ProudGrandma Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 my dd12 has been saving up for a new camera...she is about $40 shy of her $129 goal. She wants to earn enough money to buy it before we leave on vacation by July 7th. I know I could buy it for her early and let her pay me after the fact...but we really don't want to teach our kids to buy things on credit...even credit from mom and dad. So I have started a list of extra chores that she can do to earn extra money...my problem is figuring out the right amount of money per chore. For example: right now she is scrubing with a brush and a bucket of water the backdoor steps. The job (done properly should take her 20 minutes)....so what is that job worth? or what about weeding a fairly large patch of my flower garden that hasn't yet been weeded this spring. I would have her put preen down and then cover it with mulch. The job could easily take 1 1/2-2 hours...or more. What is that job worth? or taking everything out of the refridgerator and scrubing it clean? 20-30 minute job I VERY much want her to meet her goal, (she has been saving her allowance and babysitting money for a long time for this camera)...but I don't want this to be something TOO easy either... one other thought I had and I am just not sure what I think about this.... we are teaching our kids that their allowance is not for "every little job" they do...they do jobs around here because they live here....including cleaning their room. However, for some reason one of the things that she just struggles with horribly is keeping her room tidy. She can clean it on saturday...but by Sunday she has started this project....or that craft...or looked at these books and didn't put anyof it back. Granted, I KNOW it it pure laziness on her part...and I have no real desire to reward laziness....but I wonder if a small incentive would be helpful to get a habit instilled in her...and even if I offered her .50 a day if her room is in what I consider "clean" at bedtime....clothes picked, books on shelf, craft projects put away when done etc. That alone would earn her almost $10. please give me your thoughts and ideas on any or all of this rambling. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I'm the world's biggest meanie- when my kids needed to earn some money, I preferred paying by the hour, at half the rate of minimum wage. The low rate irritates some people but they're kids and the casual chores aren't like a regular job where they have to show up at a certain time, dressed a certain way, and take breaks only when scheduled. I paid for jobs done above and beyond the normal expected chores but not for things we expected them to do as part of belonging to the family. So before you pay for a clean room- ask yourself whether she's going to argue that you should pay every day from now on, and whether it's worth (potentially)$15 a month for her to keep her room clean. Maybe for you it is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Just my two cents: I would want her to have plenty of time to practice with her new camera before vacation. Not being tidy is not always "pure laziness"...rethinking this might help with helping her. Learning to deal with a loan can be a great life skill. For jobs that would normally consume a lot of my time I'd be willing to pay a premium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aspasia Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I don't pay my dd an hourly rate. I just have a list of "Money Chores" with their prices. She can choose from among them but I have to approve her choice, just because some jobs may not need to be done right then. Mine are cheap ($1 or less), but that's because she's little and the chores are easy. In your case, especially where you want her to meet her goal, I would be generous. She'll still be learning about hard work and saving. Scrubbing the porch, $3-$5 Weeding the garden, $15 (that's hard work!) Cleaning out the fridge, $5 That gets her almost half way. A few more days of that and she should be set. (I wouldn't pay her for her room, for the reason pp stated.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 my plan with the bedroom thing (if I do it) would be be an understanding that it only works until vacation....and then secretly hoping that the habit sticks.... thanks for the responses...I appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Dd's list of "money" chores: ---wash windows inside and out (they tilt in) and clean sills; $5 per window, quarterly ---dust all the baseboards; $5 downstairs, $5 upstairs plus stairway ---go through all the food in the pantry and cupboards to check expiration dates, throw out anything expired, put close-dated items on the kitchen table; $20 first time, $5 monthly And then there are season-specific outdoor jobs she can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 We roughly base our "commission jobs," which are different from our daily chores, on an hourly rate of $4 an hour. So if a job would take half an hour, it would be worth $2. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Wow I am cheap. Two bucks for the porch, ten for the entire garden job, two for the fridge. For when she's older--dh wrote dollar amounts on each basement wall and paid our boys to paint. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tita Gidge Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 I like the loan idea (not that you asked, sorry!) especially since it allows her to play with the camera some before she takes in on vacation. There's nothing worse than learning a camera on the fly, and she's working so hard to be able use this camera on the trip. I respect your decision not to teach them to use credit, especially for non-essentials, but I think viewing it as a loan could be the win. I don't think a loan would make this "too easy" considering she's been saving up for so long. I think she's proven how hard she's willing to work for it. If you want her to do a few more chores, great - but if she's short $10 at the end of this week, why not just give it to her? If you want, tell her you'll match what she earns this week. That gives her a week to play with her new camera before the trip. (My sons all get paid work outside of the home by 13, so I'm totally on your side. It allows me to be benevolent for situations such as yours.) I'd pay more for the weeding than the other chores, because it's outside and I hate weeding LOL. I'd consider $8/hour for that job and probably round up to $20. The others would be more in the $5 range. I really like the idea of halving minimum wage that was posted upthread, too - have you considered that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Depends on how large your porch is I suppose. We have a HUGE wrap around porch that covers the entire front of the house and one entire side. Our fridge, by the time I recognize it needs cleaning, is at least a one hour job! Sad, but very true. Dawn Wow I am cheap. Two bucks for the porch, ten for the entire garden job, two for the fridge. For when she's older--dh wrote dollar amounts on each basement wall and paid our boys to paint. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 my plan with the bedroom thing (if I do it) would be be an understanding that it only works until vacation....and then secretly hoping that the habit sticks.... Just my .02, but I don't think you should count on this. I can see her looking at this as a way to attain her goal and once she reaches that goal she'll no longer have the motivation to continue. I'd tie this in to something else to help her make a habit. Does she have a bedtime? If she keeps her room clean, she can stay up an extra 15 or 30 mins., something like that. I also like the idea of a loan. Sit down and make a plan, like a bank would. Decide how much each week she needs to put towards that loan until it's paid off. You could even show her about adding on interest and seeing if that loan is worth the trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plateau Mama Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 my plan with the bedroom thing (if I do it) would be be an understanding that it only works until vacation....and then secretly hoping that the habit sticks.... thanks for the responses...I appreciate it. In my experience the room is a never ending battle. My daughter cleans hers and an hour later you cannot tell. My DH told her he'd pay her$2/day her room was clean. This was in April. We've paid out a whopping $0. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan in SC Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 If it were my child, I would offer to gift $20 if $20 of chores were also done. I'm fairly generous with extra chore money, too. That way she does have time to get used to the camera. Please make sure that she has storage in her room for the activities she does. My mom was always complaining about my room, but she would not get me storage and she refused to let me throw anything away. It was an impossible situation. I'm sure that's not the issue, but if she has crafts, she needs realistic storage areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted June 20, 2013 Author Share Posted June 20, 2013 thank you for all of your ideas....I really value each one. She is working hard and will no doubt have it before vacation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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