Pocket money

[Peugeot206]

Hey all, I'd like some opinions on pocket money/allowance for a 13 year old. The problem I have is that what pocket money he gets at present he just wastes on on sweets and fizzy drinks, so I'm reluctant to give him more!
He only gets £5pw at present, but he isn't asked to do any chores etc in return for it. I did read an early thread where teens did get higher amounts, but were expected to pitch in around the house. Any suggestions or comments welcome.

When DD1 was 13 she was on £15 per month and out of that she paid for PAYG phone. No/minimal chores. We pay for clothes etc etc.

Now 15 she is on the same deal but gets £25/month.

Does he actually want more? What does he say he'd do with the money?

Neither of my kids have ever had pocket money. I've paid for their phones, personal items (both girls!), clothing etc....both help around the house and should they want to buy something special they take the money from their savings accounts (Xmas and bday money in them) and they pay half and I pay half. Having said that if they do something really helpful like wash my car, do all the ironing or make a hug effort on cleaning their rooms then yea, I'll top their accounts up. I know if I give them cash each week they'll waste it on junk!

My 13 and 14 year old get £30 a month each. they are expected to keep their rooms clean and tidy and not much else.

They don't spend it - they hoard it away to spend on bigger things and scavenge off DH for money for the shops on a Saturday to get crisps etc. He is the one that insists they get out for a bit so he tends to give them £1.50ish a time even though i insist that they already get pocket money. Strangely enough they never have change either to go or bring any home.

Onemagnum....do your kids have mobiles and do you pay for them?

Yes, both have mobiles paid for by us. DS1s is £23 a month and DS2s is £15 a month but he is due an upgrade.

The phone were part of a birthday gift so effectively the monthly charge is part of that. DS1 got his upgraded after he got an award at school for hard work and achievement if DS2 gets one he'll get upgraded too when his contract is due.

On top of that we pay for Life Guard lessons, Scouts and trips/camps, clothes etc. neither of them is too into Designer gear and anything really nice or expensive tends to be bought for Christmas/Birthdays - normal everyday clothes are bought as required.

My DD is 13 and gets £13 a month. It's not linked to chores but I do expect her to pitch in as part of the household. She empties the dishwasher, puts washing on occasionally, and cooks tea around once a monthweek. She's meant to keep her room clean, but limited success there!

There are other big jobs that I would pay her for eg washing the car, mowing lawn, cleaning bathroom. She hasn't done any of them for ages though.

She gets tons of bday and Christmas money from extended family, and it tends to last her through the year for anything she wants. She buys most of her clothes, but she's really not that into fashion so she doesn't buy much. I buy all school clothes, coat & basics eg a couple of pairs of jeans and a couple of hoodies each year.

Her phone & 2 yr contract was her main birthday present, so I pay for that. I'll probably do the same when it runs out on her 15th birthday.

She also gets £12.50 a week dinner money which if she gets a meal deal leaves her about £3 a week for sweets at the shop. If she needed anything like deodorant or smellies I'd buy it at the supermarket but she mostly gets them as presents from friends anyway.

Over the last two years she saved up all her pocket money, Christmas money and birthday money, and did some jobs around the house to earn extra. In January she bought herself a KitchenAid!

My 13 yr old gets £13 per month.
Out of that she pays for any phone use (normally gives me a short ring and I ring her back, so can go for months and months without using any credit), she buys presents for family at Christmas and Birthdays and she buys sweets and other stuff she wants but doesn't need.
We pay for 'subs' for things she belongs to, clothes, toiletries, etc.
Not directly linked to chores, but mine are all expected to contribute to the household and always have been.

I give them in £ whatever their age is per month ie if they are 12 they get £12 a month, if they are 13 then £13 a month. it goes into their bank account and they can use it weekly or put it towards a bigger item monthly or yearly.

I pay for all clubs, clothing (within reason ie not designer!) travel, toiletries, mobile phone contract etc.

My DD is 13 and she gets £10 a week. £3.50 is needed towards a regular activity that's PAYG. We pay for her mobile, most clothes and basic toiletries. I pay for her to have her nails done for holidays and leg waxing (they need it and she was self conscious). She pays for make-up, high fashion clothing, extra beauty treatments that she doesn't need but I pick my battles and outings with friends.

DS is 11 and gets £5 a week. He usually blows it all once a month buying Fifa points!

My year 7's get £12/month, we pay for phones and the odd treat. They are expected to do chores around the house but not in return for their pocket money. Their money is mostly spent on sweets, hot chocolates etc...any big ticket events like the cinema or roller staking etc is usually paid by us. But they have still managed to save for things they'd like though - they've paid for half a laptop, a sonas speaker, some computer games etc. So after the initial over spending, they settled down and found a good balance between saving and spending.