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.

I think this is a how long is a piece of string question.

Depends on age of child.
Depends on what you can afford.
Depends on whether your child is becoming 'grabby' or whether they stay appreciative.
Depends on what you expect the child to buy with her money (eg b-day presents to family members?)

To help with learning budgeting, you may like to increase the pocket money, but stop the hand-outs at random times for when she socialises without you.

To be more helpful:

DD1 age 15 just gone up to £25 per month. This is family b-day and Christmas token presents, PAYG phone, and discretionary spend only. We pay for any regular organised clubs / activities she does.

DD2 age nearly 10 just gone up to £3 per week. This is family b-day and Christmas token presents and discretionary spend only. We pay for any regular organised clubs / activities she does.

We pay for ice creams etc. if they are with us.

We could afford more but don't want the DD's to grow up spending money like water and then be shocked when they have to stand on their own two feet.

Agree with everything T&T has said.

My 12 yr old gets £12 a month pocket money, but that's all she gets - if she wants to go to the pictures, etc., then she saves up for it.
We pay for subs for Scouts (£10per month) and subs for football (£15 per month) and her cricket training (£2 a week). Oh, and for a piano lesson (£9 per week).

However, it's going to depend on your disposable income each month / how many oother dc you have, etc.).

Dd (11 and just starting Y7) will get £5 per week from September - just gone up from £5 per fortnight during primary

Out of that she is expected to get family presents and any books, toiletries, little bits of stuff for riding, iTunes etc eg she just bought an agility hurdle for the dog out if her pocket money

We cover the cost of her riding lesson, pony club, swim squad and drama sessions and wouldn't expect her to buy ice creams etc if out with us for the day

Here we spend loads on music tuition etc not to mention the ferrying about etc. We buy all clothes/toiletries/treats/phones etc ( unless out with mates)

Actual, what my mum would call " fritter money" is very little. THe 18yr old gets £20/month for instance ( though I'm going to increase that).

However they keep their bursaries from singing ( which are meant to compensate parents for parking fees/travel etc) so youngest is filthy rich!

We could give them more, and I don't suppose they'd spend it like water, but we don't.

DSD(10) gets £15 a week plus about £10 pw spent on treats for her

But about £50 out of mine & dh pocket paying for clubs and to go horse riding

My dd (12) gets £10 pocket money a week, we pay for her phone (contract as it was a Christmas present) and things like essential items of clothing and toiletries. We also occasionally supply money for cinema, Costa, wagamamas, etc.

D's 15 gets £25 a month. Phone paid for and rail travel to away football matches to follow his team
Dd 18 about £60 a month on singing/drama, £50 a month allowance. Phone paid for but if she goes over has to pay.

Sorry dds singing is £60 a week.

Ds is 12 he gets sport club at £50 pm his horse plus lessons, competition entries etc at £100ish pm and his phone at £8 pm. It's a lot but horses are what we do instead of holidays, having a car, cinema trips etc. I buy basic wardrobe, toiletries etc. He gets no pocket money though, if he wants to go out with mates he earns it. He does odd jobs for family, friends and neighbours and he works hard. He also saves hard bless him!

DD is 12, she gets £10 pocket money per month, plus my mum gives her £5 per month. She also gets £15 clothes allowance per month to cover all clothes except school uniform & necessary shoes, but that's 'virtual money' IYSWIM (i.e., we pay, but she can spend up to that). Theoretically she gets up to £5 a month phone credit but she's been on the same fiver since Christmas.

Clubs - £10 a month approx for lifesaving, horse riding £16 a lesson (weekly but only 5 months of the year, works out about 20 lessons max), art class £5 week. Overall I'd say it comes to about £50 a month. She also does quite a bit of drama but that doesn't cost anything as it's just joining in with local productions.

We're fortunate in that we can afford it (both working, only one child). If we were broke obviously she couldn't do so much, she knows she's lucky to be able to do these activities and it depends on the way things are.

DD8 monthly
Flute £64
Piano £64
Ice skating group lesson £40
Ice skating private lesson £64
Skate club £24
Spanish £16
French £16
Swimming £40
Pocket money £10

DS4 monthly
Ice skating group lesson £40
Ice skating private lesson £32
Skate Club £24
Swimming £20
Pocket money £10

Can't bring myself to total!

ds (16)
Pocket money £50
Music lessons £42.50
Football £8
Driving lessons looming

dd (11)
Pocket money £20
Music lessons £42.50
Riding lessons £62.50
Pony Club £50
Guides £5

DS 14 yrs £15 a month, doesn't do any clubs, uses for presents/Steam programmes.

Dd13 £12 a month to spend but £56 on specialist sports out of school, £150 on music lessons, £80 on LAMDA lessons. We pay for lots of presents for friends as v sociable & goes to lots of parties.

Dd16 has clothes allowance but has £30 per month for socialising/presents. £75 on music lessons £100 on dance lessons. We pay for taxis home if we think the journey back justifies (has friends who live awkward journeys away & we try to coordinate with other families).

DDs sound spoilt but both work hard, empty dishwasher, do washing, cook for the family etc & we are comfortable with this level of expense. DS doesn't care that so much more is spent on dds as he doesn't want to go out, play sport or an instrument.

dd8 gets £1 per week pocket money
she gets sweets once a week and ice creams, or a soft drink if out for the day
she does martial arts £20 per month
cubs £35 per term
music classes £55 per term

Dd 9

Jujitsu £3 a week
Swimming paid termly but works out about £20 a month
Tutors £50 a week
She doesn't get pocket money but we usually treat them at the weekend to a book or small treat (the dreAded loom bands or similar!)

Ds2 is now 14 and he gets £20 a week although DH gives him extra money for the cinema.

We pay for his phone, clothes, toiletries ice hokey subscription, kit etc.

I seriously think it will be cheaper when we have to pay his Uni fees!

What age did you all start giving pocket money?

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.

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).

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 )

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.

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.

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.