How much board to charge?

meadow2018

This was a long time ago but I paid 50% of my salary to my parents when I was living at home.  

Pollycat

meadow2018 said:

This was a long time ago but I paid 50% of my salary to my parents when I was living at home.  

Probably even longer ago than you but my Mother took my wage packet from me as I walked in the door on my first payday and gave me spending money.

Whiterose23

meadow2018 said:

This was a long time ago but I paid 50% of my salary to my parents when I was living at home.  

Different times I think. I seem to recall handing over £20
a week when I started work in 1984, and I’m pretty sure that was probably just under half of what I earned. I didn’t feel put out though; my parents didn’t have a great deal and I had never had money before that point so was still delighted at what I had left.

Whiterose23

Pollycat said:

meadow2018 said:

This was a long time ago but I paid 50% of my salary to my parents when I was living at home.  

Probably even longer ago than you but my Mother took my wage packet from me as I walked in the door on my first payday and gave me spending money.

I think years ago that mentality was the norm; my Dad used to hand his pay packet to my mum each week and she managed all the money. He would get so much back to go out for a pint 🙂

Spendless

Pollycat said:

meadow2018 said:

This was a long time ago but I paid 50% of my salary to my parents when I was living at home.  

Probably even longer ago than you but my Mother took my wage packet from me as I walked in the door on my first payday and gave me spending money.

Yes, that was commonplace years ago. You read it in fiction  books set in the past. When families tended to be larger and very little money, as the kids went to work then they all contributed to the household costs and as you say were jsut given spending money back. I should imagine that because this became the 'norm' several generations on. it continued even when households in general started to become more affluent (smaller families, more women at work). I suspect it then morphed into contributing a fair chunk of wages but not all of it eg the contributing 50% mentioned) and again that continued as the done thing within families until morphing again into the modern day dilemma, do I charge, what do I charge, do I save and give back etc.

Mine aren't at work yet (uni and college) but in my head I thought as and when the time came I'd ask for just what they cost in extra expenses, which is mostly food and electricity. Then I realised that though our CT remains the same if one of the kids starts work, if anything should happen to me or DH during that time, we'd still have the same CT to pay but me or DH funding the whole lot or would have to ask child/ren to contribute to this 'new' bill. So, that leaves a dilemma, would I charge for a bill that doesn't exist as such (as it's not an additional cost) or would I 'just in case' or cross that bridge if and when we came to it. My favourite solution (all hypothetical of course) was to charge the 25% but save  that bit away, returning anything not needed  from these savings when child left home.