Do you give your kids an allowance?

[npmommie]

and if you do how much and how old are the kids? do they have to do any chores or anything to earn the allowance, or do they just get it?

 

[Beca]

and if you do how much and how old are the kids? do they have to do any chores or anything to earn the allowance, or do they just get it?

We give our dd one dollar for every year she is old (we started this at 4, she is now 7). In order to get her allowance, she must clean her bedroom and her playroom, and pick up all of her stuff from the rest of the house and return it to its proper place.

 

[KiminChicago]

Our children also get one dollar for every year of their age plus one extra dollar (which goes to charity). However, DS gets one less dollar every week since he has a membership on Runescape that costs $5.00 a month (we chip in the extra).

To get their allowance, they are expected to do a couple of hours of housework each week. DD cleans the bathroom toilets and sinks and straightens up the living room (dusting and vacuuming). DS does all the mirrors and straightens up the family room (dusting and vacuuming) and vacuums the hallways. They each clean their own room and help feed and take care of the pets. The list of chores has gotten a little longer as they've gotten older but they've gotten really good at getting them done in under two hours. If they want to earn a little extra, they also weed the flower beds.

 

[Nie0214]

DD cleans the bathroom toilets and sinks and straightens up the living room (dusting and vacuuming). DS does all the mirrors and straightens up the family room (dusting and vacuuming) and vacuums the hallways. They each clean their own room and help feed and take care of the pets. The list of chores has gotten a little longer as they've gotten older but they've gotten really good at getting them done in under two hours. If they want to earn a little extra, they also weed the flower beds.

I need to have kids.

 

[luckymom4]

I do not give my kids an allowance. They are exepcted to clean up after themselves, how else will they learn to take care of themselves as an adult? So I don't just give them money for keeping their rooms clean and things like that. I DO however give them money if they do chores that are above and beyond what I expect of them. If they work in the real world, they earn money, and I'm trying to teach them that. When they do things like pick up in the yards, wash and fold towels, vacuum, they earn money that they (of course!) put away for DW. They also give me half of any money that they earn at their Nana and Papa's house to help pay for the trip. I know some people may think that's extreme, but my DD8 and DS5 actually have a good grasp on the value of a dollar now. They know what it takes to earn money, and are therefore more careful with how they spend what they have. My daughter even helps me pick out the best deals when we go grocery shopping.

 

[luvmy3]

I only give them an *allowance* when they do something above and beyond their expected chores. They usually only offer to do that stuff when they are looking to make a few bucks to buy something they recently saw or heard about.

luckymom4, I just scrolled down and saw your post. It sounds like we do pretty much the same.

 

[Angelhalo]

I don't have kids, but we got an allowance growing up. We helped by unloading and loading the dishwasher and chaging the cat box, sometimes dusting or vacuuming, but I don't actually recall anyone setting these things as "chores". We just kind of did them.

We got $7 a week...I have no idea how that number came about. I got an extra $20 any time I mowed the lawn.

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

We give our 13yr old $10 a week. He does have chores to do, clean room and that includes dusting, vacuuming etc., take out trash, pick up after himself, feed the dog. He does way more than these things. We give an allowance b/c it shows that if you don't work, you won't get any money. We do not allow deficit spending either, meaning, DS cannot ask for money in advance of his allowance, he must save the money to buy what he wants. DH cannot get his paycheck in advance and neither can our DS He is also required to save a minimum of $5 a month in his bank account and his account is set up that he cannot withdraw from the bank unless DH or I sign . We don't allow DS to just do a few things here and there to make a few bucks, that doesn't teach anything but to ask others for handouts, that's our opinion. We try to teach work, saving/investing and no debt at the same time b/c that is really how people should take care of themselves as adults.

 

[Skywalker]

My boys started getting an allowance from the time they were about 4 years old, and then it was just a quarter a week, lol. It slowly went up to a few dollars a week, and they really didn't have to do anything for it.

Now that they are 10 and 8, they have taken on a few paper routes and I am off the hook for allowance since they are proud to make their own money from their jobs,

 

[luckymom4]

I agree on no advances. And our kids have everyday things they KNOW they have to do, like keep their rooms clean and help with general chores around the house. I don't think that giving extra money for extra chores is like a handout. It's just life, the more hard work and initiative you take, the more money you make.

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

I meant that it's like a handout if DS wasn't doing anything. If he didn't do chores or pick up after himself and then thinks he can come along and take out the trash once a month and have us give him 5 bucks he's crazy

I agree w/ giving extra when DS does anything extra. Kind of like having a side job

Another thing we do for WDW is that DS will save his money for about 5 or 6 wks and then the day before we leave DH will find out how much DS has saved and will usually match it. In January DS had saved $70 to take to WDW and DH gave him another $70. It's just something nice that DH likes to do for DS.

 

[leagirl12]

We don't give an allowance either. However our kids know they have the option to do extra chores outside of their normal and they can earn money. They are expected to clean their rooms, pet care for dd, garbage takeout for ds, and dishes are shared. Anything else that they do they earn money for. They also know if they volunteer to do something else then they get a little more than if we ask them to do something extra.

We also don't do advancements. And if we go to say Target and they know ahead of time that we are going but don't bring their money....I am not buying them something and having them pay me back. They are expected to bring their money with them. Now if we go unexpectedly then that is different.

 

[Beca]

Another thing we do for WDW is that DS will save his money for about 5 or 6 wks and then the day before we leave DH will find out how much DS has saved and will usually match it. In January DS had saved $70 to take to WDW and DH gave him another $70. It's just something nice that DH likes to do for DS.

We also do this! It helps a LOT because when our dd sees that she has $100-$150 to spend in WDW, she is much less likely to ask us for anything "extra" while we are there. Before we started that, she would somehow squeeze extra money out of her dad and myself (yes, we are definitely suckers!!), and we would spend a LOT more over the course of the week. Now that we match her funds before we go, she does a much better job of managing her money, and we get off the hook much cheaper.

 

[RadioNate]

DS gets $5 a week for being part of the family. Also, as a member of the family he is expected to help around the house. He needs to clean up after himself, clear his plate, make sure his room is tidy and his clothes are in the appropriate place. He also needs to make sure the playroom is generally tidy. He also needs to help when I specifically ask him too. This is all part of being a family. We all pitch in to make sure our house is kept nice.

Now, he does get extra $ for 'above and beyond' chores. If he cleans his sisters room (she is 18 months) that is extra. Last week he cleaned out the pantry of expired food and got an extra dollar.

From his allowance he pays DH $6 a month for a Club Penguin membership. He is responsible for saving that. He also pays for any extras he would like. For example, last week he went to Gatorland with a friend. I gave him $20 for admission and lunch. He took $10 of his own money for extras.

 

[luckymom4]

Another thing we do for WDW is that DS will save his money for about 5 or 6 wks and then the day before we leave DH will find out how much DS has saved and will usually match it. In January DS had saved $70 to take to WDW and DH gave him another $70. It's just something nice that DH likes to do for DS.

I wish I could match ours! I'm taking DS12, DD9, and DS5, and those youngest two are MOTIVATED! They jump on loose change like a duck on a june bug. On our last vacation Dec of '08, they had each saved almost $100. They earned that by doing extra chores at our house and their Nana's. We are on a tight budget though so no way I could match that.

 

[ICF]

I wish my parents had given me a $ / per year old....

That's some serious cash for a young kid...7 years old pocketing $364 /yr or a 10 year old getting $520!!

I got a very small amount when I was a kid back in the dark aged of the early 80s. Once I started mowing the yard, around 12 - 13 I think I got $10 per mow or something like that.

 

[Aristomommy]

DD10 gets $8 a week. We started it when she was 8 so maybe she is due for a raise She is responsible for feeding the cats and our rabbit, her room and emptying the dishwasher. She can spend $5 of her allowance and rest is long term savings. She has a savings account and she loves to watche her money grow. DD can earn extra money by doing other things, but usually she helps with cleaning the bathrooms and tidy up around the house without expectation of money.

The reason we started this was to end the whining at stores for new toys, stickers, candy etc. I wanted her to learn money management and savings. As soon as she had her own money, the whining and asking stopped. She knows if she has money or not and if she can afford something. Every now and then (other than birthday or christmas) we will pitch in for something she really wants, but she pretty much manages on her allowance.

 

[mom2travel]

Our kids get a monthly allowance just for being part of the family so they have some spending (or saving) money. Not much - $10 for DD(9) and $20 for DS (14). They are also expected as members of the family to help around the house. The are responsible for basics like clearing and setting dinner table, feeding pets, collecting their own laundry and keeping their rooms in relative order. During the summer they have extra responsibilities like watering the garden, etc. - how much extra depends upon what they are doing in a given week (e.g., camp).

They are also given opportunities to earn additional money by doing extra jobs like vacuuming or washing the cars. DS gets paid for evening "babysitting" of DD, but not for watching her if we just need to run an errand or something. DH wants to teach DS to mow the lawn and plans to pay him for that too.

 

[Beca]

DS gets $5 a week for being part of the family. Also, as a member of the family he is expected to help around the house.

We also believe in getting something just for being a part of the family. I don't remember what book it was (we read several books on the "theories" of allowance when I was pg), said it is very important to give something to each child just for being a part of the family...it helps to teach "sharing" if you share with your children. I know everyone has different belief, and I don't mean to imply that those who feel differently are wrong (I certainly don't consider myself an expert on child rearing!!), but this resonated well with us. Of course....helping around the house is something you have to do as a part of the family as well. I don't remember what the book said about withholding allowance, but in our family....no chores=no allowance. Who knows....I may be ruining my child!!

 

[redrosesix]

DS gets $5 a week for being part of the family. Also, as a member of the family he is expected to help around the house. He needs to clean up after himself, clear his plate, make sure his room is tidy and his clothes are in the appropriate place. He also needs to make sure the playroom is generally tidy. He also needs to help when I specifically ask him too. This is all part of being a family. We all pitch in to make sure our house is kept nice.

This is similar to us, but DD9 gets $1 for each year she is old, and no asking for any treats, toys between holidays or pretty much anything else she doesn't need. We've done this since she was 2, and she's a great saver -- often buys herself clothes etc above and beyond what she needs. She has asked me to put half straight into her bank account, sometimes all of it (such as the weeks preceding a WDW trip)

It's usually just the 2 of us, and for the most part we follow the FlyLady's cleaning tips (different chores for different days in different zones). We do this together. She also has specific chores that only she does around the house and has chosen for herself (she's really into cleaning the bathrooms, which is great) so, for example, when I'm vacuuming, she likes to clean the bathroom. She also knows that she has to put her own stuff away, so can be prevented from playing at any time to be sent back to clean up.

However, there are weeks that she is not doing chores, etc -- heavy homework times, when she's sick, sports competitions, etc. I just decide she's taking the week off and tell her so. She still gets her allowance. She can earn extra money from doing things for her grandmother, selling her stuff (yard sales and eBay) or by helping me in the office.