If your kids get an allowance what do they do to earn it and how much do they get? DS who is 12 has mentioned he wants one and I have no idea the going rates or what constitutes chores. Up till now we've been pretty slack with him and he hasn't had to do too much. Also, I've read somewhere that it's a good idea to have them set aside a small amount each week to put into savings. Thoughts?
Post by lolalolalola on May 15, 2017 13:41:48 GMT -5
My kids are 9 & 11 and they get their age in $/week. It's a lot of money, IMO, but they buy most of their own stuff now, except clothing but I am going to get them to buy their own clothes at some point. They both save most of their money. DD1 has saved hers up to buy AG stuff occasionally, and DD1 last used hers to buy an ipod. They have set chores that they do every day/week. If they don't do them, they don't get their allowance.
My kids are 9 & 11 and they get their age in $/week. It's a lot of money, IMO, but they buy most of their own stuff now, except clothing but I am going to get them to buy their own clothes at some point. They both save most of their money. DD1 has saved hers up to buy AG stuff occasionally, and DD1 last used hers to buy an ipod. They have set chores that they do every day/week. If they don't do them, they don't get their allowance.
That was my next question. We pretty much buy him what he wants (within reason and he doesn't really ask for much). With an allowance I assume he would buy things himself. Can I be nosy and ask what type of chores? I'm really at a loss. Make his bed every morning, clean room, dishes etc?
Post by illgetthere on May 15, 2017 13:52:58 GMT -5
S1 is 11 and gets $10/month; we are increasing to $15 in a couple months and will remain there through middle school. He does not have to do anything for it, but he is expected to put up his laundry and keep his room clean and bathroom presentable. These requirement existed before he got allowance. He is also able to earn extra money (edit: mowing, dishes without being asked, helping above and beyond with s2, etc). This is his "entertainment" money so he can prioritize his wants. I.e. I pay the entrance to his end of year skate party but he buys snacks or he pays entrance fees if he wants to do something with his friends. He saves all gift money and some of the rest. We don't have a set rule since he's a saver by nature
Edit: he's getting out of the age for toys, but we only buy wants at Christmas. He uses his money for wants throughout the year, the latest of which was a $5 fidget spinner. It really makes him think about purchases
Post by revolution on May 15, 2017 14:13:55 GMT -5
DD gets $5 a week. It's not directly tied to chores. I think she needs to learn to budget and manage money so she gets an allowance.
That said, she is also expected to be a functioning member of the house and do "life chores" - clear the table, load the dishwasher, start her laundry, and other things as need to be done around the house.
Post by joyful2002 on May 15, 2017 14:17:29 GMT -5
My son is almost 13. He gets $20 every two weeks for the main chores (helping clean kitchen every night, clean his room, clean his bathroom, do his laundry, and help me dust and vacuum every weekend). If he does extra stuff over and above (for example, mowing the grass by himself versus helping my husband do it) he gets extra money. Talking about how much he does, I might owe him a little raise. He mostly saves his money but if he wants a game or something special, then he buys it himself.
Post by snipsnsnails on May 15, 2017 14:21:01 GMT -5
Our kindergartener gets $5/week. It's not tied to chores-he does those as a part of his weekly responsibilities. We do have banks to make sure he saves a portion, gives away a portion, and spends/whatever he chooses to do with a portion. This summer, he's trying to work small jobs around the house and for family members/friends to earn above his allowance for something he's saving for.
Post by textbookcase on May 15, 2017 14:26:09 GMT -5
My kids are 13, 10, and 5. They don't get a regular allowance, but We do give them opportunities to make money for doing things above and beyond regular chores, like yard work, washing cars, etc. The older two raise animals for 4-h and sell them at auction. They are able to keep a portion of that each year to spend or save (the rest stays in their bank accounts). Cambria is 13 and she works one morning a week at my office (family business). She also babysits a few times a month.
Post by noodleskooze on May 15, 2017 15:09:37 GMT -5
DH are a long way off from this but have discussed it a bit. I think we will probably try to give them money to do things when they ask for it if they have shown that they keep up with their responsibilities at home. I don't want to necessarily tie money to chores, but I do want to reward them for being responsible.
Post by hopecounts on May 15, 2017 15:20:46 GMT -5
Personally I think allowance and household responsibilities should be separate, You do chores because you are part of the family and need to contribute and be responsible for your stuff and space.
Allowance is to learn money management when screwing up isn't a big deal it just means you can't buy something. To me allowance is about teaching the reality that money is a finite resource and you need to use it wisely. And ending the Buy Mes once they have allowance it is on them to save and buy fun stuff (toys, apple stuff like movies/apps/shows) or treats like candy or ice cream at school. I.E. you buy that movie you may not be able to buy the toy you want for a couple weeks.
Personally I think allowance and household responsibilities should be separate, You do chores because you are part of the family and need to contribute and be responsible for your stuff and space.
Allowance is to learn money management when screwing up isn't a big deal it just means you can't buy something. To me allowance is about teaching the reality that money is a finite resource and you need to use it wisely. And ending the Buy Mes once they have allowance it is on them to save and buy fun stuff (toys, apple stuff like movies/apps/shows) or treats like candy or ice cream at school. I.E. you buy that movie you may not be able to buy the toy you want for a couple weeks.
This is what I do too. There is no option to not do chores. No money to lose, just that you are part of the family and expected to do hh chores. I learned the hard way since my kid was not money motivated at all and Would just accept no allowance instead of doing chores.
Post by imojoebunny on May 15, 2017 17:24:10 GMT -5
My kids are 8 and 11. They have been getting allowance, since 4. Whether you decide to make them donate, is up to you. My kids do a fundraiser each year, since 5 and 7, and have raised over $4,000 for their cause in 3 years, so we don't include this element, as part of allowance rules, though, they have chosen to donate some of their allowance to reach their goals, we don't force it.
We do $5 a week, and expect them to buy everything they want from gum to toys to ice cream with it, outside of birthdays. $260 is enough for them to learn to budget, plan, and save. Our criteria is "being a good citizen of the household", which includes chores, but not specific ones to get the money, more doing what is ask, getting along, and taking care of yourself.
For an older child, who is out and about, perhaps meeting friends for treats or a movie, I would do a higher amount, if you are already spending for things like that anyway. My kids only do that very infrequently now, and only the just barely 11 year old. The point is to have them learn to use their budget, whatever that is, for the things they really want, and to live within both their (and your) means. By 12, I was buying my clothes, other than church wear, with my allowance and babysitting money, back when you could sit at 12. At 13, I had a training wage, and then a minimum wage job. Those opportunities are limited these days where we live, but helping out for extra money can still be a thing, if you want to add additional chores.
If kids are not motivated by money, they are usually motivated by something by 12, seeing friends, clothes, movies, games, having friends over, and that can be used, as well, to get them to contribute to the household. It isn't the money really, as it is the thought process of making things work, both financially and socially.
Post by regencygirl on May 15, 2017 17:49:22 GMT -5
DS1 is 11 and gets $10 a week. Since DH and I get paid biweekly, he gets a $20 on pay day and has to budget from there. He is expected to save some. If he wants to hang out with friends, go buy snacks at the local deli (within reason), make in-game purchases, etc. he pays for it with allowance. We buy clothes, and pay major fees for sports and basic equipment needed. He recently wanted fancy soccer cleats that weren't on sale, so we gave him the amount of money we were willing to spend and he put in the rest. We go down the shore each summer, and for vacations we have a set spending limit on each child. We purchase the admission tickets for water parks and ride tickets. DS is responsible for any games or souvenirs he wants from his savings.
He does have chores, and we try not to tie his allowance to doing them since I am firmly in the camp of you are a part of this family and must help out. We've only kept his allowance back from him twice, and that was for making in game purchases without clearing it with us first.
DS2 will start getting allowance in 1st grade. We'll probably do $5 a week for him to start and he'll have the same expectations as his brother.
But growing up I had a zillion chores and received my allowance only before I had to buy my mom a gift (so I'd get 12 weeks of allowance right before Mother's Day, or her birthday). And if I didn't finish all my chores each day/week, I was grounded.
Please don't do that. LOL
Because I HAAAATED that system, I've always been curious to hear how other parents handled chores/allowance. And the best system (IMHO) was from a college professor. Her kid was 9. She had no set chores and she received $5/week. Every Sunday, they would lay out 5 $1 bills on the kid's dresser. Throughout the week, if Mom asked her to help with something (set the table, take out the trash, etc) she always had the option of saying no. But if she said no, she lost a dollar. Some weeks she'd have $5 on her dresser and some weeks she'd have nothing.
I really really liked this concept because it: a) teaches the kid how to save and manage a set amount of money b) gives the kid some autonomy and freedom of choice. This was a HUGE peeve of mine re: my mom's system. I only realized in hindsight, as an adult, that my mom wasn't just an asshole, she NEEDED my help (single mom). But she never implied that my chores were helping her. I always just assumed she just assigned me all the crap she didn't want to do because she was lazy (it was probably some of that too). c) teaches the kid how to prioritize selfishness vs. selflessness. And that sometimes it's ok to be selfish, but there will probably be consequences.