Money Moral Dilemma: How much board should I charge?

treetrunks

Nice to see a girl who doesnt take the first price and isnt afraid to haggle. Its a moneysaving board after all. Split the difference at £25, its probably nearer the amount that most kids pay in board.

techno79

£30 a week is nothing. If she is insisting on only paying £20 then it shows how little value she places on money and renting. I can understand daughters/sons not wanting to give up rent to parents which is close to or equal to rent from somewhere else but they don't realise that the rent they pay is staying in the family which means that they'll likely see a good portion of it back when it comes to Xmas gifts or wedding gifts etc.

Plus they'll probably have a good hot meal cooked for them regularly which they won't get else where. If she still doesn't see this then let her try renting elsewhere but let her know the door is open if she wants to come back for £30 a week. I'm sure she'll be back very quickly.

misspoppy

The people wishing to wrap up their offspring and the OP's offspring in cotton wool have missed the point of being parents. It is a parents job to give their children the skills to live. This starts with speach, manners, social skills etc the final step is money management, if they can't manage their money and understand how much it costs to run a home how will they cope as adults? My uncle at 51 hasn't left home, my Nan cooks, cleans, washes, irons and checks his bank statements for him, to be fair he is good with money but then he's never had to run a home of his own.

Its not a question of expoliting children that have now become adults its about them paying their share and understanding what has to be paid in a home. If some of the teenage Mum's knew this before they got pregant with the hope of a council flat prehaps they would think twice.

brewerdave

My kids paid 20% of their take home pay when they got their "proper" jobs after graduating - one paid ~ £200 per month and the other £150

MDE

Pellyman wrote: »

...As you are a 'Martin's Money Saver' you doubtless know the basic costs of maintaining your home and feeding the family. Put it down on paper, give it to her and point out how little her token £30 contribution will make to your outlay...

But what would be the difference in those costs if Daughter wasn't there? Council tax- no change, energy-minimal (most cost is in heating/ appliances that heat such as boilers and ovens, which will be used anyway), things like the fridge and freezer have to run anyway, mortgage- no change, Internet- no change

The only discernable extra cost is really in terms of food, which assuming the daughter eats lunch at work, so we're only talking breakfast and dinner, and with the economies of scale in a family shop as opposed to an individual shop, could easily equate to about £20 p/w.

Remember that as daughter is now working full time, whereas previously was at uni part time, it is possible and likely that her use of household facilities has actually decreased as she is out more.

heuristic_abyss

The £30 a week should be paid. I've been paying board of around £35 a week since I was 19 (am now nearly 26). I would have been glad to pay more but my parents only accepted the £35 as they felt that covered everything I used. My upbringing was one of "if you don't have the money, don't spend it in the first place" and as a result I don't have any credit cards and I have a nice chunk of savings that will see me through university. My only debt is a car loan which is minor anyway.

Basically if the person in question is complaining about £30 a week then perhaps luxuries should be taken away until she does pay. I know it sounds harsh but if I'd ever argued about paying my board I would have been told to move out.

gtd2000

£30 per week is a bloody bargain and certainly a hot deal :beer:

When I was a student in the early 90's, I used to give my grand-dad £20 per week which must be somewhere around £60~80 per week these days surely.

He didn't want the money and he was very glad of the company but there was no way I could have lived in Edinburgh for that kind of cash.

£50 per week would be the minimum without extracting the urine I'd say :T

hilstep2000

My daughter paid £30 a week till she left home to live with her boy friend, then she found out how much things REALLY cost!

kittykitten

I pay my parents £200 per month, and am well aware that I'm getting a brilliant deal here, although to be fair the only reason I don't pay more is because I'm also saving for a deposit at the moment. £30 is super-cheap, never mind £20!

pineapple

You are doing her no favours if you let her get away with this. Sorry but maybe it's time she grew up and learnt what things really cost.