uses that to buy her own hair dyes, conditioners, make-up, nail varnishes and all the other crap she asks me for that is non-essential or more expensive than the brands the rest of the family use.

She decided she'd rather just have her cosmetics bought for her.

They youngest gets taken to MacD once a week by Gran and then to Tesco where she is allowed to pick a small treat.

Kpo58 · 16/09/2017 14:58

I think that children should have pocket money. I had a little as a child, but not enough to do anything with. I could never afford to take a bus into town and buy a top and lunch or go to the cinema, so I didn't do those things. It was very isolating.

cheminotte · 16/09/2017 14:59

I don't think kids have much benefit until they can go to shops on their own. Ds2 does get pocket money but has no interest in spending it and I don't want to engineer a trip to the shops just so he can buy sweets.

HainaultViaNewburyPark · 16/09/2017 15:02

opheliacat - they know that this arrangement is only for the time they are at school.

and if they are still living at home aged 40, they will be paying me rent

brasty · 16/09/2017 15:03

Agree with you OP

MakeItStopNeville · 16/09/2017 15:06

Mi e have all had pocket money since they were at junior school. It used to be a pound per year of age a week. Now they're teens, its slightly more than that. If they miss their homework, they get nothing that week at all. Strangely, since we brought that rule in, my homework shy son hasn't missed one piece!

Original poster
opheliacat · 16/09/2017 15:07

Not necessarily accumulating stuff. Just being able to buy or save for something YOU want because you fancy it.

When i first had money I was shocking with it as it was such a novelty.

OP posts:
sharklovers · 16/09/2017 15:10

Of course kids should have some money to get them used to it. Even my 2 year old gets a token amount. She gets excited to put it in her money box and understands that it can be used to buy ice creams! Just a bit of fun really!

RedSkyAtNight · 16/09/2017 15:18

DS blitzes every penny he has on sweets. So we strictly limit the amount he is allowed.

thisgirlrides · 16/09/2017 15:19

My DC also get their age in pocket money each month and I pay eldest DSs £7.50 monthly phone cost. I think it's great that they learn how to handle money from 6/7upwards - DS1 is a saver and DS2 a spender (but soon learning to keep some back so he too can buy something better every few months). They can also earn extra by cleaning mine or DH's car alternate month: £2.50 inside, £2.50 outside so they usually do it together or occasionally 1 can't be bothered and the other does it all for £5 then the other one moans about it being so unfair and he would have done it if he knew the other would get all the money