How much should I charge my dd for housekeeping etc?

Reds-on-Sea

I think that's totally fair, I bet she wouldn't find many other places as nice as yours that included bills & food!

Idiophreak

Glen0000 wrote: »

A third for board, a third to spend and a third to save.

You are doing her no favours by letting her live for next to nothing

Err, actually...you may well be doing her a favour charging her next to nothing. She'd be able to save a deposit sooner, maybe travel the world more whilst she's young, maybe save for a wedding quicker. Sounds like a great favour to me.

OP, I'd be weary of listening to people who clearly had no financial sense when they were younger, so assume all young adults are the same.

Taxing your children to "show them the way of the world" isn't necessarily "doing them good in the long run", sometimes it's just mean. The whole "people are going to be screwing you over your whole life...so, for practice, let us be the first!" thing really makes me quite uncomfortable.

I moved out of home a couple of months ago and had been paying my parents £200/month. (and my earnings are double those of your daughter) They did the maths and worked out this was how much I was costing them. Not rocket science. They weren't so patronising as to think I needed "help" learning the value of money and so on and they knew that I had better things to spend the money on. Because of them *not doing me a favour* I was able to afford to buy a nice flat with my gf having cleared all my student debt. For the record, had I paid my parents 1/3 as advocated here, I would still be clearing my student debt three years from now.

Now that I'm living "in the real world", you know what...It's OK. I've not started drowning in debt because I didn't finance enough of my parents' holidays when I was younger.

Little_Otter

Can I be the on the DD's side??
I am a young person living at home, i find it hard to pay board. petrol. car insurance, phone bills, dental direct debit, and then have money left for myself.
It used to be a third of my wages which was £240 a month - my wages have gone up and down but the board stayed the same, until my mum realised I was never in and never ate her food (always at OH's house) so it went down to £120 no food inc just bills and the room - which I never sleep in, and I dont use the house phone. Anyways - i've just left my 2nd job and only have 1 small income now, so I'm paying £70 per month - to my step dads disgust - but I ask - why would I want to skrimp and save up board for my parents (the full amount) and not be able to go on holiday or go out with my friends at my age - that is why I still live at home and dont have a landlord! I contribute as much as I feel I should and can afford (I do all my own cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing, and sleep at home 1 night a week if that)

SUESMITH_2

sounds fair to me, i always paid when i was at home, oh paid his parents mortgage for them as soon as he got a job

Katie-Kat-Kins

I'd say if you can afford to only charge her £50 then that is great and she should be pretty happy with that. My parents charged me a percentage of my salary as a token payment towards the costs of keeping me, they knew I was sensible enough to save anyway, they might have taken more otherwise!!!

If you plan to save what she gives you to give back to her, don't tell her, make this a lovely surprise when she really needs it (house deposit/getting married).

If you are struggling or could do with the money, don't be afraid to charge her more like what it actually costs to have her there. Justify it on that basis, she will soon see that she is getting a bargain.

I think it is wrong for parents to profit from their children at a time when they are finding their feet like this, but acceptable to charge what it costs to keep them. Ideally the cahrge should leave the child some fun money.

I wouldn't expect to profit if i took my parent in at some point in the future when they need my help so the same should apply.

durham_girl

I wish my 'rent' was only £50 a week!

Maybe you could show her how much it would cost for her to rent a flat or house, maybe then she would see how good she really has it!

Madmonk

Thanks everyone for the advice. I am not well off and to be honest I will have to cut back on somethings rather than charge her more than £50 per week. But I will give her 1 month rent free so that she can get her self sorted, but after that it's got to be £50 weekly so that I can keep the familys finances balanced! Thanks again

Madmonk

maggie111

I was charged a 5th of my wages.

Floss

LondonDiva wrote: »

IThe worst ones were the ones whose parents 'took' keep, but then gave it back to them. They didn't bother to save as they knew the money was coming back to them & then went on a shopping binge.

A bit like someone I used to be married to......certainly whilst still married his parents bailed him out - to cough-up for my divorce pay-off:rotfl::rotfl:

Floss

Madmonk wrote: »

But I will give her 1 month rent free so that she can get her self sorted, but after that it's got to be £50 weekly so that I can keep the familys finances balanced!

Make sure she know's that it is 1 month only free, and also that her contributions are balancing the family coffers....maybe a few lessons in housekeeping, shopping, looking for the cheapest insurance, paying the bills etc could be slipped in, to help her when she eventually moves out.