Older children paying keep

Patti27

At 16 when I got a weekend job, I paid my parents 1/3 of my wages. I was still at school at this point. While I was doing a full time college (18-20 years old) and got myself a better paid part-time job (evenings and weekends), I still paid my parents 1/3 of my wages but that only came to approx £150 a month. From the time I got myself my first job (a paper round) I paid for my own normal clothes, any nights out, cinema etc myself. My parents only paid for my school clothes.

I'm now 21 and pay £250 a month, which is slightly more than 1/3 of my wages after tax, plus I'll often pay for any food shopping we get thoughout the week. Although, I'm still only working part-time. If my wages go up then I'll probably pay a bit more.

I've never minded paying rent and I'm surprised at most of my friends who don't have to pay a penny. My mum did say she kept some money aside for me from the rent I pay but I told her to keep it! I'm quite good at saving so I don't really need the money. She decided to buy herself a new DVD recorder as her old one wasn't working properly. It's not all bad as I occasionally get the use of it too

robin_banks

I'm pushing 40, I went home after university for a couple of years and paid £30.00 a week, in 1993 !!!

1sue23

Blimy I think I am soft I live on a boat with hubby and my son aged 21 rents my house off me and gives me £300.00 a month ,and I pay all the bills .He earns £1400 month,mind you he looks after the house well and has never been any trouble .

freebiequennie

once i was 17 and at college and working part time i had to pay £30 a week to my parents and it was my choice if there or not.

my brother who was working full time used to pay £200 a month my mum did everything for him and he moaned about paying it as he didnt always have a meal there mum told him to move out then if he didnt like it, which he did and has soon realised what a luxury he had.

in the real world we have to pay bills etc and paying keep is nothing in comparison

HelzBelz

pops68 wrote: »

Our son who is nearly 19 is working full time, getting approx £900 - £1000 pcm after tax and has refused to pay us anything for the last 8 months. (He is constantly moaning that he has no money!) The agreed amount of rent was £50 p.w. all inclusive (which we thought was reasonable). He sleeps til 2pm on his day off, does absolutely nothing at all in the house, his behaviour is awful, he is rude, vindictive and selfish. He often comes in at 2 or 3am waking us all and thinks that we and the rest of the world owe him a living. Oh, and he refuses to leave (I think he quite literally wants to be 'thrown out' as he thinks it will make us look bad!!)

Charging teenagers rent is definitely the right way to go. (Depending on their income). They have to learn to grow up and stand on their own two feet.

Any ideas on how to encourage him to leave before things get any worse?

Turn the radiator off in his room
Stop feeding him
Stop doing his washing for him...

...and doing the vacuuming early in the morning and "accidentally" repeatedly knocking his bedroom door with the vacuum is always a subtle hint that you were woken at 3am

nadnad

1sue23 wrote: »

Blimy I think I am soft I live on a boat with hubby and my son aged 21 rents my house off me and gives me £300.00 a month ,and I pay all the bills .He earns £1400 month,mind you he looks after the house well and has never been any trouble .

why do you live on the boat when your sons in the house?! is it a nice boat?!

1sue23

nadnad wrote: »

why do you live on the boat when your sons in the house?! is it a nice boat?!

It is a great boat and it has always been our dream to live and cruise the canals and this is allowing us to fulfill our dream.

robnye

if he was in a flat/house/hotel room. he would still have to pay to keep the room/flat/bed for himself.....

he has hot water/food/washing machin etc available whenever he wants.....

£25 per week....... i was paying that to my mother 25 years ago.... and she refused to take any more........

as someone has mentioned, show him all bills and work out 1 5th of them and see if he complains then....

crin

Pops68 I have a similar problem except mine left home when he married but unfortunately the marriage ended and he is now back home.
He says he can't afford to pay anyjting but still has £70 pw to pay on going out etc.
If I ask him for any he gets in a snit and makes life miserable.
I had a stoke a few years back amd can't cope with the stress so I sympathise with you wholeheartedly.

Francesanne

If he rented a flat and spent most of his time at his girlfriends flat he'd still have to pay rent to the landlord. He's treating your home like a hotel and he should be still paying you for his keep. At 22 maybe it's time he left home and found out the true cost of being independent. Don't let him make you feel guilty.Think he's being rather selfish.