Son starting work - how much should he contribute ?

shebangs

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mammyof7

I'll probably get shot down for this but we've decided not to charge our 17 year old anything. He's at sixth form at the minute but is hoping to start an apprenticeship later this year which will earn him around £100 per week.

However he has been told that we will not pay for clothes, shoes, concerts, mobile phone etc. Too be honest by taking these out of the equation, what he actually costs us is minimal. He eats like a bird and is out of the house more than he is in it.

Don't get me wrong, we've certainly not got pots of money and if he was older with a good full time job we WOULD ask him to contribute, but that's something we'll deal with at a later date.

paulwellerfan

my daughter earns 200 a week and pays me nowt
however she pays for her own phone nd shopping.
how much DO you think you want

POPPYOSCAR

However much you ask him for he will think it is more than he should pay!!!!

cutestkids

I would also say around £50.00 a week would be fair, it is enough to cover probably most of what he actually costs you in the home but not so much that he is left with not enough for himself.:)

teapackets

As an exercise you could tot up ALL running costs, ie mortgage, insurance, TV, water, council tax, elec etc and divide by however many incomes there are - that will make him realise how lucky he is to be paying just £50ish !!!!!!!!!!! It worked with my daughter!!!! I suppose if you really don't need his income to make ends meet you could secretly save it up in case he needs it in the future in case he gets into debt etc.

bmwboi99

tbh he should be offering to pay his way. I do and I virtually have nothing left

lcrp53

paulwellerfan wrote: »

my daughter earns 200 a week and pays me nowt
however she pays for her own phone nd shopping.
how much DO you think you want

I am thinking of a total of £50 per week. Keeping £15 (which is c. equivalent to loss of Child Benefit) for keep etc & then saving for him the other £35 to give back to him at later date.
In additon he would need to find £18 for bus fares ?
Fair ? - what are your thoughts ?

cloverfan

My DS is 16 and on an apprenticeship. He earns between £150 and £180 per week. He pays £60 plus buys his own clothes,smellys,mobile phone bill etc... he has also saved enough for his driving lessons, insurance and has bought his car. Sometimes I use his £60 as fuel costs for driving to and from work (220 miles per week) or I might buy extra shopping etc....I am also putting some of it away when I can for him as savings without him knowing

cloverfan

Oh and also he has also every single week without fail asked if the £60 is enough and if we pop in tesco or something he will nearly always offer to pay AND when I had a rough patch with his Dad(my ex) I decided I needed a break and was going to go and stay with family DS paid for DS and I to go on a weeks holiday to one of the canary islands (all his own choice although I did protest and I paid for all our food there) x