how much pocket money do you give your children?

[perfumelady]

i have three children 8, 11 and 14, i have recently started a thread asking if your children do household chores i think it is about time my three learn't about running a house, what i would like to do is incorperate pocket money with jobs done around the house. i have never given my kids pocket money because i have always just paid for things they need or want as we go along, but now i think they need to be a bit more independent and learn the true value of money and not just assume it grows on tree's, but what do i pay them and what exactly do you make them pay for?

I give my DD age 6 £1 a week - but if she is naughty three times during the week (three strikes) she doesnt get any. Obviously yours are older!

When my DH was a nipper, from age 13 he got £2 a week pocket money and from that he had to buy his own school lunch, bus fares to and from school and then whatever he wanted after - not that there was anything left: result was he had chips for lunch every day for 4 years!

I would suggest that things such as keeping their room tidy is done anyway, without being paid. You could pay for car washing, hoovering, bathroom cleaning, dusting, washing up etc - i.e. anything you usually do!

Not sure about amounts, maybe differing amounts for jobs? I used to get £5 for washing Dad's car so maybe if all three did it, get £2 each or something then 50p for houshold jobs?

I would make them pay for comics/magazines and things like that.

Sorry, seem to have gone on a bit there

As I said on the last thred my kids get their pocket money when they tidy their rooms. This is £1 a week. They use this for buying sweets or magazines or ATM saving to go to disneyland!

Personally with your aged kids they should buy their own sweets/snacks that you don't buy as part of the weekly shop. Magazines and small toys as well (except b'day presents) The older ome should be paying for all outings with friends (cinema/shopping etc) at 14 I had a monthly allowence which included money for all clothes bar school uniform, winter coat and witer boots. Unless I needed something aditional for an occassion like a wedding and my mum wanted me extra smart! I didn't get a penny more frm my parents (and they could have afforded it) so I got a paper round too.

Your 14 yr old should have some sort of monthly allowence, although since they are not used to budgeting at all, start on weekly. It should be enough to cover most things, like one outing a week and daily money for school. Once they are dealing with that add more, work out what you spend on clothes, toys etc and split it accordingly, so they have to save for a few weeks o buy a new playstion game or something. Work towards a monthly allowence, otherwise they will go to college (uni) without knowing how to budget. BTW I went travelling at 18 and budgeing helped me as I knew I have £1000 to last 3 months or whatever.

The younger ones should get less, but still enough to buy things, perhaps the middle one could get outing money, but the youngest probably doesn't go anywhere without you, so less again. HTH

As I said on the last thred my kids get their pocket money when they tidy their rooms. This is £1 a week. They use this for buying sweets or magazines or ATM saving to go to disneyland!

Personally with your aged kids they should buy their own sweets/snacks that you don't buy as part of the weekly shop. Magazines and small toys as well (except b'day presents) The older ome should be paying for all outings with friends (cinema/shopping etc) at 14 I had a monthly allowence which included money for all clothes bar school uniform, winter coat and witer boots. Unless I needed something aditional for an occassion like a wedding and my mum wanted me extra smart! I didn't get a penny more frm my parents (and they could have afforded it) so I got a paper round too.

Your 14 yr old should have some sort of monthly allowence, although since they are not used to budgeting at all, start on weekly. It should be enough to cover most things, like one outing a week and daily money for school. Once they are dealing with that add more, work out what you spend on clothes, toys etc and split it accordingly, so they have to save for a few weeks o buy a new playstion game or something. Work towards a monthly allowence, otherwise they will go to college (uni) without knowing how to budget. BTW I went travelling at 18 and budgeing helped me as I knew I have £1000 to last 3 months or whatever.

The younger ones should get less, but still enough to buy things, perhaps the middle one could get outing money, but the youngest probably doesn't go anywhere without you, so less again. HTH

oops.

Also I would have standards I expect in the house which doesn't equate to pcket money. Then actual additional jobs like car cleaning and mowing lawns could be paid in addition (bob a job week anyone!) Shoe cleaning used to be our fave, with cleaning the silver!!

All my kids do chores which is expected and not rewarded with pocket money. The lesson here is that everyone has to pull together for the house to run smoothly (ish) and everyone pulls their weight and doesn't expect mum to be their skivvy.

if they want magazines, sweets or treats they get them anyway but I try to give these whenever they have done particularly well at something or been particularly helpful.

bump

DS1 (13.5) - £4 per week

DS2 (12) - £4 per week

DD (3.) - £0

I give DS (6) £1 a week. He's saved the past 8 weeks and got £20 yesterday from his grandparents and now he's off in town with DH and DD to buy himself a real cricket set.

None - they are all under 5 and are spoiled rotten anyway

Also point out that the DSs also get weekly pocket money at their birth-mother's house.

Sorry, that wasn't very clear, MY 2 DSs get pocket money at their birth-mother's house, as well as at ours.

Message withdrawn

ds 12yrs gets £2.50 most of which he saves (hat saving gene must have skipped a generation lol)
It is conditional on basic things being done without being asked, and mostly he achieves this
it has taken all the stress out of him getting washed/showered/bag packed for school/room tidy etc
WE use a chalk board in the kitchen to note any "strikes"
He has not had a strike in ages.
WE also used it with 100% success in getting him to switch lights off after being in his room This delighted dp who is particularly able to be peeved about lights being left on!

LOL Piffle - what is it about DH's and lights being left on?! Mine is obsessed and a regular cry in our house was my Dad: "it's like Blackpool Illuminations in here!!"

what age did you all start giving pocket money ? (my oldest is 4.5 and have intention of starting it any time soon).

We started at 6 with £1 a week, regardless of anything during the week (e.g. behaviour).