Should I pay my Mum 'keep' when I'm on holiday?

Oldernotwiser

anniehanlon wrote: »

sorry to buck the trend but my daughter has moved back home after a long term relationship break up.
she pays £60 a week for her board. I personally wouldnt dream of her paying while
she was away on holiday, it doesnt cost an extra £60 a week for extra
water, electricity and food. She's my child for goodness sake and i would not dream of making a profit out of her.

I'm sure that you're not counting everything in your sums. Not long ago our teenage foster son left home and I actually calculated how much our bills went down after he left. Water and electricity consumption went down by nearly a half (he showered every day, sometimes twice, and washed clothes that had only been worn on one occasion, sometimes only tried on!). Gas consumption fell by about a third (all those pizzas in the oven when he didn't want to eat what we were having), radiator turned on in what would normally be the spare room and central heating on for longer because he kept later hours than us. Food costs dropped by £25/30 per week (don't teenagers eat a lot of crisps and fizzy drinks which you wouldn't buy otherwise?) And don't even get me started on the phone bill!

Too many people think that having a young person at home costs very little; our running costs went down by about £70 per week when he left. If the OP was actually paying what it really cost for to live at home then a discount for uneaten food might be reasonable but £50 nowhere nearly covers what her mother would actually be paying out. Paying a subsidised rate all year has a built in discount for times when she's not there.

misty

I wonder how many of the people saying welcome to the real world - bills still have to be paid when you are on holiday were up in arms on the other thread where the child minder charged when she was on holiday?

To the OP as your mum isn't really charging you that much then I would just pay up and count yourself lucky.

Mips

anniehanlon wrote: »

sorry to buck the trend but my daughter has moved back home after a long term relationship break up.
she pays £60 a week for her board. I personally wouldnt dream of her paying while
she was away on holiday, it doesnt cost an extra £60 a week for extra
water, electricity and food. She's my child for goodness sake and i would not dream of making a profit out of her.

You are not making a profit - you are teaching your child values and keeping her grounded.

It is called Tough Love and I am all for it, if it means my children wont sail through life expecting everything done for them

bestpud

misty wrote: »

I wonder how many of the people saying welcome to the real world - bills still have to be paid when you are on holiday were up in arms on the other thread where the child minder charged when she was on holiday?

How on earth is that relevant??

As I recall, the parents were very happy to pay the childminder when they were on holiday themselves? Plus all their household bills, obviously.

bestpud

anniehanlon wrote: »

she pays £60 a week for her board. I personally wouldnt dream of her paying while
she was away on holiday, it doesnt cost an extra £60 a week for extra
water, electricity and food. She's my child for goodness sake and i would not dream of making a profit out of her.

That seems to be a contradiction?

If it doesn't cost that much to have her there, then you are making a profit, aren't you?

Gingham_Ribbon

I lived at my parents' house rent free for 6 months after leaving my ex in the middle of the night. I would have been homeless if they hadn't taken me in. I didn't pay board, but I did save EVERYTHING I had so that, 6 months on I had a deposit for a house and money to buy what I needed.

Everyone's situation is different and I'd do the same for my children, but if they're living at home rather than needing an emergency bed, then I think they should contribute to the house as any other adult in the house does - including contributing to the general upkeep of the home by pulling their weight regarding housework, cooking, gardening etc.

Zazen999

anniehanlon wrote: »

sorry to buck the trend but my daughter has moved back home after a long term relationship break up.
she pays £60 a week for her board. I personally wouldnt dream of her paying while
she was away on holiday, it doesnt cost an extra £60 a week for extra
water, electricity and food. She's my child for goodness sake and i would not dream of making a profit out of her.

I think what you might have meant is that it doesn't cost as LITTLE as £60 per week, and thus making a loss???

looby-loo_2

I'll have four at home for the summer, youngest 16. Only the 16 earns and that is flexible, one other wants a job and I don't know about the other two yet. I'm just pleased to have them all back again for one last summer. One will start work next summer. Although one part of me wants them to get work I also want the flexibility of going away when we want to, going out for days, catching up on DIY and stuff. I just don't want to be tied into working hours. I don't expect any of them will have a career near here so I want to make the most of it.
If they were here for the long term and earning I would expect rent but not this summer.
I don't think £50 is too bad when earning £700

Kez100

Yes, you should pay. If your Mum was running it like a hotel then you would not be paying £50 a week. You are paying her towards costs not covering costs, that's all. When you go on holiday housing costs continue so, so should you.

tiamai_d

Ha. When I was 16 and working a skillseekers job, I made £50 a week and had to pay my parents £20 a week or the bills didn't get paid. My parents relyed on that money to help pay bills, not just food but everything else.

I would not have expected a 'rent break' when I was on holiday, but we did agree to lower it to £15 per week if I was away (and not eating food). Luckily, I was a bit stupid and believed that I did only get 2 weeks holiday a year. :rolleyes:

Actually skillseekers was just disguised explotation so be thankful you are earning a whole lot more. £500 disposible a month, I'd have killed for that!