Pocket Money for 12 and 16 year old

Loobysaver · 5 May 2014 at 11:37AM

At the moment I pay £20 per month to my 16 year old and nothing to my 12 year old mainly because she is a lazy so and so! I also pay £12 each per month for their mobile phones.

I am thinking of trying again with pocket money for my 12 year old to try and encourage her to learn the value of money and to get her room tidied on a more frequent basis:mad:

Can anyone advise what you think is a fair sum for a 12 year old. Also do you think I should increase the pocket money to my 16 year old as I am conscious of the fact that her friends seem to get a lot more.

Many thanks

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Seanymph · 5 May 2014 at 12:09PM

We had five kids - and at age 11 started giving them £10 per week each.

We took them and set up a debit card account (Natwest), but gave it to them in cash on a Friday.

We also made a really comprehensive (and sometimes reviewed) list of what we would pay for and what we would not.

We paid £10 a month for phones on top - all sports and hobbies - a laptop - all school trips - a winter coat and all school shoes and uniform - contact lenses - horses and all associated costs - all activities if we were with them - as they got older we bought a car at 17, paid 50% of driving lessons, paid first theory and car tests - paid for the driving licence - oh, we provided packed lunch every day for school or college - first years accomodation at university....

They had to buy from their allowance and birthday and christmas (£100 each at each event) - everything else.

They all worked from about 13 or 14 to earn extra money.

sweetilemon · 5 May 2014 at 12:18PM

It depends what you expect them to buy from that. Before I read your post I thought £10 pw each but obviously it depends what you can afford & how much they need for train/bus fares when they go out with their friends. The 16yr old could get a job if its not enough though.

moomoomama27 · 5 May 2014 at 12:22PM

I think not only is it down to what you can afford, but it needs to come with rules, if you so wish.

My children get pocket money at the start of every month. This is 'earned' from following a set chore list. If they choose not to follow it then they go without. I find it a good incentive for them to earn their own money through hard work.

I don't expect them to purchase anything other than treats from it. I pay for all trips, social gatherings like cinemas etc, makeup, toiletries, clothing and phone contracts.

74jax · 5 May 2014 at 12:43PM

My 16 year old used to get £200 from about 11. This covered all school lunches, presents, clothes and uniform, and mobile . The rest was for her to use on what she wanted. It lasted for about a year and a half, when we decided to go back to I bought her clothes school lunches etc and she just got pocket money. She now gets 20 a week paid into her bank, she is expected to tidy, iron, cook and clean for that which she does.

Buzzybee90 · 5 May 2014 at 1:08PM

16 year old - nothing.
12 year old - £20 a month for treats?

PasturesNew · 5 May 2014 at 1:17PM

From age 11 to about 16 I used to get enough to pay for a return bus ticket into town (3 miles), or a cheap pair of market tights, or a small box of Maltesers.... so whatever that is in today's money. I also used to get Jackie magazine paid for.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted · 5 May 2014 at 1:19PM

Fiver a week as wages.

Yes, she should tidy up irrespective of cash, but if she's not naturally a tidy person, sometimes you have to compromise.

The cash gets handed over immediately upon completion of the required task. But you don't buy her things otherwise - the only way money comes out of your purse is through working for it.

Even call it her wages/payday. Not pocket money.

And, if you can negotiate with the older one that, for an additional set of tasks, you could up it to £40, but again make it clear she's earning it, that will help reinforce the message. (I'd make it include all out of school clothes, days out with her friends, etc, though)

IrishRose12 · 5 May 2014 at 4:40PM

Hold on so some people make their children pay for their own school lunches, uniforms, coats, clothes in general and basically the basic things a child needs growing up??:eek:
Is that not the parents JOB and what they get Child allowance for??

My oldest is 6. He gets pocket money each week. He has to clean up his toys after playing and not leave them lying about. It's £3. £1 goes into his money box and He can do what he wishes with the £2. Usually e buys his magazine/football cards and a few sweets with it. If he's wanting a a certain toy he saves up for it.
My middle one is 4 and she sees her brother getting pay so she's starting picking up after her also. She get's £1:rotfl: She doesn't understand the meaning of it so she's happy to put it into her money box.

I'm sorry but until a child is 16 and they are living under your roof YOU are responsible for buying their clothes, school dinners etc.
I'm all for teaching them the value of money, but Holy God, they are just children at the end of the day, and thats what child benefit is for to RAISE your children and pay for the necessities.
If you choose to buy your child a mobile phone before they have a job - or at least 16 to pay for it themselves then you pay for top-ups or the monthly bills. If the children take the mickey out of that then the phone is taken away until they learn how to use it properly and cheaply.

OP has your eldest ever complained about "only" getting £20 a month? I say only lightly as £20 a month is a lot of money to some people. If she hasn't yet then maybe leave it until she comments, but it's whatever makes you happy.
Me personally I'd maybe up it to £30/£40 a month - if you can afford it, as the price of CD's etc aren't exactly cheap. Even if she wants to buy a certain book it can be near £10:eek: But if she's managing to make her money stretch fair play to her.:)
The 12 year old, maybe £5 a week. It might give her the nudge to realise that you're not there to pick up after all the time and she might appreciate having a tidy room lol.
But then again, if she doesn't keep the room tidy I would be telling her she has to tidy it, whether she likes it or not. No choice in the matter.
As long as the kids are living under my roof they go by my rules and not theirs.
I'm the adult and they're the child, and they do as they are told whether they want to or not.
I was brought up the same way and I thank my parents for that upbringing. My children are being brought up the same way. Kids these days get away with far too much and are given far too much freedom.

moomoomama27 · 5 May 2014 at 4:55PM

I've always been shocked at parents giving their child a large amount of money and expecting them to basically fend for themselves and use it to by most if the things they need! I kind of view this as the easy way out, give them the responsibility so you don't have to have it!

I agree that no child under 16 needs more than a bit of luxury money ( earned of course) if it isn't enough, they demand more. They can get a job to have extra bits!

kerri_gt · 5 May 2014 at 5:01PM

At 16 I was given the equivalent of my child allowance and supposed to buy my clothes (not uniform) and general things I wanted from it.

Do you know what your 12yo friends get? I mean what they actually get not what she tells you, and importantly, what they pay out of it.

Personally I wouldn't encourage pocket money being related to chores, as no one pays you as an adult to do the housework. I was always bought up to do chores I was asked to do, full stop, with payment for them being seen as bribery.

Pocket Money for 12 and 16 year old

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