Son starting work - how much should he contribute ?

Barneysmom

arlybarly wrote: »

My son is on 230 apprentice rates as an electrician and im lucky if i get 20 pounds a week, think im going to have to have a serious rethink.

I think you should too.
I used to give my mom £20 a week when I was earning £57.
That was in 1978

cloverfan

I would recommend every parent takes "keep" off a child above school age regardless of wether they need the money or not.........my parents didnt and as a result I had no money skills when I left home and didnt realise how important bills etc..were. If parent doesnt need the money it can be given back as a gift or something when child decides to move into their own home or something.

mountainofdebt

Junior earns about £250 a week and we've asked for £20 a week which is for everything.

We do also expect him to save at least half his salary and to pay his own train fare to work

We also expect him to help around the house

soccermom

mines on about the same and we take £50 a week, he is due a wage rise though, may have to look for more

faerie~spangles

I find it interesting that some parents on the thread say they EXPECT their offspring to save therefore they take less dig money. Do you police this and ensure that they do?

As soon as a child becomes an adult and starts earning they should be paying dig money.

So what if they pay for their own clothes, driving lessons, smellies etc. They are not paying the market value for the advantages of living at home.

My youngest got a job when she was 14, I stopped buying her clothes, toiletries, her first mobile phone was a Christmas gift given on the proviso that she paid her phone bill.

Was I mean?: No

Did I do her a favour?: Yes

jokeyjo

i got my first proper job at 17 while at college was earning £45 a week paying £25 in board and still paying for a holiday ,i do think that £50 a week is fair
may i just add that i was 17 in 1994 and was working in a pub when i left college at 19 i was working 3 jobs and was paying about £45 a week and once a month treating parents to a night out

faerie~spangles

cloverfan wrote: »

I would recommend every parent takes "keep" off a child above school age regardless of wether they need the money or not.........my parents didnt and as a result I had no money skills when I left home and didnt realise how important bills etc..were. If parent doesnt need the money it can be given back as a gift or something when child decides to move into their own home or something.

Which is why my daughter thanked me and was able to get on the property ladder when she was 19 without any help from me.

cloverfan

faerie~spangles wrote: »

I find it interesting that some parents on the thread say they EXPECT their offspring to save therefore they take less dig money. Do you police this and ensure that they do?

As soon as a child becomes an adult and starts earning they should be paying dig money.

So what if they pay for their own clothes, driving lessons, smellies etc. They are not paying the market value for the advantages of living at home.

My youngest got a job when she was 14, I stopped buying her clothes, toiletries, her first mobile phone was a Christmas gift given on the proviso that she paid her phone bill.

Was I mean?: No

Did I do her a favour?: Yes

Is this aimed at me? as I am the only who has mentioned these things??? If it is please reread as I said he pays for all of this and saves PLUS paying "keep" of £60 per week out of wages of £150.

noelphobic

When my son started his first full time job I didn't ask for anything and he didn't offer for quite a while. I eventually asked him for £25 a week which he agreed to. A few months later he decided to give his job up and not sign on but to live off his savings for a while. I told him that if he did this then I still expected him to pay £25, which he did. He got a much better paid job last year but I still only take the £25.

He is planning to move out soon but I'm not worried that he will have trouble managing his money. He has always been sensible with money and managed fine when he was away at uni.

If I'd needed to I would have asked him for more, and he is aware that £25 does not come close to covering his costs, but that's OK by me.

Northern_Princess

We have thought about taking dig money from DD, but opt not to as she saves her part time wages (well most of them) to help her get on the property ladder. I buy all her toiletries/make up, clothes and anything else she needs as well as livery bills for her horses, feed/tack/vets bills along with her mobile phone contract and hair cuts and colouring. She will have her driving lessons paid for and a car bought for her as well as it being taxed and insured until she leaves full time education. When she leaves full time education then she will pay something albeit a small amount of her part time earnings towards her keep at home.

I was horrified at a friend whose children worked part time under 16 years and she took 50% of their very meagre earnings and stopped buying them clothes etc. I felt so sorry for these children worrying about buying their school uniforms from very little income when what they were paying my friend was funding her horse!

I think it's about instilling a work ethic and "you must work to get on in life" view that's important rather than the amount of money you take for digs.

Getting back to the OP I think £50 is a fair amount to ask.