kwg Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 My ds7almost8 :tongue_smilie:has asked for allowance and I am trying to wrap my brain around how to handle it. He has chores now but doesn't get paid for them. I kind of feel like he is expected to help out around the house and have trouble paying him for an expectation. On the other hand, I can see value in his earning and having his own money. His friend is getting an allowance, thus, the interest. What are age appropriate chores you have your dc complete? Do you give allowance? How much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 :lurk5: My 7yo just brought up wanting an allowance last week... we're not sure what to do about it here either. We also believe he shouldn't be paid for the chores he does do since he's part of this family and should help out by virtue of being a family member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 (edited) My kids receive allowance. It allows them to buy gum, books, magazines, lego of their choice without constantly asking for things. They are required to do chores. The two are not necessarily tied. My 9 year old receives $7/week. Typical chores for him: feeding pets, picking up dog poop, cleaning his room, tidying the bathroom he shares with his sister, general tidying around the house, emptying the dishwasher, clearing and wiping tables and counters, emptying the small trash cans around the house. My 11 year old receives $10/week. Typical chores for her include all of the above plus cleaning the bathroom she shares with her brother (mirror, sink, toilet, floor, everything) and vacuuming. My 14 year old receives $20/week (she also pays for her phone and some outings with her friends). Typical chores for her include the above plus washing dishes, taking out the kitchen trash, doing laundry and babysitting her siblings. Edited June 19, 2010 by Mrs Mungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 (edited) Kids have chores because 1) they are part of the family and 2) they need to learn the skills and values associated. Kids get an allowance because 1) they are part of the family and 2) they need to learn about money. Only ADDITIONAL chores would I pay for. If a child comes to me and says, "is there anything I can do to earn some money?" I'll point them in the direction of a "for pay chore" if I can afford to pay. Allowance is 50cents per year of age (10yo gets $5). Edited June 19, 2010 by 2J5M9K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 I gave a small allowance for years- $2 or so a week, then it went up to $5- and it wasnt associated with doing chores at all. It was so that they had some money to spend in the way they chose. Once they hit 13, dh decided to start giving them $20 allowance weekly so that he had something over them to take away from them when they DIDNT do their chores. So, they dont really get paid for doign their chores. They are expected to do them regardless. However, if they "forget" or get too slack over them, they get a deduction from their allowance. We were having issues with giving age appropriate consequences for deliberate neglect of chores- this works for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnitaMcC Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 (edited) My ds7almost8 :tongue_smilie:has asked for allowance and I am trying to wrap my brain around how to handle it. He has chores now but doesn't get paid for them. I kind of feel like he is expected to help out around the house and have trouble paying him for an expectation. On the other hand, I can see value in his earning and having his own money. His friend is getting an allowance, thus, the interest. What are age appropriate chores you have your dc complete? Do you give allowance? How much? Rule of thumb here is that I do give the kids an base allowance and then from there the kids have to earn extra money by doing extra chores. The chores they are to do that they do not get paid to do are (other than cleaning up their messes and taking care of their rooms): -helping with dishes, -helping with laundry- mainly carry it up/down stairs as washer and dryer are in basement and bedrooms are on 2nd floor, Once they are 13 they are responsible for doing their own laundry. I have chronic/severe asthma and other health issues so I can't always handle going up/down stairs and carry laundry. -vacuumming and sweeping, -taking out trash, -wiping down bathrooms, -helping with dinner, -carrying in groceries, -mowing/raking the lawn, -taking care of dog and cat, -taking care of siblings when Dh and I have to run errands, go to work, take other siblings somewhere and can't take youngest two... things that we just "have to" do. But I will pay for extra things done... -like weed my flowers/bushes, -wash the windows, -scrub a bathroom or kitchen, -wash walls, -clean the garage, -clean the fridge, -clean/organize the basement. I am more than happy to pay my kids to do my chores-LOL. The oldest two also get paid for babysitting the youngest two when Dh and I are going out for fun. I give a base allowance because it cuts out the little things they ask for every time we go somewhere. I hate to always say no to them but I also hate having to spend $1 here and $2 there for four kids every time we go places. I figure they need to learn the value of money and how to choose what they want to spend that money on. Oldest two (15yr olds) get $25 a month, youngest two (11 and 9 yrs old) get $10 a month. This is what they are allowed to spend for whatever they want/need. This includes Dd make-up, treats when we are out and about, pet supplies (Dd has 4 guinea pigs, Ds#1 has a rat, Ds#2 has a hamster), and the latest sillybandz and other fad toys, etc. I give the oldest two their money on 1st of the month and the youngest two I give them $5 on 1st and $5 on 15th. If they run out of their money and want something... they have to earn it. Edited June 19, 2010 by AnitaMcC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 (edited) Allowance is not chore based here unless the kids decide to do extras like yard work to earn extra $$. there are set chores each child has just because he/she live in this house and we all work together. To avoid the "I want to go bowling with friends or need some head phones or want this new game, may I have some $$" We give the teens $40 a month and my 10 year old $10. They always having pocket money for whatever they think they need or want. We do fund going to the movies or other activities with church or friends from time to time. Edited June 20, 2010 by lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 We have chores. Just like schoolwork. Must be done. Allowance is separate. But we do very small allowance. It is basically to teach about money. When we go somewhere special (amusement park etc), we will give her some extra money to spend. Again teaches about making good choices. No bailing out if a bad choice is made regarding spending the money. If DD wants to earn extra money, we will find things she can do. We don't take allowance away as a punishment, since it really isn't much of a punishment for our DD. What ever you do, don't start out with an allowance that is too high. You can always raise it, but lowering an allowance is really tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 In our home, chores are not tied to allowance. The little kids get a quarter per year of age each week. They are expected to do some age-appropriate chores as part of being a family member. The allowance gives them the chance to manage their money, save up for something special, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
violinmom Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 We do the exact same thing as Pamela. Kids get 1/2 their age per week. We pay at the beginning of the month and don't ever let them "borrow" from the next month. Chores are what you do because we all pitch in. I sometimes have a big chore that I offer out to whoever wants to do it for extra money. I also have occasional work from my business that I pay for, like stringing hang tags, filing, or stapling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 One last consideration, occasionally, we've had times we've given extra money (had a big tax refund, handed each kid $50) or that we didn't give any (how much money can you really give them living on unemployment?). I think those times are also times of learning money wise for kids. And nice for parents to be able to give more if they want as well as not stress about it when it just isn't possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mrsjamiesouth Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 My ds's both have chores that they do not receive an allowance for. I tried the allowance thing and they were always asking for money, even when it wasn't allowance day. My oldest would even ask for an advance on 3 months allowance for stuff. Instead of weekly allowance, I now offer on the spot cash for a few things. If one of the boys doesn't do his chores, the other one can get a Dollar for doing it instead. I will pay them $5 to clean out the van and wash it. My ds9's chores include: feed the dog, clean the bathroom, vacuum, unload the dishwasher and scoop up poop. My ds5's chores are: dust, wash the baseboards, clean glass and mirrors, help fold laundry and organize the toys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Chores aren't tied to allowance here. They have allowance because they have to learn to handle money, and they have chores because they're a part of the family - there is no way I'm paying them to help with the little I expect them to help around the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 my kids each have chores (no pay) and jobs (.25 per)....the jobs can't be completed until their chores are completed. Each child has one job that can be done daily and 2 that is assigned on a rotation basis...for example: Hannah's daily job is to wipe down the bathroom sink...but the jobs on ration basis are: vacuuming the downstairs of the house and sorting laundry....on Monday and Tuesday she has that job (to be done once during those 2 days), Matthew has them on Wed/Thursday and Nathan Fri/Sat. This has worked out really well for our family. Give them a little spending money...but not so much they become Daddy Warbucks overnight and we end up in poverty by the end of the first month. I am very strict about the chores being done first...and they get up set with me if they do a job "for nothing" becasue their chores weren't done FIRST...but they learned fairly quickly. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.