How much board to charge?

Whiterose23

Pollycat said:

Whiterose23 said:

Pollycat said:

Does your son think £150 per month is reasonable?

He hasn’t offered an opinion on whether he does or doesn’t...

When you said you intended to charge him £150 per month, didn't he give any reaction at all?

No, other than ‘ok’ or something along those lines.
He’s more interested in his friends/girls/Xbox than discussing money etc. This post isn’t as a result of a reaction from him, more my own thoughts.

Pollycat

Whiterose23 said:

No, other than ‘ok’ or something along those lines.
He’s more interested in his friends/girls/Xbox than discussing money etc. This post isn’t as a result of a reaction from him, more my own thoughts.

Then he clearly doesn't have a violent objection to what you propose to charge and if £150 works for you, then I'd go for it.

I have a friend in a similar position. Child benefit ended, child maintenance ended, full council tax now due, low income - she has no option but to charge board.

Whiterose23

Pollycat said:

Whiterose23 said:

No, other than ‘ok’ or something along those lines.
He’s more interested in his friends/girls/Xbox than discussing money etc. This post isn’t as a result of a reaction from him, more my own thoughts.

Then he clearly doesn't have a violent objection to what you propose to charge and if £150 works for you, then I'd go for it.

I have a friend in a similar position. Child benefit ended, child maintenance ended, full council tax now due, low income - she has no option but to charge board.

To be honest even if I didn’t need to charge at all, I would ask for something but probably a contribution. I don’t agree with those who put their emotions first and say things such as ‘how can you treat your child as a tennant’ etc. Also, I won’t be saving any and giving it back later; I will be helping them both the best I can at key moments in their lives but not by saying ‘here is some of your board back; I’ve been saving it for you’. 

It will be money I’ve put aside myself, and them contributing to housekeeping will of course help me to do that, but I’m order for our home to remain a nice place to live, I do thinkk all over 18s who are working should contribute.
my second child has had a part time job for two years but I would next expect anything as I still receive help for them. Also, as I wanted my son to enjoy his first month of pay, I didn’t take anything. All in all I think it’s a good balance.

Whiterose23

Sorry for spelling mistakes on my last post - I was using my phone! 

Spendless

Savvy_Sue said:

Whiterose23 said:

My son will have over £700 to do with what he pleases each month. He intends to save half so he’ll have around £350 or around £85 a week for socialising. I have about that amount spare too, but it has to cover clothes for myself and my other child, as well as anything unexpected. Arguably I could probably charge a bit less if I cut back on a few things but it would be a strain and I don’t think I should have to think that way now there’s another working adult in the house. In 18 mo this time he will be earning £6k+ more so will be even better off than now.

Personally, I think it would be better to go in a bit high rather than go in too low and have to negotiate an increase quickly ... 

And I agree with you, with another working adult in the house there is no reason you should 'strain' unnecessarily. 

I would agree with this. What always irked me, was; as I finished O'levels I got a Saturday job. I then went to sixth form for a year before deciding it wasn't for me. Instead I found a training scheme (a modern day apprenticeship) but also kept my saturday job, meaning I worked full time 6 days a week for a year when my training course offerred me a permanent position. The amount they offerred me meant I could jack the Saturday job in and be £2 a week better off after paying board. My Mum promptly put my board up by £2, so I was never any finanically better off, I just had an extra day off. When I objected to this, Mum said she'd never taken my Saturday wages into account, but she'd never made this clear to me. It just ensured I never told them about a pay rise ever again. 

pollypenny

Whiterose23 said:

Pollycat said:

Whiterose23 said:

No, other than ‘ok’ or something along those lines.
He’s more interested in his friends/girls/Xbox than discussing money etc. This post isn’t as a result of a reaction from him, more my own thoughts.

Then he clearly doesn't have a violent objection to what you propose to charge and if £150 works for you, then I'd go for it.

I have a friend in a similar position. Child benefit ended, child maintenance ended, full council tax now due, low income - she has no option but to charge board.

To be honest even if I didn’t need to charge at all, I would ask for something but probably a contribution. I don’t agree with those who put their emotions first and say things such as ‘how can you treat your child as a tennant’ etc. Also, I won’t be saving any and giving it back later; I will be helping them both the best I can at key moments in their lives but not by saying ‘here is some of your board back; I’ve been saving it for you’. 

It will be money I’ve put aside myself, and them contributing to housekeeping will of course help me to do that, but I’m order for our home to remain a nice place to live, I do thinkk all over 18s who are working should contribute.
my second child has had a part time job for two years but I would next expect anything as I still receive help for them. Also, as I wanted my son to enjoy his first month of pay, I didn’t take anything. All in all I think it’s a good balance.

Exactly. It's part of being an adult. 

Pollycat

Charging/not charging board is a subject that divides posters whenever it is raised on here.

MovingForwards

I was the last sibling to hit 16, my mom was a single parent.
My job paid me £42.50 a week, out of that £25 went to my mom and it helped towards the utilities, cereal and evening meal. 
I paid for my own clothes, bus pass, lunch and anything else I wanted. In reality it got me lunch and my bus pass.

Do what is best for your circumstances, no two families are the same.

Even now my eldest sibling still lives at home and pays his keep. 

Silvertabby

Spendless said:

Savvy_Sue said:

Whiterose23 said:

My son will have over £700 to do with what he pleases each month. He intends to save half so he’ll have around £350 or around £85 a week for socialising. I have about that amount spare too, but it has to cover clothes for myself and my other child, as well as anything unexpected. Arguably I could probably charge a bit less if I cut back on a few things but it would be a strain and I don’t think I should have to think that way now there’s another working adult in the house. In 18 mo this time he will be earning £6k+ more so will be even better off than now.

Personally, I think it would be better to go in a bit high rather than go in too low and have to negotiate an increase quickly ... 

And I agree with you, with another working adult in the house there is no reason you should 'strain' unnecessarily. 

I would agree with this. What always irked me, was; as I finished O'levels I got a Saturday job. I then went to sixth form for a year before deciding it wasn't for me. Instead I found a training scheme (a modern day apprenticeship) but also kept my saturday job, meaning I worked full time 6 days a week for a year when my training course offerred me a permanent position. The amount they offerred me meant I could jack the Saturday job in and be £2 a week better off after paying board. My Mum promptly put my board up by £2, so I was never any finanically better off, I just had an extra day off. When I objected to this, Mum said she'd never taken my Saturday wages into account, but she'd never made this clear to me. It just ensured I never told them about a pay rise ever again. 

If you think that's bad, my mum was obsessed with the idea that my sister and I must always have 'the same' despite the fact that she was 4 years younger than me and that always having 'the same' wasn't necessarily 'fair'.

When I started work (and my sister was still at school) my take home pay was £5.50 per week.  Mum took £2.50 of that for my keep - but topped it up out of her own money and gave £3 to my sister.  So we'd have 'the same'.

My sister never did learn how to handle money.

Whiterose23

Silvertabby said:

Spendless said:

Savvy_Sue said:

Whiterose23 said:

My son will have over £700 to do with what he pleases each month. He intends to save half so he’ll have around £350 or around £85 a week for socialising. I have about that amount spare too, but it has to cover clothes for myself and my other child, as well as anything unexpected. Arguably I could probably charge a bit less if I cut back on a few things but it would be a strain and I don’t think I should have to think that way now there’s another working adult in the house. In 18 mo this time he will be earning £6k+ more so will be even better off than now.

Personally, I think it would be better to go in a bit high rather than go in too low and have to negotiate an increase quickly ... 

And I agree with you, with another working adult in the house there is no reason you should 'strain' unnecessarily. 

I would agree with this. What always irked me, was; as I finished O'levels I got a Saturday job. I then went to sixth form for a year before deciding it wasn't for me. Instead I found a training scheme (a modern day apprenticeship) but also kept my saturday job, meaning I worked full time 6 days a week for a year when my training course offerred me a permanent position. The amount they offerred me meant I could jack the Saturday job in and be £2 a week better off after paying board. My Mum promptly put my board up by £2, so I was never any finanically better off, I just had an extra day off. When I objected to this, Mum said she'd never taken my Saturday wages into account, but she'd never made this clear to me. It just ensured I never told them about a pay rise ever again. 

If you think that's bad, my mum was obessed with the idea that my sister and I must always have 'the same' despite the fact that she was 4 years younger than me and that always having 'the same' wasn't necessarily 'fair'.

When I started work (and my sister was still at school) my take home pay was £5.50 per week.  Mum took £2.50 of that for my keep - but topped it up out of her own money and gave £3 to my sister.  So we'd have 'the same'.

My sister never did learn how to handle money.

Parents make a lot of strange decisions based on their sense of ‘fairness’, with plenty of emotion and some guilt thrown in.
My two are 22 months apart so I do try to treat them equally re money but they are very different; my son is very careful with money and always prefers money as gifts for birthday etc so he can save, whereas my daughter is less concerned about it and would prefer to receive a nice gift or have an afternoon out. I just do whatever I know makes them happy but I don’t add it up necessarily. On saying that however, I will ask them for the same amount of board once they’re both working (and if they’re still living at home),
whatever they’re earning.