How much pocket money?

[Greenbanana7]

16 year old DS, just left school, started college. Empties the dishwasher on a rota with his siblings and gets £4 a week. We buy him clothes and other stuff he needs. What would be a reasonable amount to give him per week? We have 3 children below him in age so need to be mindful about how much it will cost when they all turn 16! Thanks

Conscious that £4 isn't very much when you are 16, but not sure what reasonable would look like...

The amount depends on what it has to cover

Do you give him money to meet friends, grab lunch, go to the cinema etc?

I pay for gym and essential clothing items, and he has lunch money for 6th form but otherwise nothing

And his phone

Yes I give him money if he wants to go to cinema or meet friends

DD is 15 so she's still at school. She has a Saturday job.
So I don't give her pocket money as such, but I do put £10 a week on her school account and pay for school trips, her phone, and buy all essential clothes and toiletries, plus bits when we are shopping.

How much do you think you give him a month for lunches and meeting his mates?

I'd stick with what you are giving him and encourage him to get a part time job to earn his own at that age if there are any available where you are.

If you’re giving him extra money then it’s kind of irrelevant but my 12 year old gets £5 a week and that doesn’t even buy a Starbucks let alone a Maccies meal. She doesn’t go out often yet but DS from 12 got £10 a week.

My 16 year old gets his bus fair and enough to buy his lunches at college, he has money to see friends, buy food and be independent.

He has to buy his own clothes which he does by selling and buying on depop.

He has to manage his own money and has spent the weekend trying to get work and applying for weekend jobs.

So he gets £160pcm put into his account and we don't give him any extra during the month.

What about money for hobbies/books/education/music? £4 is a really random amount and not sure what it has to cover, if he can’t get a job due to school then it makes sense to just pay for things yourself rather than giving him a random set amount?

Mine has just got a job at Waitrose so we will prob stop his pocket money but he was getting £50 a month. We paid his gym, phone and lunch money etc. Would often top it up for something particular too.

Actually think it had gone up to 60.

Both mine worked from 14, when I stopped chore linked pocket money. I don't believe in money for nothing.

Sorry should add to my post £160 -£100 of that is his bus fair, so he gets £60 for lunches etc.

I would think by 16 you should be moving away from pocket money into a monthly allowance. The figure being just about enough for him to pay for the things you mention himself. Pocket money and allowances are an opportunity to manage money and budget accordingly in a safe environment. Money management skills are essential. If you don’t give them the opportunity to learn and make mistakes at this age then surely they will just do it when they are older but with adult spending problems.

My 14 year old gets £10 a week. We pay for clothes and school stuff and phone. It's just for discretionary spending.
My 17 year old gets £100. This is to cover Ubers, clothes other than basics (school/ sport/ underwear/ coats/ sensible necessary clothes etc all covered by us) and going out. She works to supplement it as she's got a bad ASOS habit.

My 17 yr old at college gets his bus fare to college paid by us, his phone and a gym membership.

He earns around £90 per week from his part time job from which he buys clothes and pays for going out etc.

He manages his own money and we give him no extra money. He seems to be doing well with his budgeting and regularly gives me money to put into his isa account for savings.

My 16 year old DD is still at school. From us she gets £100 every 4 weeks and £50 from grandparents in to her account. This pays for clothes, makeup, presents for friends and family and days out with her friends. She has her phone paid by us and a bus pass that's free in Scotland

£20 allowance a week. We still pay for any essentials and her allowance is for any extras with the expectation she also saves

I don't really give my 15 year old daughters a set amount but whenever they're going out and the money on their card has run out, they get some cash added. But they're sensible enough to know that if they've been given £50, it shouldn't be spent all at once! And if we are out together, I'll pay for stuff they want, like a t-shirt or something, if I think it's reasonable and good. I pay for their phones from my own money. For my 12 year old son, it is fairly similar, but he is less responsible so there are restrictions!!!

My kids also don't really get money for chores and stuff. They know they have to help unload the dishwasher, load it, tidy up their rooms etc. It's not like they're doing it everyday, just when I need the help!

Instead of doing this just give him £20 week and tell him he has to manage his budget so in future he wants to go to the cinema or out with friends he needs to use money from his budget. If you can't afford £20 maybe £15 per week or £60 per month.

DS16 gets £30 a month. It isn't attached to chores anymore, he helps around the house regardless. He also earns £40-50 a month from work. He has an unlimited bus pass anyway, all basic clothing/footwear is covered and his phone. He got a clothing allowance at the start of college, £200, for anything over and above he wanted to buy. He bought a couple of branded t-shirts and has put the rest to one side in case he sees anything in the future.
He also gets £20 a week lunch allowance. If he doesn't spend it all, he keeps the leftover amount, although they like to go for a treat lunch on a Friday.

Mine gets £60/month but I cover all essentials (lunch money, extra curricular clubs, phone, clothes). The £60 covers going out with friends, cosmetic stuff, accessories or clothes that are wanted but not needed. I don’t give extra during the month - once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Mine still gets £160/month at 17. It’s to cover anything he might ask us for cash for - lunch/bus fares/socialising/friends’ birthdays/non-essential clothes/festival tickets and spending money. Seems to work out ok.

It’s an allowance rather than pocket money.