Allowance - how much?

[allaboutthecrisps]

Our DD is 14 and we think it might be time for her to have an allowance. She is very sensible and not very practised at shopping/ getting into and back from town on her own.

We would continue to buy school uniform and a pair of black shoes.

We think her allowance would cover all other clothing, haircuts, presents for friends, usual pocket money spends (books, occasional sweets, electronic things like headphones etc.), any lunches out with friends (not with us, we'd pay for those - lunches out with friends are v. v. rare and cheap), travel to/ from town (she can walk if she wants but there are bus options too).

We were thinking of £50 a month. How does this compare to what others get?

This will not be directly tied to household tasks as we're not sure that's an idea we really want to get behind given that household tasks are something we all have to do without financial reward, but just for context, she is pretty good at this kind of stuff. Today she made me lunch and is cleaning the bathroom for example, and takes full responsibility for her own room cleaning and tidying.

My sister works in a school. She told me a story about a boy in her class who rushed up to her, delighted to show her his new trainers. He'd managed to find trainers on the market for £7 and was so pleased. He has an "allowance" out of which he has to buy all his clothes. My sister said her heart broke for this poor young boy having to scrabble around markets for the cheapest money can buy. He's flagged as at risk of parental neglect- this isn't the only reason but it's a contributing factor.
There's nothing wrong with buying from markets and I'd probably be delighted to find a £7 pair of trainers myself, but as PP have said it's too much of a burden to put on a child who ought to be focusing on her studies rather than worrying about how she's going to afford clothes and a haircut.

There's a poster on another thread who frequently mentions that her mum stopped buying her clothes when she was 14. She's a grown woman now but it's obviously had a big impact on her and her feelings for her mother.

I do think OP you have come on here seeking validation for your plan - your daughter's feelings are not relevant here, as after having £6 per month pocket money for years £50 will seem a huge amount.

I think the suggestion is stingy at best and neglectful at worst.