Pocket money - any rules?

[Azzie]

Ds is approaching 5, and is quite keen to start having a little pocket money of his own. Dh and I have agreed that he can have 50p a week once he turns 5. However, I'm not really sure what rules are fair to enforce regarding how he spends it. I don't want him spending it all on sweets (he is particularly keen on lollipops at the moment) because that wouldn't be very good for him. Am I being mean? And for how long would I be able to enforce such a rule? Does anyone else have any rules about how pocket money gets spent?

My ds is 7 and still does not get any pocket money. The subject has never arisen, so I'm leaving it well alone as it could bring problems of all kinds. I remember when I was a kid we had to work for our pocket money, such like setting the table or drying the knifes and forks up that kind of thing. I haven't yet thought of anything for him to do. I suppose keeping his bedroom tidy would be ab added bonus for me!

My kids are 12 and 9 and are just now starting to get an allowance. Some things they have to do automatically to learn responsibility (since they are getting older now) is cleaning their rooms and putting away their own laundry once I wash and dry it. I do give allowance for doing extra work for me. Some examples are like washing down the van, cleaning it out, or things like dusting. I never have given my kids any money when they were younger I would just buy them a treat at times.

We haven't reached this stage (dd only 17 mths) but when my brother started giving his daughter pocket money, they specified that it couldn't be used for sweets. They bought sweets/ice creams etc for her when appropriate.