'How much pocket money do you give to your kids?' poll discussion

earthmother

full-time-mum wrote: »

How do other parents get around the EMA thing when their child doesn't qualify - does it cause resentment and do you just hand over the cash?

Mine aren't old enough for college yet, and the EMA didn't exist when I went (wouldn't have qualified anyway), but I'll probably do it the same way my parents did.

Mum gave me my part of the child allowance each week (about £9-£10 back then), and it was expected to cover day to day costs like bus fares, stationery etc, lunches if I didn't take sandwiches, and any treats I wanted (it's amazing how willingly a teenager will walk everywhere and make packed lunches when it's the choice between that and a 7"single, a pot of nail varnish/hair dye or the cinema ).

I also got a £40 a month clothing and textbook allowance from Dad. This was the early 90s, and it would cover a book and one item of clothing a month roughly if I bought new. Needless to say I soon found all the second hand student bookshops in the area, and developed a taste for vintage clothing, which meant I could often squeeze an album and a night out from it too.

lorietta

full-time-mum wrote: »

My DD is nearly 14 and gets £3. Currently we buy all her basic clothes but she will buy extra tops and buys all her make-up/magazines etc.

I've read this thread to get some ideas of where we should take it as she gets older.
I looked up EMA and we won't qualify for that. :-( which means some of her friends will be getting up to £30 and she won't and there is no way we will be able to fund that so I can see some problems in the future. Me thinks I've got some serious thinking and planning to do.

How do other parents get around the EMA thing when their child doesn't qualify - does it cause resentment and do you just hand over the cash?

When I was in 6th form I didn't get EMA, I was a bit jealous of those who did, because to earn money I had to get up at 7am or even earlier on a saturday. I used my wages for general spending money, but my parents did help me out-

They paid the insurance on my scooter, which I used to get too and from work and could never have afforded otherwise.
They paid for 1 hour driving lesson a week when I was 17, if I wanted extra then I had to pay for it out of my wages.
They also bought my provisional liscense and paid for my theory and practical tests.

If I hadn't had a job, then I think that they would have probably given me money too live off of until I found one, but I was lucky enough to have one and when I lost it was able to get work in my mum's office. They helped out in practical ways, rather than giving me money to spend on going out and getting drunk, if I wanted to do that, I had to pay myself =P

mhutchuk

We pay our 9YO and our 11YO £10 a week pocket money.... there is a catch - if they want sweets, ice cream, crappy plastic toys etc they have to buy it themselves out of their own money. Amazing how less they eat sweets or buy cheap tat !!

Our 9YO has saved over £340 this way and our 11YO £200. Have been doing this for nearly 2 years

If they want posh footy boots they pay the difference over what a pair of black Umbros would cost etc....

Mark

brewski_2

I have children in both age brackets, the older one i have asked for chores to be done around the house so that they understand they will get money as a reward and that its not on TAP! good way to teach them for when they start work. the younger one doesnt ask for much but when they are older i will also ask them to do household chores for a reward.

spendalot_sanj

I have two children under the age of 10 and pay money to the kids for chores, e.g. 10p to empty the bin etc. However I struggle with the best approach, as with all parenting we are not really to know if our adopted approach is good/bad or simply indiferent as the outcomes can be 10 or more years away. If for example both my kids turn out to be upstanding pillars of society who relish work and associated pay, could I say that my approach with pocket money contributed to their attitude or could I say that pocket money played little or no part. Equally if my kids turn out to be work shy lay plonkers should I blame pocket money?

I suspect what ever the outcome I will re-write history to pacify myself that the best was done. Until a study is carried out with a wide sample base how are any of us to know the best approach?

Regards

Lost in thought

toadhall

Mine get their age in money each month, so 10, 13 and 14, half of which is dependant on them doing their jobs around the house which is on a tick list in the kitchen - no job, no full amount of money.
I buy their normal clothes and uniforms, school shoes etc, anything else they save up for.

moneygoround

Mine get £1 per month per year of age, so 7 year-old gets £7 per month and 12 year-old gets £12 per month. This way, they appreciate getting payrises and the older one doesn't feel hard done by. In addition, they can earn extra money for good work at school. Older one has reward scheme based on his half-termly effort grades and younger one gets smaller rewards for smileys, stickers etc received at school.
Both help with chores, they always have done, so don't want to start paying for chores or they will bankrupt me lol

Paul_Herring

Cocoa_Butter wrote: »

I currently get £10 a week, which wil stop as soon as I get a job. (Except nobody seems to want to give me one!)

To be brutally honest, that doesn't change much as you get older, (unless you have something an employer wants - skills, qualifications, experience etc. At the moment employers are more concerned with their payroll costs than who's actually going to produce the stuff that the business sells. They think short term rather than longer term. But that's really a topic suitable for another thread, if not another site entirely....)

jud!th

Our 6 year old gets £1.50 a week. 50p to spend, 50p straight into savings account, 50p to give to charity. Want to get her into good saving/giving habits.

sharnajade76

I have a 14yr old and a 9 yr old i dont give them pocket money,as i buy most of what they need and want,i pay for all their activities.the eldest works in her aunts shop 2 saturdays a month and gets £20 per day from that and they get the odd bit of money from grandparents so i think that this is enough.:beer: happy st patricks day