Pocketmoney Discussion Thread

MERFE

I had clothing allowance when i was younger (probably from about 13) it was 10 pound a month which I saved up and spent twice a year, once for summer clothes and ones in the january sales for winter clothes. My mum still bought my shoes and I did a paper round and saturday job (from 16) to top this up.

I will do this for mine too as it worked well i think. My mum kept hold of the money and kept an accounts book where she kept note of how much we saved up and gave it to us when we asked for it. She did a similar thing with our pocket money saving half each week for christmas. I'll probably give mine slightly more say 15 pounds per month. I'm going for a much lower figure as well for pocket money than most I think 2.50 per week is acceptable for keeping room tidy/ changing sheets/hoovering then possible extras by helping with washing up, cleaning car etc

LilMissEmmylou

Pink_Princess_1 wrote: »

My daughter is just 14 and I give her £5 per week IF she washes the pots and keeps her room tidy- she spends this on whatever she wants. I also buy all of her clothes ( but if there is something extra she wants she will buy it from birthday/christmas money etc) Her dad gives her £20 per month which she tops up her phone with and her grandparents give her £10 per week - but they save this weekly and she will use it for shopping trips etc... I have wondered lately about a clothing allowance as i do seem to spend a fortune on her clothes and will be looking at these replies with interest:p

cor blimey thats £80 a month! that seems madness, i know its all coming from different people at different times but u should all get together in an effort to lower it or something. If my DD was getting £80 a month spends, id expect her to buy her own clothes out of it tbh

i like the earn for chores idea myself. Put a price on chores and each time they do it, it adds to their total for the end of the week. i.e. 10p/15p to hoover a room a day and if they do it every day get a bonus to top it up to £1/£1.50, same with say dishes and keeping their room clean

sticher

Well none of my 3 get pocket money (boys aged 14, 10 and 9). They all do some jobs around the house (if nagged enough, lol) and I pay for everything they want (within reason). They do occasionally use their own money from birthdays, etc, if they want something I feel is a bit too much of an extra.

I have offered to give them all pocket money in return for doing more jobs, but they are not interested - although I think I will ask them again today.

I suppose its because none of them are really interested in clothes, and even the 14 year old only really goes out alone occasionally (then I would give him some money). They all have phones, but only use them for essential calls. They keep in contact with their friends via the internet. Suits us all really at the moment.

Edit to add - think I will go for a fixed amount of cash per chore and see how that goes down now.

Oh well, just spoke to my eldest and offered him 1.00 for each time he unloads the dishwasher or 50p to bring the washing in - both jobs he already does for nothing and he said he would rather keep things as they are. I don't feel my boys get loads of stuff, but he did say (when I said some kids get 10/15p per job) that he wonders how often that job gets done then, lol.

cocoluvsmummy

my 13 year old daughter gets £8 a month pocket money, her phone credit ( up to a reasonable amount, £15ish a month) and all trips to cinema, clothes etc.
she has just opened a card cash account and we are in the process of agreeing what i will put into it for her, once this is agreed it is going to be to cover all her expensies that are not school related ones. We are thinking around £30 a month initially

she gets way less than lots of her mates, but seems happy so far, i guess we will have to renegotiate if things change.. she will have to do more to get more

bafty_crastard

My 2 sons (14 and 12) get £20 a month paid into their bank accounts. Out of this they're expected to buy birthday and christmas presents and to save for holiday spending money.

The eldest has recently started going out at weekends and I do give him some extra for that but have told him he can't expect enough to go to the cinema etc. every weekend. He's trying to find him some sort of job to top up his money. Unfortunately paper rounds seem to be about all 14 year olds can do and all our local shops have waiting lists for paper boys.

arthur_dent_2

It really depends on what you expect her to buy for herself!

Stuff like technology is a lot cheaper than it used to be. (e.g. Video games, consoles, TVs, personal hifi etc. are cheaper now, than comparible items of the 1980's), and music (MP3's, CDs) are comparibly MUCH cheaper today than 20+ years ago.

However, everyday purchases such as sweets, bus fares etc. are much more expensive now.

In 1987, when I was 16, I got £5 pocket money + £5 school food allowance, which I could buy several packets of cigs and several pints of beer, with some left over for food and other essentials!

Lakeuk

bafty_crastard wrote: »

He's trying to find him some sort of job to top up his money. Unfortunately paper rounds seem to be about all 14 year olds can do and all our local shops have waiting lists for paper boys.

Paper rounds tend to be the only jobs that get advertised, but there are lots of jobs out there even is only temporary, just look around the local area for likely places to target and get your son to go in and ask, takes some front but he'll get used to it and it'll good for the experience, confidence and certain helps with the CV when getting that full time job after school/college/uni (worst they can say is no)

Obvious areas:-
car dealers - car washing
pubs - lunchtime barfood (serving food, kitchen hand)
hotel - restuarant, porter, kitchen, functions etc...
local shops - saturday assistant
any tourist spots in the area

Also check with the local authority as to what a 13-15 yr old can work, I think for me 15yrs ago it was 2hrs on a weekday and 5hrs on a weekendday

piratess

My eldest DD works each weekend at a rescue centre and gets £12.00 a week she uses this for pressies or clothes etc ... I buy the bulk of her clothing but if there any non essentials then she buys them, I top her phone up usually around £10 a month and she does do the occasional chore now and again! Shes a good kid she knows i dont have alot and doesnt push it, She knows we struggle and she doesnt expect the earth and she does value her pennys

DaisyFlower

My little boy is too young for pocket money but when he's at high school I plan to give him his FA so that he leans to budget for himself re clothes etc.

I personally dont believe in tying in chores to pocket money, I would like to think he would help out without being paid.

ppolly

When I was about 14 I used to be given the family allowance (child benefit) - this was for everything -clothes, presents etc. This worked quite well as I was able to buy my own wierd clothing without fear of being judged for it. I helped out around the house anyway. My DD is only 3.5 but we give her a little money for herself to spend on holidays so she can practise choosing. She has already learnt that when the money has gone - its gone!