How old was your oldest child when you started pocket money, what did they spend it on?

[fqueenzebra]

Subject line says it all, really. If I give pocket money to oldest (now almost 6), I may have to give some to all the children. Would prefer to be stingy... especially if they are likely to just blow it all on a sweets binge.

make them do chores for pocket money like tidy there toys away take their dishes to the sink etc then they might appreciate it more and save it for a big toy. or they could blow it all on sweets

My mumgave me some pocket money when I was about 4. I insisted on spending it on carrots.

make them do chores for it

i dont give money and i make them d chores - as we all live here and i am not their slave.

but if you think its the right thing to do make him sweep the stairs for it. or fold his uniform for school everynight and have it all in once place or tidy his room every saturday

or all od the above!

mine get pocket money... but it has nothing to do with chores. Chores are done by all, regardless. Not incentives or punishments. They just have to do it!

I started when DS1 was 7. 10p per year so 70p. He would save it and spend it presents and sweets. He's 12.5 now and gets an allowance of £20 a month which he spends on clothes and games and footballs. He saved and bought a PSP when it came out. Now he's saving for the games.

DD1 saved hers for soft toys. Lots of beanie babies.

DD2 buys sweets and silly masks and things from the pocket money table at the toyshop!

DD2 (who's also nearly 6) gets money, but forgets all about it (she got a tenner for her first tooth on Monday, but doesn't seem that bothered about it. So I can happily 'borrow' it

DD1, (just turned 7), however, is a different kettle of fish. My mum's taught her about interest, and boy, does she hold me to it. Part of me thinks it's sweet, part of me thinks it's going to turn her into a horrid 'get what I can' person. But she has a kind temperament.

Sighhhhhhhhh .........

A tenner??!!!!!!!!!

You have very generous fairies in your area!!!

Imagine £10 for every tooth!! I would be pulling mine out!!!!!!

y dd was given pocket money (£1 per week) when she reached Yr 3 (equivalent to Juniors)on the understanding that she couldn't spend it on sweets. She mostly saves it in her bank account but sometimes buys a comic, otherwise uses it for spending money on holiday or outings.

at £10 for a tooth, our tooth fairy gives 50p for small teeth or £1 very occasionally.

dd is 5 and gets 50p a week. Ds (4 in Nov) gets nothing and knows that when he's 5, he can get pocket money.

Dd gets extra for doing extra chores but they are both expected to do standard type chores (like tidying up, setting the table)

I can imagine those children that the fairy brings a tenner to trying their hardest to make their teethe come out!!!!

I used to get 5p!!!!! lol, but that was approx 27 years ago!!

Wow, do I feel old!!

I shall have to start a thread about the tooth fairy now............

We've just started it for dd who is nearly 7. She gets £2 a week.

We started at £1 but it doesn't go far in Claire's Accessories which is mostly where she spends it.

She loves the special trip there and the deliberation of what to spend it on. Interestingly she doesn't seem to spend it on sweets, but I tend to dish them out somewhat stingily anyway after school.

We don't really pay for chores, but extra kind/helpful behaviour may merit another 20p reward. It can also go down for being naughty too though which she knows.

We (well dh actually) made a right pigs ear of this recently. In the light of our mess my advice would be ... give to the 6 year old, but not the others. It should be a right of passage which comes with a certain age and maturity. It shouldn't be given lightly and should be linked to responsibility. Also a basic allowance can be enhanced if certain duties are performed over and above basics.

I agree Spider. Our little ones (nearly 4) wouldn't understand it at all just yet. I like to be fair with them all of course, but yes to me 'right of passage' is a good way of putting it, meaning it comes with an understanding of maturity and responsibity etc.

I have also noticed that when those horrid adverts come on tv aimed at children, older dd seems to have started to grasp the money concept (ie we can't always afford to have everything we want, sadly) so it must be working in some small way.

I remember getting 5p when I was a child!!!!!!!!

Ds announced he wanted to have a bank account at 2. So he get $1 a week in his money box and pays it into the bank when it get's "too heavy".

He did buy a Thomas train though when he got a windfall from Granny.