No doubt been asked before - pocket money - when to start it

[MNersanonymous]

What age do you all introduce pocket money at?

I was wondering if it's usually only once they are at school?

How do you decide how much and what's the going rate for littlies?

I remember my parents used to threaten to take it away if we were naughty so i'm kind of looking forward to using that threat to keep ds in line!!

I reckon when they start wanting to buy things for themselves - sweets, comics etc that perhaps you would not automatically buy for them.

How much? Find out the local going rate and then work out with your household finances etc.

If DC have not shown any interest then probably wont be worth doing

started when dd was 5, she gets £1 each week - we're not great at remembering - nor is she! - so sometimes she gets £2 or £3 at a time. She's 6 and a half now. She sometimes puts it in her piggybank, sometimes in her little wallet to spend when we're out and about. hasn't saved up to buy anything significant

will you NOT BUY things if they dont haev enough pocket money
i mean is there a [oint to it
mine cna earn money
but i buy them stuff too
mine do not get it

are
9 7 and 5

what do they do to earn money then? give me some ideas...

and does it make them ask for money every time you ask them to do something?

am worried that if I pay DD to do jobs she will then ask for money when I ask her to do the normal what is expected jobs (ie tidy her toys)

no for htings over nad above

Ours each started at 5/6yrs, £1. Doubled on entry to juniors and financial demands of the high-octane lifestyle therein

They don't have to earn it. But it is docked/postponed if bad behaviour.

£1 a week each. They are 7 and 5.

We do the old-fashioned 10p/year system - so there was jubilation last week when ds's pocketmoney went up from 80p to 90p. Dd is on 70p.

They're not that interested in sweets & comics & things, so we don't hand it out in cash - we write it into a mini cash book, so that when dd decides that all she wants in the world is The Baby Squirrel Sylvanians, she can check her balance & buy if she can.

The cash book is quite good sums-practice too, incidentally.

MIne startd on 6th birthday - £1 a week. Don't always remember though and they get the odd 50p or £1 if I'm feling generous and they have helped me out doing something - jobs like sweeping kitchen floor, emptying dishwasher, laying table, tidying room etc. They always get £10 holiday money too. Now son is 10 and I think he is due a payrise but am sligtly reluctant as I know he will spend it on a load of crap - still working on the concept of saving up for something decent!! Love the cashbook idea - might well snatch that one if you don't mind!

We don't give pocket money. Can't see the point of it.

no no point imo either

unless oyu say " i will buy oyu nothiing " what is the point

Well, one point is that if you build up enough balance you can buy yourself whatever tat you like without having to go through the parental request process.

(Thus my own proud ownership of Ernie The Fastest Milkman in the West.)

Surely the whole point of pocket money is they get to choose what they buy within the bounds of appropriateness/ decency/ etc so if they want to buy tat other than you saying 'oh are you sure it's a bit ....', it's up to them?

We too go on 10p a year system - so DD is 6 & gets 60p a week. She can spend it on whatever she likes, except that she isn't allowed to spend more than 20p on sweets a week.
DH wanted to increase her pocket money by 10p/week for each times table that she learned, but I really don't like the idea (seems like bribery to do something that is for her own good).
We compromised on 1p/week increase per table - so DD currently supposed to get 61p a week & working on 3x table!