Pocket money (merged)

Penny-Pincher!!

Stationary-Things like the novelty pens, erasers, pads, folders etc. These tend to be dearer than standard items.

DD was given a brick phone last year before we got her the new one, so all novelties have now worn off...thank goodness!! She chats to her friends over the internet and is allowed a max of 30 mins of an evening as long as her HW is done and bedroom tidy:D

The only make-up she has is a glitter stick, so ATM she doesnt buy any. At the new school they are not allowed to be wearing any form of make-up:rolleyes: She does use a hair straightner though..LOL.

wishingonastar-DD makes her bed, opens blinds and opens window to air and keeps her room tidy. She takes her plate out after dinner etc. Feeds and cleans out her gerbils. Occasionally empties the DW. Empties her pack lunchbox each evening. Your DD sounds like a dream.

Thanks for the replies.
PP
xx

Bargain_Rzl

PP - not really sure about pocket money amounts overall, but just wanted to contribute to the part about clothing.

Although I got minimal pocket money as a pre-teen/teenager, I did receive a clothes allowance from age 12 (in 1990). I don't remember the amount - perhaps £12-£15 a month, which might have gone up a bit when I got a bit older.

This was to cover all clothes, except for the following items which were considered to be essential/major purchases:
- School uniform and related items, including 1 pair at a time of school shoes
- Guides uniform
- Winter coat

Everything else I was expected to cover out of my clothes allowance.

Savvy_Sue

Not a lot to add, except that NatWest's CardPlus account is good for 11+. Will she be paying bus fares or will she walk? Because mine get bus pass until they're in 6th form, at which point I put enough money into their current account each month to cover bus fares, and THEY are responsible for withdrawing it when they need it. If she needs bus fares I think (personally) that 11 would be a bit young for having to remember to go and get cash when you needed it. Also might not be very easy to get to a (free!) cashpoint!

wishingonastar_3

Penny-Pincher!! wrote:

wishingonastar-DD makes her bed, opens blinds and opens window to air and keeps her room tidy. She takes her plate out after dinner etc. Feeds and cleans out her gerbils. Occasionally empties the DW. Empties her pack lunchbox each evening. Your DD sounds like a dream.

erm, i love her to bits, but she's not always a dream. recent exploits have included shoving dirty washing under the fitted sheet of her bed (i have no idea how this is easier than putting it in the wash bag!!!), and decidedly annoying habit of saying "whatever" to anything you ask her. even if "what time is it?" got the reply of "whatever" for a while. hoping though that this with the pocket money will keep her on track a bit more, and she's seeming to enjoy the responsibility of doing more jobs, so fingers crossed.

fuglyjowls

Quote "have included shoving dirty washing under the fitted sheet of her bed (i have no idea how this is easier than putting it in the wash bag!!!), and decidedly annoying habit of saying "whatever" to anything you ask her. even if "what time is it?" got the reply of "whatever" for a while. hoping though that this with the pocket money will keep her on track a bit more, and she's seeming to enjoy the responsibility of doing more jobs, so fingers crossed."

This did make me laugh - sounds just like my son who has a wash bag at the end of his bed but still hides dirty washing under the mattress, in cupboards, under chairs, on chair, in bed - in fact anywhere except in the wash bin! He has a Barclays kids account which has a cash card with it but doesn't get pocket money - just pays in his birthday and Christmas money and then spends it over the year. Trouble with it is I don't have a clue how much he has left as they only send statements once a year at the moment. He recently bought £100 worth of premium bonds though so I don't think he's doing too badly on the saving front and he loves to get his interest statement - he can't believe the bank actually give him money!!

Prudent

PP I sympathise with your dilemma -as I have always wondered if I am giving the right amount to my daughter. When my dd went to high school last year I gave her £30 a month. I expected her to top up her mobile (max £10 per month -didn't want any more going on it), buy her stationary, magazines, any make up etc. It works fine. She wants to be a designer and buys lots of art materials. I do still pay for her violin lessons at £66 per term and riding lessons (though she has these because riding school owe us money - long story). I did try her with a clothing allowance, but she found it a bit too much to manage, so I now buy her clothes. We shop a lot in charity shops, boot sales and she actually buys a fair amount of clothes out of this £30 - so I am proud that she is a great wee mse'r!

My dd helps a lot around the house, but her own room is terrible. Part of that is due though the specific nature of difficulties she has with personal organisation.

PinkPig

£30 per month seems far too much to me. As for the people saying "£30 a month wasn't enough" - why not teach a bit of financial discipline? There's no need to give in and "lend them" some more money just because they've spent the rest of it.

Rachie_B

i guess it depends on what your kids like to do / what you would like them to do (with the money)

but as i stated back in this thread

sports clubs / cinema / outings doesnt come cheap and i like my son to be able to do these things

also i think it all depends what it was like when you were a child,well for me anyway ?

my family were quite poor and i never was able to do / buy some of the things my friends did i never moaned etc,that was life , and got a little job at 14 but we are in the position to be able to give our 2 sons "better" so i guess thats my outlook on it

yes of course teach we them about money value ,and that they cant have anything / everything they want and that larger things need to be saved up for

and like i also said once the money is gone its gone ,its up to them whether they are sensible and make it last the month or whether they blow it all on the first weekend (we will do weekly pocket money though not monthly)

at the end of the day everyone is different and thats proven in this thread re what the pocket money needs to pay for eg school things ,clothes etc or what it doesnt include

what works for one family wont work for another but IMO £30 for a secondary age child who helps with chores isnt too much

Julie84

Hmm, I guess it's what you feel happy with. There are no right or wrong answers for parenting (unfortunately!) and a lot depends on your situation, beliefs, family (endless list).

I never got pocket money as a child and neither do any of my siblings now (I'm the eldest of 5 and the youngest one is 18 years younger than me - eek!)

I didn't get any pocket money, simply because my parents couldn't afford to when I was younger. My mum paid for any essentials (clothes, schools supplies, shoes etc) but if I wanted anything, I had to do jobs for it. I'd get £1 for cleaning the bathroom, my nana gave me £3 for washing her patio and steps and removing weeds etc and so on and then I got a job at 14 (working in a shop on Sundays) and earnt £17 a week. When I was earning, my mum still paid for essentials until I was 16 but was less likely to give me money for going to the cinema or for a present for a friend's birthday etc if I'd blown all my earnings on something silly.

As I mentioned, none of my siblings get pocket money either. But they are offered lots of opportunities to earn. They are 15, 13, 10 and 3 (okay the three year old doesn't earn anything but ignore that for the moment). My 13 year old sister comes round to my house once a week and does my ironing (I HATE ironing!) and I pay her £5 an hour. She will also on an ad hoc basis (normally if she wants money to buy something) do other things, like washing my car, hoovering etc and can earn quite a bit of money. My brothers also have this option, but would rather sit on their bums and go without. :rolleyes:

I personally think this teaches much greater 'life skills' than just handing out pocket money or a monthly allowance. I think children need to realise that money has to be earnt and is not just handed to you on a plate. Also, I find my sister is much more careful with her money that some of her friends - she knows what it took to get her money and is less likely to fritter it away on silly things. She enjoys earning and saving money.

I think pocket money or allowances could be worked into an 'earning' scheme less rigidly than the above though.

You could give your child a list of things you would like them to do - for example keep their room tidy, wash up at least two evenings in a week, take the dog for a walk, clean the hamster out etc - and state that if they haven't done their jobs by an allocated day then their pocket money will be witheld or adjusted? I do think a weekly amount is better than a monthly amount though, just because, from my experience, money does tend to burn a hole in your pocket at that age!

I think also you have to expect kids to kick up a bit of a fuss about working for money and also not get too upset when they blow it all on sweets and magazines etc. I started working at 14 (and worked hard for my money) but despite my few sensible purchases (I saved up and bought myself a TV and then a mobile phone) it wasn't until I was about 20 that I actually had much of a grasp on how to budget and save!

Rachie_B

i agree ,definitely have to "earn" their pocket money,dont get anything for doing nothing
i too worked in a shop,a greegrocers as a saturday girl lmao i earned £20 and thought i was rich lol


welcome BTW