Average allowance up to $35/wk

[CrazyLucky]

I can see $35/week if the kid is supposed to be purchasing some necessities like clothes with it. But no, not just for fun money. And it will have to be earned by things like helping around the house, cutting the grass or whatever. Right now my kids get $0.25 per chore. Their chores are things like putting away laundry, feeding the dog, etc. They are 3 and 5. DS has bought himself several nice toys with his savings. He also is really proud to buy something at the grocery store and be able to donate it to the food bank. So cute!

[mominatrix]

My older one (8) gets $8 a week (she earns her age) but it gets split (save, spend, give) so her spending money is $3/wk.

[msmerymac]

Jul 16, 2015 6:43:27 GMT -5 tres3 said:

that sounds about right for a teenager. I would probably do $50/wk and include clothing as part of their responsibility

Yeah, it depends what they are expected to do with it. My husband and I each give ourselves what some people would consider a large amount of personal spending money, but that money goes to not only things like coffee and hobbies, but clothing, haircuts, gifts, etc. 

When I was a kid, my parents would pay to get my camera film developed (lol), buy my clothes (within reason) and my contact solution and shampoo with the rest of the groceries, that kind of thing. My dad paid for my car insurance until I graduated from college. My spending money in high school was for things like going to movies with friends or Christmas gifts. $35 might be a bit much for that. But not if you need to spend a few hundred a year on school clothes and/or shoes. 

ETA: My "allowance" was basically my parents giving me $3/day for lunch in high school. I tried to get around this by packing my own lunch, but my dad said when I brought lunch, he would give me $2/day, so I wasn't as clever as I thought. I was also expected to work in the summer. 

[mominatrix]

Jul 16, 2015 9:58:30 GMT -5 leeba25 said:

My 8yo gets $3 a week, and my 4yo gets $1. (We didn't start the older kid until he was in Kindergarten, so 5 years old, but it seemed right to give the younger one something when I give to the older one so .... )

I like the idea of doing a dollar per year of their age, but I'd have to make him save a good portion of that. $8 a week is too much to spend on Pokemon cards, and that's exactly what he'd do.

we use one of these, to divide save/spend/give:

www.moonjar.com/

she loves it.

[laurenpetro]

LOLOLOL!!!!

G gets $1/week. she's 9.

[shauni27]

Jul 16, 2015 6:43:27 GMT -5 tres3 said:

that sounds about right for a teenager. I would probably do $50/wk and include clothing as part of their responsibility

My parents did something similar when we started middle school before we could get real jobs.  It was around $25-$30 a week IF we did all of our chores (cooking once a week, cleaning, dishes, etc) and we had to learn to balance our money--we were responsible to buy everything we wanted on top of food our parents provided--so if we wanted junk food, we had to buy it.  New clothes, books or movies, movies with friends, etc.  It was a great lesson for us.

[decemberwedding07]

I got 2/3 of my age per week, until I hit 15, at which point my mom said it was leveling off. Lol. Even then, it wasn't something I got automatically. I had to do all of my chores, behave myself, make good grades, etc., and even THEN it was completely subject to my mom's own whims. If she didn't have $10 (the equivalent of $13.50 today) to give, I wasn't getting $10. That money also had to cover anything that wasn't necessary to life. If I wanted makeup, I had to buy it with my money. If I wanted a hair product like gel, or even dandruff shampoo, I had to buy that as well. $35?! Just for existing? Who are these people?!

ETA: Clothes weren't really a concern. I wore a uniform to school and had a handful of clothes that I could wear the rest of the time. My mom bought church clothes for us, but my non-school clothing came from hand-me-downs, Christmas and birthday gifts, and the VERY rare (maybe once per year) occasion where she would just buy something for us out of the blue. I had one full outfit that was nicer than a tee and Soffee shorts, but more casual than church clothes. I wore it to so many out of uniform days that one of my classmates asked me if I had other clothes, or if I just really liked it. 

[decemberwedding07]

1/3 of my allowance was savings, or that's what my mom told us, anyway. She gave us $1/year of our age, with 1/3 of it going to the bank. When I was a senior in high school and getting ready for college, I said, "Okay, so how much is in my savings account now?" She was like, "Ummm... That didn't happen. I never set up a savings account for you." WTH, lady! I thought that was covered! I was counting on that! I was imagining this checking account all ready to go with $1,000-ish in it. NOPE!

[UMaineTeach]

I feel like people who can afford $35/wk are not the same ones who's kids are suffering for clothing.

The $35/wk kids might have to use that money to get $100 jeans, but parents aren't going to make them go naked or get hand outs from school if they buy too much coffee...

almost $2,000/year is too much for fun money, but not enough for a child to live on and buy 100% of what they need. Based on the "average it costs to raise a kid to 18" you would have to give a $262/wk allowance for them to (average middle class) sustain themselves (all food, all fun, all extra utilities for the house, all clothes, all medical expenses, all gifts, all car expenses, all daycare and aftercare expenses) from week 1 of birth. Plus, you might need to let them borrow against future weeks to for them to afford that daycare bill and food.

[UMaineTeach]

Jul 16, 2015 6:42:53 GMT -5 shell403b said:

Wut? My kid gets 2.50 (granted he's 4, but stilL). When I remember. LOL. And 30% of it goes to savings, taxes and charity.

I'm trying to let it go, but I can't.

What taxes are you making the 4 year old pay? His share of property taxes? Making him file a return for his $130/yr income? I don't think he'll owe anything at that income level, even with nothing taken out ahead of time.

[shell403b]

Jul 16, 2015 15:12:21 GMT -5 UMaineTeach said:

Jul 16, 2015 6:42:53 GMT -5 shell403b said:

Wut? My kid gets 2.50 (granted he's 4, but stilL). When I remember. LOL. And 30% of it goes to savings, taxes and charity.

I'm trying to let it go, but I can't.

What taxes are you making the 4 year old pay? His share of property taxes? Making him file a return for his $130/yr income? I don't think he'll owe anything at that income level, even with nothing taken out ahead of time.

He puts a quarter each into 3 jars. One for taxes (I don't know yet what we will do with that money), one for savings and one for charity. Ends up equaling 10% of his allowance for each. Not to make him pay taxes of course, but to show him from a very early age where money goes and how to budget. I've never received pushback or even a question about it. You are the first. 

[cookiemdough]

I never really had an allowance so really I am not trying to add one more "bill" to my life.

[frlcb]

Jul 16, 2015 20:19:49 GMT -5 shell403b said:

Jul 16, 2015 15:12:21 GMT -5 UMaineTeach said:

I'm trying to let it go, but I can't.

What taxes are you making the 4 year old pay? His share of property taxes? Making him file a return for his $130/yr income? I don't think he'll owe anything at that income level, even with nothing taken out ahead of time.

He puts a quarter each into 3 jars. One for taxes (I don't know yet what we will do with that money), one for savings and one for charity. Ends up equaling 10% of his allowance for each. Not to make him pay taxes of course, but to show him from a very early age where money goes and how to budget. I've never received pushback or even a question about it. You are the first. 

He's 4, he doesn't know to pushback. My 4 year old thinks a penny is like finding $100 and tries to pay for stuff with an old hotel key card. I don't think making her pay taxes out of her allowance would phase her (if we gave her one at 4) but I do find it odd.

[rugbywife]

Well a lot of my grade 8 students got at least a drink a day at starbucks...that's $35 a week right there.

[textbookcase]

LOL, no.

My oldest gets money for watching her little sisters (probably $20 - $40 per month). She and my middle dd get money for small jobs above and beyond their regular chores occasionally. They also sell their 4-H animals in the livestock auction at the county fair each year. They get to keep 10% and the rest goes into their savings accounts. $35/week, gtfo.

[NitaX]

My 12 yr old gets NOTHING. Why? Because I have to remind her to do shit like feed the pets. They don't remind me to show up to work so I can get paid. So, life lesson kid. Do chores - get allowance. Do nothing, get nothing.

[shell403b]

Jul 16, 2015 20:43:02 GMT -5 frlcb said:

Jul 16, 2015 20:19:49 GMT -5 shell403b said:

He puts a quarter each into 3 jars. One for taxes (I don't know yet what we will do with that money), one for savings and one for charity. Ends up equaling 10% of his allowance for each. Not to make him pay taxes of course, but to show him from a very early age where money goes and how to budget. I've never received pushback or even a question about it. You are the first. 

He's 4, he doesn't know to pushback. My 4 year old thinks a penny is like finding $100 and tries to pay for stuff with an old hotel key card. I don't think making her pay taxes out of her allowance would phase her (if we gave her one at 4) but I do find it odd.

I meant pushback/questions from adults. Implying that we're doing something wrong. UMaineTeach was the first. You are the second.

[UMaineTeach]

Jul 17, 2015 7:28:41 GMT -5 shell403b said:

Jul 16, 2015 20:43:02 GMT -5 frlcb said:

He's 4, he doesn't know to pushback. My 4 year old thinks a penny is like finding $100 and tries to pay for stuff with an old hotel key card. I don't think making her pay taxes out of her allowance would phase her (if we gave her one at 4) but I do find it odd.

I meant pushback/questions from adults. Implying that we're doing something wrong. UMaineTeach was the first. You are the second.

I was legit confused about a 4 year old saving for taxes. I wanted to know what he was supposed to do with the money.

Unless he decided for himself, based on overheard adult conversations that he wanted to save for taxes, I might have gone with a more relatable budget category.

But, this is certainly a do what you want situation, no harm can come of saving for taxes. Taxes are not going away.

 

[leeba25]

Jul 17, 2015 9:42:44 GMT -5 UMaineTeach said:

Jul 17, 2015 7:28:41 GMT -5 shell403b said:

I meant pushback/questions from adults. Implying that we're doing something wrong. UMaineTeach was the first. You are the second.

I was legit confused about a 4 year old saving for taxes. I wanted to know what he was supposed to do with the money.

Unless he decided for himself, based on overheard adult conversations that he wanted to save for taxes, I might have gone with a more relatable budget category.

But, this is certainly a do what you want situation, no harm can come of saving for taxes. Taxes are not going away.

 

I don't think it's that they're making him save for taxes. Like ok, we have to pay our annual property tax, Sammy where's your $9.75 contribution? I think it was more a life lesson that the big guy comes and takes part of your earnings and it goes bye-bye, and you have no say in it. Like with our paychecks, net vs gross and all that. 

At least that's how I read it. Either way, it's a little odd. 

[taratru]

Uh. My kids don't get an allowance.