How much does pocket money & activity costs total a month for your DC?

[starfish4]

Just wondering how much other parents spend on pocket money, clubs and extra amounts they give. Music tuition and hire cost us around £260 a year. She only has £6 pocket money a month, but usually end up giving her approx £10 extra for things like going to cinema with friends or meeting at Costa.

We haven't got loads of money right now, but I think she needs to be doing something else so trying to get an idea of what's fair or what others do.

[TryingNotToLaugh]

Dd (10) total per month £104
Gymnastics £16
Guides £10
Dance £8
Trampolining £16
Guitar £16
Youth Club £4
swimming £32
Drama £2

ds (8) total per month £59
Squash £34
Cubs £10
Rugby £15

They both get £3 a week pocket money. This is a carrot for something I want them to take responsibility for and changes periodically. At the moment it's for keeping their nails clean and tidy.

[trockodile]

One DS age 9. @£650 per month-about £500 of this is on skating (doesn't include skates/costume etc) including 90 minutes of private lessons and 2 off ice classes a week, and the remainder on dance lessons and swimming lessons/swimming for fun.
He doesn't get regular pocket money at the moment but my parents usually give him £2/3 every week or two and he gets money to have breakfast in the cafe at skating club with his friends. Skating is expensive and as a result we are having less holidays/days out. DS tells me (reassuringly!) that it will be nice for me as kids who figure skate live at home much longer so that parents can pay for their lessons! He was deadly serious!

[Anja1Cam]

I'm with you pastaeatingmum2kids

My DDs are 10 and 7 and get £1 per week. No expectation to spend it on anything but themselves - less likey to be sweets in our case but it's their choice, I don't interfere.

Both do Ballet, one after school clup and a sports lesson a week.

The older one is probably due for a rise , the younger has only just started.

[pastaeatingmum2kids]

Wow, it sounds like I'm so mean in comparison, my kids get £1 each a week. They are aged 8 and 10. They'd only spend it on sweets. No clubs either but I do buy everything else for them.
Mind you I'm a single mum who isn't working so I can't afford much else :(

[Vickisuli]

Wow never added up the cost of clubs before...

All DD1's (age 8) clubs are paid termly, but over the year it costs £500 so about £40 a month. She does ballet, tap, drama, choir and Brownies. That money doesn't include dance shoes, and Brownie kit but I try to get it all cheap / second hand if poss.

DD2 (age 6) not so keen to do stuff so only does choir and Rainbows total £75 a year (£6 a month!), but might start gym soon.

DS1 (age 4) doesn't do any clubs at the mo but might do football soon which will be about £180 a year.

They all get no pocket money to speak of except my mum gives them 20p every time she sees them (about once a week) (and they save it up to buy little toys, often in charity shops.) I wouldn't give them more money than that at the moment because they don't actually need to buy anything. I buy bits and pieces for them when I see them but try to keep them for a present for achieving something / starting school/ good report etc. The only reason for having pocket money is to start to learn about how money works and the fact that you can't buy everything you want, you have to save up for things. When they are older and actually have things they need to buy I would reconsider. At the moment I buy present for their friends birthdays, and any family presents. I guess that will change later too.

[OverAndAbove]

Well, we use after-school activities as childcare, so when combined with dance (x2 classes per week) and swimming it averages at about £250 per child per month. So yes, that would cover a good holiday!

We decided it's find to do all these things at primary age but are hoping later on they'll drop off; not just for the expense but for the need to focus on just a couple of things and of course on school work.

Pocket money is £1 per week and covers sweets and magazines/small lego/loom bands/plastic tat

[wonkylegs]

DS is 6,
I'm not sure how much per month but beavers is £38 per quarter, swimming has just gone up to £44 for 10 lessons. He doesn't get pocket money but does chores/ jobs to earn money which works out approx £5 every 4-6wks depending how helpful he's feeling.

[morethanpotatoprints]

Still

I started off at £3 for ballet She doesn't dance anymore but then came tap, modern, national and jazz. Then the exams, shoes, uniform.
Then came the shows at over £200 for costumes
My advice, stick with tap and ballet

[morethanpotatoprints]

Micah

We are the same but only dd1 now as her siblings are grown up and wage earners themselves.

If they turn out to be talented, are spotted and encouraged on the way to Stardom, Olympics, etc. You don't have much choice but to go with the flow.

[Postchildrenpregranny]

Just in case anyone think we were l loaded ,my husband was more or less unemployed for 8 years,starting when the eldest was 5,but I did feel the CB should go to them .It helped that there are 4 years between them and we were considerately better off by the time the youngest was 11 as he got another job and by then I had been promoted,so stayed at work .

[micah]

Oh and they don't get pocket money. They save Christmas and birthday money if they want stuff. Most rellies are pretty good now and give cash or vouchers...

[Postchildrenpregranny]

On today's rates mine would have got £68 a month at aged ten .Sounds a lot,but it definitely taught them to handle money .Both got through Uni without overdrafts ;eldest (only moderately paid and lives in London) pays off credit card every month .Younger(about to start work) still doesn't have a credit card

[micah]

Oh god you don't want to know. Put it this way, we could easily go on a luxury family holiday in August with the money.

I pay by direct debit so I don't have to think about it too much.

For dc1 it's only one activity. But she's been talent id'd, so top coaches, national competitions etc. rack up the cost.

we've discussed it a lot. But it's what the dc want to do, and they're both ok with going camping rather than luxury, and making certain sacrifices.

[morethanpotatoprints]

If they sing or do modern theatre you can kiss goodbye to a fortune.

how would you all like to sing at The Albert Hall.
Well of course most dc would
So there are tickets to buy, ok 25% off for parents.
Travel, being organised for £25 per person, brilliant save a fortune there.
Meals for parents as we have lots of free time- Not cheap in London.
This is just one concert for one choir, and there are several throughout the year.
The costs eat up the cb and tax credits, but at the end of the day it should be spent on the children.

[Postchildrenpregranny]

From last year of primary school mine (2) got half the Child Benefit -not sure how much that is now .It went into their bank accounts.They were expected to pay for every day treats,books,CDs,DVDs presents etc and 'fun' i.e. unnecessary clothing.We paid for school uniform,wintercoats,shoes,underwear,,nightwear and jeans,T shirts,sweaters ,the odd dress and the like .We also paid for
Music lessons and any after school/organised activities .And anything we did as as a family.We never 'subbed ' them,except occasionally if they did particularly well at school . I worked full time (not from choice) from when the youngest was 5 and had a cleaning lady, so I'm afraid that they weren't really expected to earn it-though they did have to look after their own rooms .They are 28 and 24 and very good with money

[Stillwishihadabs]

So true morethan the boots for football !!!!

[morethanpotatoprints]

I think it depends on the child and their interests tbh.
Also, some dc activities are their curricular not extra curricular.
So for example I spend anything from £50 per week to £300 for a week, depending on what I have to buy/pay for at the time. This is factoring in the price of actually being involved not just the fees.
My dd doesn't really get pocket money, but we buy her what she needs and the odd thing she wants but doesn't need, like a magazine cheap toy/thing.

[Stillwishihadabs]

I was just working this out today;

Dd £3 pw ballet
£4 pw drama
£7:50 pocket money
£12 riding

Total £27 pw

Ds £3 pw football
£12 riding
£7:50 pocket money

Total £22:50 pw

So £50 pw together or £225 PCM but only in term time.

[Purpleflamingos]

Should have added -up to 2 family swim sessions per week. It doesn't look so much when it's £3.50 for a Thursday swim and £6 ish for a family on a Sunday. Dc currently go free because they train there.

[Purpleflamingos]

I've never added it up really,
Swimming - between £34-£80 per month. That's for 1 swimming lesson per week plus up to 2 family swim sessions which is a mix of fun and practice.

Pocket money -£16 for both dc per month.

Other sports - around £30 per month

But then there's all the 'if we can afford it' extras that I don't add up, after school clubs (not free), magazines, sweets....

I'd like to get a piano but currently looking for a suitable old one. I can teach them the basics whilst they are young.

[StuntNun]

DS1 (11) gets £5 per week if he does one chore per day (bring in bins, vacuum, go to shop for me, help tidy up). We pay for music lessons, Scouts, church youth group and any trips out such as the cinema.

DS2 (8) gets £2 a week and has to feed the dog every morning. We pay for Cubs, Ju-Jitsu and trips out.

DS3 (nearly 2) gets nuffink. He would only try and eat it.

[TantrumsAndBalloons]

Ds1-15
Phone contract £15.50
Pocket money £40
Football league fees £250 a year
Elite football club £7 per week
Football boots/shin pads/Astros/whatever approx £200 a year.
Pocket money has to cover clothes if he wants expensive designer stuff that I won't pay for :) cinema, Costa,McDonalds, etc. once it's gone, it's gone.
He also has swimming once a week and uses the gym 3-4 times a week but we have a family membership that covers all 5 of us for £121 per month

Ds2 aged 11
Football league fees £190
Elite training Friday £7 per week
Elite training Tuesday £7 per week
Phone £15.50
Pocket money £20 per month. For clothes, birthday presents etc
Swimming lessons- again covered by gym membership.
Football boots/shin pads/Astros/trainers approx £125 a year (smaller feet )

[poshfrock]

All three DCs have bank accounts and pocket money is paid in monthly by standing order.
Pocket money is reduced if chores not done.

DS15 & DS14 £20 per month each plus contract phones £25 per month each
DD10 £15 per month plus contract phone £18 per month

DS14 & DD10 also have guitar lessons - £30 per month each
DD10 - singing lessons £12 per week & sports activity £4 per week

We buy all clothes and toiletries

I'd love to be able to pay for more activities ( guitar is fortnightly for example as can't afford weekly) and I'm dreading university. According to the online calculator we're supposed to pay £650 per child per month ! That's 1 and half times our monthly food bill. I just don't know where on earth we'd get that sort of money from. The only way we would be able to afford it is to stop DH's pension contributions which are about £550 per month ( police pension - compulsory contribution level; no flexibility in payments, all or nothing).

[Islandmum23]

Ds13 gets £25 paid into his bank account each month. Has an ATM but not debit card. He doesn't touch it for months then buys something major. Activities we pay for or he washes neighbourhood cars when he wants extra. The most he will ever get is £35 - he's got to earn the rest.

Dd10 gets £4.50 cash a week and it's gone in seconds! When she is 11 she will get the same allowance.