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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask the going rate?

59 replies

JacobeanWilson · 31/10/2017 22:54

What's the going rate for pocket money these days?

My particular area of interest is children age 8 yrs old, but I'm nosey enough to be happy to know other ages too Grin

If you're at a financial extremity, please declare that too. Ie if you're loaded & give DC £25/wk then we're not in the same demographic but I'm still curious to know what all DC are getting these days. Just if you could put it into context that'd be lovely! Thanks!

OP posts:
Mantegnaria · 31/10/2017 22:59

Children at very posh private boarding schools are told £10 per week and no more. So I’d find £25 a week very odd unless it was also meant to cover travel or clothing.

molemonkey · 31/10/2017 23:10

Mine are 9 and 12 and they get £'s per week the same as their age. 12 yr old pays for £10 per month for his phone and any subways and milkshakes etc with his mates!
9 yr old mainly buys books and magazines but it's a real saver tho!
I've found that since we started pocket money like this they have learnt the value of money and how to budget and we aren't constantly asked all the time when they want something.
We live comfortably with 2 full time incomes.

egginacup · 31/10/2017 23:14

My 7yo and 9yo have a behaviour chart where they earn stars for quite easy things like getting themselves ready for school on time, feeding pets etc. If they get 5 stars a day mon-fri they get £2.50 at the weekend.

19lottie82 · 31/10/2017 23:16

Why would an 8 year old even need pocket money? They don’t go out with their friends unaccompanied and I guess other treats would be adhoc, no need to hand over actual cash.

molemonkey · 31/10/2017 23:17

*hes a real saver tho!

CompletelyUnknown · 31/10/2017 23:18

We have a Go Henry card for our 8 year old. Weekly he gets £1 for keeping his room tidy, £1 for being nice to his sister and £1.50 for being polite/well behaved.

That way he can save it or spend it. He can check on the app how much he has etc. It’s a pre paid debit card.

This week he is not getting the well behaved money but he has been brilliant with his sister.

arethereanyleftatall · 31/10/2017 23:19

My 9 year old gets nothing. We are not struggling for money. She has chores to do which I consider part of contributing to a household rather than something to be rewarded. She gets a magazine or treat occasionally and I go all out at Christmas and birthdays. I guess the reason I don't, is because she doesn't want anything, her interests are sport (paid for) and you tube (my iPad).

arethereanyleftatall · 31/10/2017 23:21

See I really disagree with all these rewards for being nice, rewards for getting dressed etc, surely they should be doing that anyway?

MissTeri · 31/10/2017 23:23

7 year old gets £5 a week (if he's well behaved), he does tend to use it to treat other people (unprompted) so I feel like it's worth it, it makes him feel good to buy things for other people. ie he bought a relative some flowers last week, week before a bar of chocolate for a neighbour who has been kind to him. The rest goes on a magazine or an ice cream and tub of pringles or popcorn for our movie nights.

Fantasticmissfoxy · 31/10/2017 23:24

My 9 year old DS gets nothing for nothing. We could easily afford to give him money but I don't think a) he really needs it as we meet all his expenses b) if he wants money for something extra, he should work for it.

He does little chores such as bringing in firewood, hoovering and mopping the kitchen, hanging out washing, taking the bins and recycling to the end of the drive in a wheelbarrow - and can earn between £0.50 (for hanging up washing, only takes 5 mins) to £2.00 ( for hoovering and mopping the kitchen as it's a big job to do properly) He asks for chores when he wants to earn and we agree a rate.

He probably earns himself around £3 - £5 per week on average, although when he wanted to buy himself a digital watch (£10) he managed to earn that in 2 days by doing literally every chore I could think of!

egginacup · 31/10/2017 23:28

arethereanyleftatall we need to be up and out early in the mornings and it was becoming a real struggle. They get a star for getting themselves up and dressed, own hair done, school bag ready etc withoit me having to nag and it's made our mornings much easier!

BMW6 · 31/10/2017 23:31

I think £1 pw would be totally appropriate

ZenNudist · 31/10/2017 23:33

My 7yo gets nothing. I was giving £1 / wk for good behaviour but thats moved on to pokemon cards (bought cheaply) in return for stars earned in the week.

I give an odd bit of money between 20p and £1 ad hoc / rarely and try to encourage him to save.

We buy him loads of treats so domt think he needs money.

HicDraconis · 31/10/2017 23:34

9 and 11 years old, no pocket money here. There are chores which they are required to do as functioning members of the family / household, there are chores that are "extras" for which they can earn points (things involving the dogs/chickens, cleaning, laundry etc) - points then get converted to minutes which can be spent on screen time.

I'm not sure what they would spend any money on to be honest. They don't go out without one of us at the moment (they would have a fair trek to get into town, roads aren't safe to cycle on from where we live and they'd never make it back up the hill if they tried!). We buy chocolate, snacks, ice creams in the weekly shop and they are given a book for their kindles once a week.

We pay for their hobby/sport, we buy them clothes as and when they need them so they don't really have anything they need to spend money on. When my friend visited recently she wanted to take them shopping for early Christmas presents (we live a long way away, postage usually costs more than the present!) - DS1 couldn't find anything he wanted to buy and said he would rather save the $20 than spend it for the sake of spending it.

Extremes of income - quite possible; we are on one income and very comfortable.

namechangedtoday15 · 31/10/2017 23:38

8 yr old gets nothing. 12yr olds get £10 per month. All expected to help around the house.

nancy75 · 31/10/2017 23:42

Dd is 12, she gets the child allowance (£80 a month) she does go out with her friends and uses it to buy cds & drinks with daft names in Costa or Starbucks. £1 a week wouldn’t get her far, she’s have to save up for a month to get a bottle of water & a biscuit!

Flyinggeese · 31/10/2017 23:46

My son's 14 and we give £10 per week.

T00much · 31/10/2017 23:47

My DC (8 & 10) get £1 a week when I remember

Cockmagic · 31/10/2017 23:47

Mine gets no pocket money (8)

But gets £5 a fortnight from nana answer other gifts from grandparents.

I buy ice cream / sweets once a week and if in town will get her something small.

T00much · 31/10/2017 23:49

Forgot to say, we are "comfortable"

ChristmasLists · 31/10/2017 23:52

50p per week per year of age so 8yo gets £4 and 6yo gets £3 but they buy anything they want from this (unless I feel especially inclined to treat them). They’re both great in understanding the value of money and budgeting/saving - if they ask for an expensive gift for birthday/Christmas they understand it would have taken them x weeks to save to buy it themselves and as such are quite grateful children.

ChristmasLists · 31/10/2017 23:54

I second a PP though that this is not contingent on doing chores and I do not pay them to help around the house - the two things are not dependent on each other but I would withhold pocket money for very bad behaviour (has happened once or twice ever).

HamSandWitches · 01/11/2017 00:06

I don't do pocket money, 2 older teen DC get their sim's paid for monthly. Some weekends they go out and get £10 or £20 depending where they are going, others they stay in and don't need anything. If they go out on an evening they get £2 for a drink and snack, they go out a couple of nights a week. DC9 just gets something if we are out shopping and she wants a magazine/hair stuff or something.

littlechous · 01/11/2017 00:17

13yo. We are kinda loaded..
£5 basic per week with up to an extra £5 earnt from odd jobs. All done on the go Henry app/card

Helpme02 · 01/11/2017 00:37

DD-4 gets 5 pound during the weekly shop to choose what she wants.

DS 10 gets 25 pound a week ( he is in a under 12 premier football club team ) and trains a lot, he uses it for food after , cinema trips if he wants. Saves it for new football boots etc etc.

He also gets 5 pound when we go weekly shop to choose treats etc he wants during it.

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