Taking housekeeping money from your children

xtessx

I have two kids, the oldest is 18 and in full time employment doing an apprenticeship. He earns about £200 a week and pays me £25 a week out of this. My daughter is 16 and she has a weekend job. She doesn't pay me anything, but pays for most of her clothes, make-up, hair cuts, nails etc. It is a huge relief not to have to buy all this anymore, but still have to taxi her about all the time!!

Tess xx

kazwookie

Years ago...............I had to pay for all my personal stuff, clothes and shoes from the age of 16.

I think I started to pay board from about the age of 19, don't remember how much..

postingalwaysposting

I had my first job at 17 (still in ft education) and I was expected to contribute to the house costs. I didnt have and never have (I still live at home ) had a problem with this. If anything it taught me as this was my first bill. Obviously once I got into full time work this increaed. I think I payed mum £20 after making £80 a week @ 17 now I pay £120 a month, cover the phone bill, house insurance and then pay some petrol. I also cover a yearly holiday for use both to cornwall or such. Ok that may seem a lot and it is really (well over £200 a month) however I look at is as there are two of us in the house, mum has struggled since I was small (with my bro and sis) to cope as a single parent and this is my 'pay back' time. I dont begruge paying and in fact I love 'paying my way'. I think even if I had a multi millionaire mother I would still pay into the house :rotfl:

tesuhoha

I think that maybe you should ask for the money to help her become a responsible adult. However, £50 a week is not a lot of money and its sad that she can't even have this much to herself. I would feel mean taking it. Therefore if it was me I would invest the money you take off her into a savings account and give the money to her later on in life when she needs something.

jak

My Mum had a rule that when we finished uni, we had to pay keep. £100 pcm. My sister did but I never had to. My sister now has a good job and a lovely flat she owns. I have been rubbish with money and in piles of debt. My Mum loves me but to be honest she did me dis-service when she didn't take money off me. I let her bale me out for years! Until shamefully recently!
I would suggest taking an nominal amount and keeping it in a savings for her to use for uni/deposit for a house or something big. You could have a joint account so she needs your approval for any 'big' purchase.
J
x

RAS

jo1972 wrote: »

My eldest daughter has just managed to get herself a Sat/Sun job and as soon as she finishes her GCSE's next month she will also be doing some weekday work too until she starts her A Levels in September.

Question to you all is, I feel I need to ask her to contribute something towards housekeeping as she's now 16, I feel awful taking her hard earned wages but to help her learn about earning money and paying bills etc later in life I think she should pay something towards her keep. Then hopefully she won't be a DFW'er later in life

She will probably be earning something like £50.00 per week for 2 days work, then more when she does weekdays.

Do you take housekeeping off of your kids? What age did you start taking it and, if you don't mind me asking, how much

When I got my first Saturday job, i did not contribute towards the household but I was expected to pay for travel, clothes, stuff and things like batteries for my radio.

However, when I got a holiday job, I contributed a third of my full-time income to the household. Tax, Ni and travel to work ate another third, and I had the rest to cvoer the other expenses. I got the tax back later as a lump sum, so i used that for holidays or a big item I wanted.

| would be tempted to take a small amount when she is working over the holiday, but save this up and put it into an account to cover her later when she needs to take time off to do exams, if your finances will bear that.

LilacPixie

I left home at 20. Up until then i never paid a penny to my parents but as soon as I started working part-time at 16 clothes/shoes/make-up then became my responsibility with the exception of my school uniform.

My sister is 25 works full time and still doesn't pay board but she is my mothers personal chauffeur when not working, buys her own work lunches and pretty much buys herself everything else.

poet123

I think that whilst she is at school her earnings should be hers,but she should now pay for her luxuries herself.

LucyTheDwarf

I still live at home, and since I got my first weekend job at 16 I have paid 15% of my take home pay to my parents. Well, actually, it's going up this month to 20% as the monthly electricity has increased from £70 pm standing order to £160 pm!

As soon as I started working, I had to pay for all my luxuries, clothes and make-up etc, but my parents would buy food, toiletries, etc, but I still got the occasional treat off them, while I was at school, as I only earned £20 a week. Alas, at 21 I can no longer get treats from begging my darling most wonderful daddy dearest...

Though, it doesn't do to be too kind... One of my colleagues, 19 years old, has never paid any money for her keep. her parents said she'd have to pay after 6 months of full time work, but she's been working with me 2 years now and not paid a penny. I know she takes home £900 a month. She was at the maximum of her £1000 overdraft. Her parents bailed her out twice, paying the overdraft, began to look at her bank statements daily to check she wasn't being silly with her money, decided they trusted her enough to manage her own money not 2 weeks ago... and now she's £1000 overdrawn again. Overgenerous parents do their offspring no favours! Better to be harsh and instil some sense, than be lenient and set up a lifetime of financial problems...

Glittermonkey

I had a part time job from 16 - 19 when I left home. I earned £70 pw and had to pay my parents £25 a week out of this.

I was still at college then and paid my own fares etc, i also brought my own clothes then too.

I have my 17 year old brother living with me and my parents give me £40 per week for him. He earns over £300 per month in his part time job and my parents dont think he should pay towards his keep.

The £40 per week from my parents does not go far and I think its only fair he chips in for gas/electric/phonebill but so far its like banging my head against a brickwall!