Pocket Money for 12 and 16 year old

mumps

moomoomama27 wrote: »

I've always been shocked at parents giving their child a large amount of money and expecting them to basically fend for themselves and use it to by most if the things they need! I kind of view this as the easy way out, give them the responsibility so you don't have to have it!

I agree that no child under 16 needs more than a bit of luxury money ( earned of course) if it isn't enough, they demand more. They can get a job to have extra bits!

I suppose everyone is different. When mine got to 11 they got a cash card. I paid money into their account every month. I worked out how much they needed for school lunches, bus pass, a reasonable amount for spending money and clothes, other than the basics like school uniform. They then had the option to manage their money.

For the first term I bought them a bus pass, they could then save for a term or annual bus pass or just buy a monthly one, which cost more. They then had to decide if it was worth the bus and sometimes they would just walk for the summer term and save the cash. For lunch they might have a meal at school, they also had free reign in the cupboards so if they were saving for something they might make a sandwich but alot of the time they did a mix and match so might take a sandwich but buy a pudding.

They made no big mistakes and are all money savvy so I have no regrets. I did provide money for what they needed but let them have control. Obviously when they were 11 I would go clothes shopping with them but gradually they did it all themselves.

It worked for us but might not for everyone.

They also worked as soon as they were old enough and worked all through uni.

CruisingSaver

daisiegg wrote: »

You know it is possible - in fact very common - to have a job and still do well in your education. My siblings and I all worked from 16 (actually my sister worked from 14) and got straight top grades at A Level and those of us who have completed uni already did very well. In fact said sister is just about to graduate in medicine from Cambridge. I actually believe, as a teacher, that sixth form students with part time work (of a sensible amount - up to around 12 hours a week) learn to manage their time much better, are more mature, responsible and focused. I had an ex boyfriend whose parents said his education was more important than working at 16. He flunked out at A Levels, got a third in his degree (useless) and was never able to get work that he badly needed during university summer holidays because he had no work experience on his CV. I believe he struggled to find work after uni too. I fully intend to encourage my children to get part time jobs at 16 not so we don't have to give them pocket money(!) but to build up a CV, help to teach them time management, responsibility, independence, managing money, interacting with adults and (possibly) the public, maturity and self-worth. Not saying you can't develop those things without a job but not as easily I don't think!

Totally agree Daisie. My 14, nearly 15, year old DD is already thinking about what kind of part time job she wants to look for once she gets her NI number next year.


This is in addition to researching degrees, universities, and possible work experience for Year 10.


It goes without saying that she makes me proud each and every day, but to see the level of maturity she's gained in the last few months has been really lovely to witness.


CS

GobbledyGook

My eldest is only 10, but we have a mixture when it comes to pocket money. My girls get pocket money based on them doing 'their' jobs around the house (they pick on a 4 weekly basis). They also have other jobs that they are simply expected to do on the basis that the whole household should chip in. They can also pick up extra jobs if they want to earn more - DD1 broke her skates and is saving for new ones so has been doing extras to raise money.

My 7 year old currently gets £217 every 4 weeks (though only on paper!) as she got upset because her new friend got "loads" every week and she only got £5. However her friend (who is 11) has to pay for lunches, horse riding etc from her money so we've been using a spreadsheet to let her see that she gets "loads" as well.

Loobysaver

Thank you all for the large amount of reply's. There is certainly a difference in what families give.

In answer to the questions about my 16 year old getting a job. She has been looking and she did have a temporary job at Xmas but hasn't found anything since. I have found since she has been at college I have more costs. I have to pay £130 per term for a bus pass for starters.
The main bone of contention is clothes. My idea of an adequate wardrobe and hers are different! The pocket money I give her ideally will be enough for her to buy make-up, treats and clothes. I will contine paying for her bus pass, lunches and mobile phone. Just need to think of a fair figure.

My 12 year old has not been bothered about pocket money and has never asked for any really. I buy her clothes and a magazine once a month but apart from that it is usually a few quid here and then if she wants to go out with her friends. Although now she is maturing she is starting to take an interest in fashion and make-up so I think that pocket money now is the way to go.

It was so much easier when they were toddlers!! :rotfl:

tillyenna

My allowance was not based on 'chores' as a child, instead I got £50/month allowance, which was for all non-essentials. i.e. school uniform got paid for, any other clothes came out of the allowance. Both my brother and I got this basic £50/month when we turned 12, with the understanding that if you kept accurate account books and could show you were managing your money well each year, it would get put up. By the time we left home I was on £100/month, and my brother was still at £50! Needless to say, I'm the better one with dealing with money because of it!

MallyGirl

I am starting to think I am a very mean Mummy looking at all the comments and amounts on here.
My DD is 12 and gets £10 per month pocket money. It goes straight into her bank account which she has a debit card for. I pay for uniform, home clothes, school lunches and stationary, the occasional bus ticket (I bought a 10 trip card as I never have any change) and monthly phone rental of £11. I also pay for Stagecoach, piano lessons, wind band, sax lessons and associated sheet music or exam entries.
She pays for anything she buys from Amazon - mostly nail art stuff and kindle books, CDs and music downloads, iPad games, any snacks or drinks that she treats herself to if she pops into town after school with her friends, magazines apart from National Geographic kids which I gave her a subscription for.
When I was 14 I started getting a clothes allowance which covered uniform and home clothes - consequently my skirts were pretty short by the time I reached 6th form as I wouldn't waste the money on a new one

GobbledyGook

We had a bit of a laugh in our house tonight. The subject came up again and DD2 is now satisfied that she's not hard done by (she struggles to grasp the cost of things if she doesn't see it being paid for, but is getting better at understanding it).

So the two girls were giving the option of having weekly pocket money as they've always had or a monthly allowance.

Their Dad and I were in stitches in the hallway listening to them discuss the pros and cons of each. I believe the clincher was that P had to buy ugly school shoes with laces (their school is pretty strict with uniform and encourages very sensible shoes) with her money and DD1 never wants to part with her own cash for ugly shoes. DD2 concurred that this would be awful so weekly pocket money with us sorting all the essentials it is.

So glad they make balanced decisions based on the important things.... :rotfl:

Good luck with your decisions Loobysaver! It certainly was easier in many ways when they were little.

Lunar_Eclipse

My 12 year old gets £32/month.

It's not tied to chores, which I might change, and she very rarely spends any of it, besides the odd chocolate bar, a few holiday treats and gifts for family members. I imagine she spends 1-2 months money per year.

kjmtidea

6 year old - £2
8 year old - £2.50
10 year old - £3
12 year old - £4

Paid into their banks every Friday and it is for any extra stuff that they want, I still pay for clothes, hobbies etc. They are pretty good at saving it up and not wasting it.

IrishRose12

I never had a bank account until I was 17 years old! And my children won't be getting a bank card until the same age. They don't need it, they are children, far too young to be carrying cards around at that age, and and they are my responsibility. I believe in keeping children innocent and letting them be children. I knew the value of money and knew how to handle it without being made to grow up before my time. And my children will be the same.
I have a bank account set up for each of them and I pay £10 into it each month, However they won't be getting that until they leave school.
I have a credit union account open for each of them and The half of their birthday and Christmas money goes into that. Again they won't be allowed to take any of that money out until they reach 16 years of age........ that's not my choice it's the rules:rotfl:

But each to their own, and these days it's what you can afford, which for a lot of us isn't much these days:(