working children paying keep - how much?

TiTheRev

Lillibet wrote: »

The rule of thumb most posters on here seem to go with is 1/3 of take home pay.
The idea is
1/3 housekeeping
1/3 savings
1/3 to spend.

By the way, I would never ever dream of calling it board or digs, it is your childs home, where they were raised & are loved, not somewhere they treat like a temporary hostel! (I hope). If you call it "board" (or worse) then I think you are discouraging them from having any respect for your home or rules. Sorry, I know you didn't ask for this & I may be stepping over the cyber line, but I just had to say something.

Godo luck, whatever you decide.;)

My thoughts exactly, it's what I paid once I got my 1st job...

chickalittle

Marker wrote: »

I find the whole charging your children and spending on yourself crazy. The only thing I think people can argue on charging their kids for is an increase in council tax, but then you should of thought of that before you had kids!!!!

I will charge my child rent, but I would put that straight into savings for her to buy a house or car in the future. I would never expect her to actually contribute to my mortgage or my bills. I find it quite similar to expecting handouts from the government to raise your own children. Rant over!

I would, depending on salary, charge around £200, if they earn more than £800 a month I would increase!

As a single parent who has raised all her children with no financial support from the Government (other than child benefit) and with no financial support from their father - I think it's quite reasonable to ask a child who starts working to start contributing to their upkeep if they wish to continue living in the family home. I'm not loaded so after all these years their contribution makes a real difference to how I manage the household expenses and takes the heat off me just a little bit.....

retrocircles

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

Personally, I'll probably take 2/3s from them - the first third for the household spends and the second to save for them. That leaves a LOT of spending money, so I'd expect them to manage their short term savings themselves so they can pay for holidays, clothes etc out of it.

2/3s?! WOAH! that's a LOT of money. i can't imagine your kids will be sticking around for long paying that. they could have their own house/apartment paying out 2/3s of their wages! i personally wouldn't hang around paying that for 1 room in a house i couldn't rule as my own.

personally i didn't pay 'board' to my mum, but i was a full time student with no permanent job (only worked at xmas) & moved out at 19. my sister is 18 and works part time (over £500 p/m mind!), so mum has decided to take board from when she turns 19, as her child benefit for my sister will cease. i think that's logical for both mum and my sister.

my mum's husband (who has children from his previous marriage) took around £300 a month from his daughter on a teacher's salary (around £18k for an NQT i believe) and gave it to her when she started looking to purchase a house. sorted the deposit for her.

my brother-in-law earns around £800 a month and pays £260.

adouglasmhor

Lillibet wrote: »

The rule of thumb most posters on here seem to go with is 1/3 of take home pay.
The idea is
1/3 housekeeping
1/3 savings
1/3 to spend.

By the way, I would never ever dream of calling it board or digs, it is your childs home, where they were raised & are loved, not somewhere they treat like a temporary hostel! (I hope). If you call it "board" (or worse) then I think you are discouraging them from having any respect for your home or rules. Sorry, I know you didn't ask for this & I may be stepping over the cyber line, but I just had to say something.

Godo luck, whatever you decide.;)

We called it keep when I was a teenager, you said you were "giving your mum your keep" and "how much keep do you pay?" so most people said it where I grew up.

Smashing

retrocircles wrote: »

2/3s?! WOAH! that's a LOT of money. i can't imagine your kids will be sticking around for long paying that.

That's probably the point. Don't make it too easy for them, or you'll never get shot! You're preparing them for the real world, not just pocketing some extra for your vino.

I'd go with a 1/3, but I would want 1/3 to be saved too, with 1/3 for spending.

shelovestobuystuff

I would say ask for what it costs you to keep them there.Maybe the amount of child benefit you lost when they started work and another £15 for food etc.Dont look at it as a way to make money or you may push her out .My Mum took £45 for rent,elec,council tax etc a week and I had to buy my own food too.When I had my son she took an additional £45 a week rent for him too(for a new born baby).I moved out.Apparantly she was trying to teach me how expensive it would be to live in the big wide world.The big wide world was cheaper.
We dont take any money from my son for housekeeping.He had a bit of cash in the bank and is not silly with his money.At the moment he is taking driving lessons and saving up to buy a 2nd hand car.He contributes a great deal to the household by cooking,cleaning and accassionally babysitting his little sisiter and the dogs for us too.If theres anything he wants especially for himself on the shopping list he pays for it.He did run up a pretty big phone bill last quarter phoning his girlfriends mobile and he paid that bill.

katiekittykat

This reminds me of argumemts i used to have with my parents about paying board, i tried constantly (and failed) to get them to put what board i paid them into a savings account (my friends parents did it) then when i leave i will have a nice deposit for a house!

Idiophreak

Marker wrote: »

I find the whole charging your children and spending on yourself crazy.

I, as the child, find it a brilliant idea - my parents did so much for me as I was growing up...if my giving them a couple of hundred quid a months pays for them to have the odd meal out, the occasional holiday or generally improves their quality of life, I couldn't be happier.

Personally, I pay £200 / month (nowhere near a third of my takehome) and try and shout them fish and chips or a chinese every so often...

That said, my parents know the debts I gathered at uni, they know they can trust me to save hard etc - so don't have to take money for that...If I were outlandish with my money, I guess they'd expect a bit more of a contribution...But I think they know I'm only there til I can afford to get my "grown up" life started - and, of course, they want to help me do that asap.

And I guess my actual cost to the household is minimal - I can't see my mum buying a whole lot less food if I wasn't there (only eat at home half the time, anyway), they wouldn't downsize, so I guess it's just a little electric it costs them, extra washing tablets etc...

Marker_2

chickalittle wrote: »

As a single parent who has raised all her children with no financial support from the Government (other than child benefit) and with no financial support from their father - I think it's quite reasonable to ask a child who starts working to start contributing to their upkeep if they wish to continue living in the family home. I'm not loaded so after all these years their contribution makes a real difference to how I manage the household expenses and takes the heat off me just a little bit.....

See, thats just laying your dramas on your children, its not their fault you were a single mum, why burden your children financially with it.

Idiophreck - Of course your parents should of done alot for you while you were younger, you are their child, why have children if you are not going to look after them, really confuddles me that. Im not for one second saying you should hand everything to your child on a plate, I hate spoilt kids, I hate them, but they didnt choose to be born and they dont choose what family they are born into, it is up to us as parents to ensure they get the best start in life, and learn about respect, morals and values.

You don't have to take their hard earned cash from them to learn that. I work hard for them, it doesnt just stop when they get a job. I work hard for them, when they have kids, they will work hard for them, etc etc.

Surfbabe

Funny enough - just had this conversation with my children (19 & 17). They are both in full time education so doesn't apply yet but have discussed what will happen when they move back home after Uni and have agreed 1/3 housekeeping, 1/3 savings, 1/3 spend. We will probably save the money for them to pay of student loans or deposit on house.