How much housekeeping for 19 year old?

gravitytolls

It seems pretty reasonable to me. If you could afford to save a little of it, that would be great, tehn you could treat her to something lovely when she gets her own place.


RP2X, are you having a laugh? And what's this about bleeding kids dry. I don't suppose for a moment you've considered it could be the other way around?

£50 a month, a different planet you're on methinks.

If parents don't charge a reasonable rent for all the home comforts living at home brings, how on earth is that person going to cope when they do mocve out?

I can tell you, that before they know what's hit them, they'll have huge debts, as they'll never be able to adjust to not being able to spend whatever they like.

Liverbird, don't you dare feel guilty. Kids are always running guilt trips on their folks, cos they learn at an early age that it usually works.

Women are born with guilt, and if they're Catholic they get the monopoly:D , but stand firm, it's hardly extortionate is it, for the excellent service she gets for her money.

Viz_2

I think its right to have your child pay house keeping. Although £200 from £700 is a bit steep in my opinion.
Although £200 isn't a lot for what you have to pay for (t.v., electric, gas, water, council tax etc...), your daughter is paying you over 25% of her take home money.
I would reduce to about £100 and increase if she gets any rises.
She is ( probably ) going to be in debt for more than half of her working life ( mortgage ) so why not let her enjoy her money for a while.

Why not tell her you will reduce her house keep money if she promises to start a regular savings account ?
She will then see the long term benefit of saving !

Js_Other_Half

I was working full time after I graduated to take home £700- and out of that I rented a (tiny) house, paid all my bills, etc - I was determined not to go running home tail between my legs to my parents. It took a few years, but I even managed to save a deposit for my own house.

If children at home are not treated like adults, there'll always be an adult/child relationship - hence the borrowing until payday etc

Jess_B

I think working children should pay board. I moved out as soon as I had a job and brought a flat. At the time I came home with about the same amount and my bills, mortgage etc cost a lot more than £200 a month.

I would sit down with her and show her how much everything costs, mortgage, bills etc. Let her see how far her £200 goes every month. I wish my parents had done that with me. She just sees it that you are taking her money for you to spend on yourself, this was how my sister felt when my mum would take her board off her and my mum would be off shopping! Mind you she was borrowing back of my dad by the middle of the month!!

moggins

I don't think £200 is too much at all. My eldest is 20 and she works part-time and brings home between £400-500 a month. Out of this she pays me £110. I buy basic toiletries but she has to buy anything special she wants.

It was £100 but she kept messing me about with meals so much that I said I would get some ready meals in for her but she had to pay for the extra cost of buying them.

KK

Liverbird - I think you are doing the right thing totally. When I was newly married I was earning just over £700 per month and paying 50% of all the bills, shopping etc and paying £300 towards our mortgage every month. I was absolutely skint but it was our flat. Work out how much your bills are incl all expenses like food, toiletries, council tax, mortgage etc and work out what 50% of it would be (what she would pay if you were her flat mate) - I bet it comes to more than £200. Then show her the calculations. I don't think my parents ever did this for me and I think it would have helped. I was however brought up to be very money conscious.

£500 per month spending money is loads. If you can afford it you could put some of the money she gives you aside in a savings account for her until she leaves home (my mum did this for my brother - I never earned enough money while I was living at home to pay any rent) for her to spend wisely or at least put towards a deposit. You need to teach her the value of money and how to budget and this is the ideal opportunity. Does she pay for her own holidays? I would even be inclined to raise it to £300 and then lend her her own money back half way thorugh the month. My friend did this to her fiscally irresponsible boyfriend - he gave her half his salary minus the rent and she gave it back to him later in the month.

What on earth does she spend her money on if she is skint so early in the month? Does she buy expensive clothes, go out to expensive places, drink loads or what? I think as a mother you have the responsibility to teach her the meaning of money. Have you ever seen 'bank of mum and dad' - it shows some tragic cases.

I presume she doesn't pay separately towards bills like the phone, council tax, gas and electric bills etc - if her only laibility is a mobile phone bill every month then call me old fashioned but I think she is laughing. I think £400 per month to spend on herself is loads - she must have a great social life on that! I sound tough, but only because I am married to a man who comes from a family where the children weren't taught financial responsibility and we are still helping his 42 year old brother out even though he has his own company, and the other brother has wildly erratic fortunes. We have a house and 2 cars through sheer hard work and having to budget really carefully.

Does your daugther have a pension? - there is a book called the Motley Fool which shows a great table on how compounding interest works and how a little paid into a fund early reaps great rewards later - it really shocked me. They also have one called How to Make Your Child a Millionaire.

Keep up the good work and excuse me if I sound as If I am on my soapbox!

Bennifred

Liverbird, I also think that no way are you charging your daughter too much. As others have said, as there are just the two of you - is that £200 half of all your bills,etc? I bet not! And to have £500 a month just to spend on whatever she wants (as opposed to needs) is riches indeed to my mind. We should all be so lucky! I am amazed that she runs out so quickly, and what about savings??!! Don't forget, she is supposedly an adult now, and as such should be starting to take responsibility for her life. That includes money management, and not taking advantage of your good nature! I know it is hard to say no to people you love, but in the long run you will be helping her if you refuse to bail her out every time she is skint, it truly is time to teach her some basic budgetting. How about starting with a standing order to a savings account when she is paid (even a small amount will soon add up) and then, after paying her share of household expenses,she can divide the remainder to spend over the month. If she can't manage on this amount, when there is only herself to consider, she really does need your help to learn how.

ceegee

30% of take home pay was the figure I'd always heard of as an appropriate amount. That would be £210 . I agree with postings about helping her to set up her own budget, with some money going into a savings account every month.

nh

Liverbird - do you have £500 a month to yourself after all your bills are paid? I bet not! But your daughter has.

When I graduated I took home just over £800 a month and bought a flat. I had less than £100 a month left over after bills/food etc.

She is having a laugh if she thinks £200 is too much - you stick to your guns!

Sheel

When my elder daughter first started paying board I showed her a piece in a newspaper that advised someone that her child should pay 30%. We only asked for about 20% , but she still moaned that her friends didn't pay as much as she did :rolleyes:

Liverbird you say she's looking for a flat share and everyone knows she wont last 5 minutes , well perhaps it will do her good to learn the hard way Every time my daughter left home to live in a flat (4 times in all) we kept telling her she wouldn't be able to afford it and she eventually realised how well off she was at home and now she's living with us again she's much better about paying her board

Wish we'd made her pay 30% and set up a savings account for her though. It's something we did think of , but never got around to doing