Thinking of making up a Chore Chart with $ earned..

[lisaross]

we have two boys..and we are always trying different things - tried the allowance for chores done etc. but it always seems to fade so i'm thinking of putting up a chore list with price paid next to it - this way if they want to make x-tra money they can pick a chore and do it - i am not going to put clean room or walk dog as those are pretty much expected "family" chores.

Do u have a list - looking for a sample or what u have listed and how much they get paid..this is what i'm thinking:

Garbage Day (collect garbage - put out on curb) 1.00

Recycle Garbage day (same as above - just more) 2.00

Clean-up after dinner (Putting all the condomints away/drinks etc.) 2.00

Folding Laundry in Basket - 2.00

any other ideas welcome...

 

[hsembrick]

We don't have a list per say but my kids also are responsible for keeping there rooms picked up and beds made as well as their bathrooms. In our home we don't pay our kids for helping out around the house instead we pay them for things that they do above and beyond their normal chores. We also reward for good behavior and being helpful. It's more of a "random act of kindness" reward. Right now my DD8 is having a hard time keeping her dirty clothes picked up off the floor of her room and bathroom so when she does pick up with out being reminded she gets 1 Mickey Dollar for our up coming trip. I think it is all about what will work with your family. Our kids are getting older so they are wanting their own money. We have discussed having them do things like cleaning up the yard ect to earn their own spending money.

I hope you find something that works well for your family!

 

[Darcy03231]

we have two boys..and we are always trying different things - tried the allowance for chores done etc. but it always seems to fade so i'm thinking of putting up a chore list with price paid next to it - this way if they want to make x-tra money they can pick a chore and do it - i am not going to put clean room or walk dog as those are pretty much expected "family" chores.

Do u have a list - looking for a sample or what u have listed and how much they get paid..this is what i'm thinking:

Garbage Day (collect garbage - put out on curb) 1.00

Recycle Garbage day (same as above - just more) 2.00

Clean-up after dinner (Putting all the condomints away/drinks etc.) 2.00

Folding Laundry in Basket - 2.00

any other ideas welcome...

I just posted this on another thread. I did a chore chart for years as DH and I don't believe in giving an allowance. My kids grew up associating money with either working for it, or it being given as a Christmas or birthday gift. Mine are all older now and have jobs so while I still pay them if they do a chore, I'm usually on my own now, with help from DH. I used a dry erase board and had the chore listed and the amount. Some were daily chores and others were weekly.

Weekly chores:

Clean full bath - $5
Clean half bath - $3
Dusting (per room) - $2
Vacumning (per room) - $1
Vacumn & wash kitchen floor/hallway - $3

Daily chores:

Set & clear table - .50 each
Load & unload dishwasher - .50 each
Take out trash - $1
Feed cat & change water - .50 each
Clean litter box (scoopable litter) - $1

There were boxes on the chart and as chores were done the kids would fill in the date and their initials. If DH or I ended up doing them we filled our initials and dates in and no one got paid.

The kids were all responsible for cleaning their own rooms and doing their own laundry (after age 12) without pay. As they got older we also paid for things like mowing the lawn, shoveling/snowblowing the driveway, babysitting, helping to clean out the garage, washing windows, etc.

 

[fakereadhed]

I did that, but used a point system rather than money. So 100 points equaled $1. They could redeem points when they earned 1000 points and they would get $10. My rules were items needed to be completed to my standards the first time or points would be lost and the tasks were only once per day, first come first serve(to build a little competition).

My kids actually do better when I just ask them to do things as needed without pay, so it went to the wayside after about a month.

 

[All American]

My parents did this for us growing up, and it was great. We didn't get an allowance, but as my dad always said, "It's because money grows on trees at our house." In other words, the leaves were the money, and if they fell and we raked them, then we would collect the money.

We had a chore chart with our regular family chores on it (our chores rotated each week), and underneath that were the things we could do to earn money. I say it was great because we could pick and choose what we wanted to do to earn money and could figure out much we have to work for before a vacation. Here are some things (Bear in mind, there were 8 of us, so my dad had to be creative:

Rake and bag leaves
Wash windows, inside and out (priced per pane)
Scrub patio (it was Corian, I think, and had to be scrubbed with Soft Scrub)
Clean gutters
Wash car
Good grades "A" = $3, "B" = $2, etc.
Cleaning garage
Clean pantry/ cabinets (empty and wipe down shelves)
Mow lawn
Pull weeds

I don't know how those would work for you (don't know how old your kids are), but we are going to do this for our 6 year-old, and here is our list so far:
Help daddy: shovel snow, wash car, clean garage
Help me wash the dog
Grades
Reading challenge
Wash baseboards

I'm sure there's more, but I can't think at the moment. I did ask our daughter what she'd like to do, and she actually came up with some pretty good ideas.

Hope this helps.

 

[MinnieLove]

We have been talking about this but we are torn. I have a real problem with paying for things that I consider should be done as a responsibility - the kids are a member of the family - and we all have responsibilities. I wouldnt expect to be paid to do laundry or make dinner. It is expected of me, and I in return expect things of my children. I do agree w paying for the extras.

 

[lovesmurfs]

We tried to implement something like this, but I had a problem with the kids being money-grubbers for EVERYTHING I asked them. I got to the point that when I asked DS to get something for me in another room and he asked me how much I would pay him to do it.

So we moved to a general weekly allowance to cover everything we need them to do, which works better for our family.

 

[2disneyboys]

We have been talking about this but we are torn. I have a real problem with paying for things that I consider should be done as a responsibility - the kids are a member of the family - and we all have responsibilities. I wouldnt expect to be paid to do laundry or make dinner. It is expected of me, and I in return expect things of my children. I do agree w paying for the extras.

THIS! If you ask my boys, there are some things you just do "because you are part of the family" You don't earn any money doing these things and if you DONT do these things or don't do them to correct "standards" then you loose stuff &/or privilages. We do have some extra chores listed in which they can volunteer to do and there is a "set" wage for earning them, but there is also a "Fines" section where they can loose money... so while folding & matching socks for 30 mins (I HATE matching socks) might earn them like $.25 being disrespectful can cost them $1.00 This has actually been fantastic w/ them and I find them checking the available chores list to see what else they can do that has not already been done. and all I have to do is mention a "fine" and suddenly, like a miracle, the "tone" is gone from the voice (at least for now!)

I suggest a mixture... things they do for free "just cuz they are part of the family" and things they have the oppurunity to EARN xtra money for... some of our extras are picking up sticks in the back yard, washing baseboards, molding in various rooms, dusting, various parts of yardwork or housework etc... I also have a BONUS on the chart.. that leaves me room to suddenly come up with a new chore I may need done or help with.. our "Free" jobs are just typical... making own bed, picking up own dirty clothes, shoes, toys, scraping, rinsing and stacking in sink own dishes after each meal... just basicly cleaning up after oneself.

 

[clh2]

I suggest a mixture... things they do for free "just cuz they are part of the family" and things they have the oppurunity to EARN xtra money for... some of our extras are picking up sticks in the back yard, washing baseboards, molding in various rooms, dusting, various parts of yardwork or housework etc... I also have a BONUS on the chart.. that leaves me room to suddenly come up with a new chore I may need done or help with.. our "Free" jobs are just typical... making own bed, picking up own dirty clothes, shoes, toys, scraping, rinsing and stacking in sink own dishes after each meal... just basicly cleaning up after oneself.

I would totally agree. Some things need to be done because you are part of the family. Only pay out on the "extra" things. To the OP's post - things like helping with setting and clearing the table should be "freebies"- IMO you do because you are getting the benefit of getting some food.

When my DD was younger - the household chore she enjoyed the most was cleaning the kitchen floor. She did a great job at it, our kitchen is huge, and to "do it right" took about 1 to 1.5 hours. I did pay her for this, but only if she had "given" us 1 other hour of chores a week. (Room & laundry did not count, those also were expectation.)

OP - I think your "pay" listed is very generous. I would re-think this. I would start on a much lower payscale, it is always easier to increase the pay, vs decreasing it. But definitely - there needs to be some "you are a member of the family, so you need to just plain old help out chores."

 

[Ali]

Just my 2 cents. My DS has always been obsessed with money and with a mom who loves to shop he spent a lot of time in stores with me wanting to buy stupid waste of money things I didn't want to pay for. We actually discussed it with his therapist ( he has an anxiety disorder/asd) and I was given the suggestion that everyone in the family needs a little consistent money just for being part of the family, money that can be spent on anything. Any other money should be earned. So my DS9 gets 50 cents a day for being part of the family and the opportunity to earn another 5 dollars per week if he does chores. He is learning that if he wants to buy cads and stickers he has to make his own money.
He is also selling things on eBay with my help

 

[marlynnp]

I pay for certain extra things - basically if it's an extra that helps out someone else my daughter gets credit for doing it.

For example she is responsible for cleaning her room, including vacuuming - no payment for that.

If she also vacuums my room at the same time (and I say it needed it, lol) - she gets paid for that.

 

[laurafergie]

We always had (and still do) a chore chart. My DH and I work a lot, so we all had pull together as a family to get everything done. By this I mean picking up, sweeping, kitchen duties, laundry, bedrooms, bathrooms and the like.

However, I do pay for extras. For example, I just paid DD11 $5 for cleaning the fridge. Took her about 1 hr to do it. (I have a big fridge) I also don't really give a choice about the extras - mean mother that I am. I was doing an "extra" chore at the same time, so DD11 and DD6 had to too.

What worked great with the older kids, in addition to the above, was fines for misbehavior. (A PP mentioned this too) Speaking disrespectfully, blowing off chores, breaking curfew...all fined. Sometimes one or the other of them kept me in gas money. Fines started about the age of 12, because they started wanting more spending money to hang out their friends.

 

[TnTWalter]

we follow Dave Ramsey and he totally advocates commission.... BUT.....

our theory is as part of the family you are expected to do certain things [make bed, keep bathroom straightened, put coats, shoes, backpacks on hooks, toys away, etc. etc.]......and as part of the family you also receive an allowance.

I'm still back and forth on it wondering if commission would be easier but didn't want it to be all about money....sometimes I do give extra like if you dust, I'll give you $1, etc. But if I ask you to set the table, you are expected to set the table....and the kids usually volunteer to help with tasks as they are 'part of the team'. But I see both sides.....

I'm a SAHM so I obviously don't earn money but contribute to the household and spend money so it sort of made sense for our family.

we do have them save 20% and give 10% [tithe to church] of each allowance just like we do. they receive it monthly. It's great for them to learn now not to spend it all.

TRISH

 

[tlh0726]

We tried to implement something like this, but I had a problem with the kids being money-grubbers for EVERYTHING I asked them. I got to the point that when I asked DS to get something for me in another room and he asked me how much I would pay him to do it.

So we moved to a general weekly allowance to cover everything we need them to do, which works better for our family.

Exactly why we do not pay for normal chores

We have been talking about this but we are torn. I have a real problem with paying for things that I consider should be done as a responsibility - the kids are a member of the family - and we all have responsibilities. I wouldnt expect to be paid to do laundry or make dinner. It is expected of me, and I in return expect things of my children. I do agree w paying for the extras.

 

[katesorad]

I think that "chores" such as making the bed, keeping bedroom clean (to an extent.. I would never make a 5 year old kid vacuum or scrub the toilet), and putting away laundry shouldn't be paid for. Instead, I think that the parent should "reward" the good behavior by planning a special family day, maybe going to a local amusement park for the day, or the zoo, etc., for every month that they do well.

When the kid gets older but aren't legally able to get a job to earn their own money, I'd have them do things around the house for sure to earn some extra cash. I think that if it's affordable for the family, then $15 a week for doing a bunch of chores around the house, and maybe mowing the lawn (if age appropriate!) or something like that would be perfect.

My DH never got allowance, yet was forced to mow the lawn, trim the hedges surrounding the house, do the dishes, maintain his bedroom, vacuum, and a few other things around the house until he moved out.. I don't like that kind of thing. I think that maintaining personal space is something that should go without mention, but doing a ton of household chores without any reward? I don't like the idea.

 

[Jeff_G]

we follow Dave Ramsey and he totally advocates commission.... BUT.....

our theory is as part of the family you are expected to do certain things [make bed, keep bathroom straightened, put coats, shoes, backpacks on hooks, toys away, etc. etc.]......and as part of the family you also receive an allowance.

Ramsey does say that his kids were expected to do some chores because they were a part of the family, and for other chores they were paid a commission.


We are doing this as well, keeping your room clean, picking up after youself etc you do because you are a part of the family.

Dishes, trash, cleaning bathrooms, raking up the yard are some of the commission based chores. Teaches you kids that money is earned, but just given to you...

 

[flstatenolefan]

We are doing a sticker chart. All their chores are listed, and they get a sticker each day if they get a check for all their chores. Each sticker represents $1 towards their Disney trip. The sticker can also be lost by misbehavior or whining/crying (we are trying to work on that with our 6 year old). They have a chance of earning $75 before our trip to Disney...and there is an added incentive of an additional $20 if they get all their stickers.

While I do think that we all should help out around the house, the reality is that I am a SAHM, so I am paid for my job just as much as DH is paid for his...even though I'm doing the bulk of the housework. Why shouldn't the kids be paid for their chores as well? Work = pay is a good ethic to instill, I think. I'm hoping that the stickers will alleviate the constant money gripe (i.e. "How much are you willing to pay me for this??"). Not doing as a parent asks would be grounds for losing your sticker that day.

 

[herdtoDisney]

In our family, I don't pay extra for chores, or pay by the job. For us, if a chore needs to be done, it needs to be done. If I or dh is needing a chore done, it is an obedience expectation that it be done, and cheerfully. I give allowance, and I pay that absolutely every week-we don't withhold that for any reason. I suppose the only reason I'd ever withold it would be for absolute refusal to do chores, but that's never happened. I don't withold for forgetting something, we just have the child complete the chore. I do use charts as a way of clearly outlining the expectations.

I'm also open to giving the kids a little extra if they need, and I gave them Disney gift cards at Christmas for our upcoming trip.

 

[kahblue]

We keep it simple: our 10 year old son gets a weekly allowance in which he puts in a bank that divides it up between giving, saving and spending. He is expected to keep his room as well as his play room clean. If he wants to earn extra money, he needs to ask me: "I want to earn a little extra money - what can I do?" I feel he needs to take the initiative for it - I'm not going to hand out money for other jobs done by him. I always ask him if his rooms are clean then he can do something to earn money.

He does help with other things around the house as just being part of the family and doing his share. He gets paid for good grades, making a goal and/or an assist in soccer and I pay him garage sale prices for stuff he wants to give away. I do that because I don't want to do a garage sale - LOL! It works in helping him declutter.

Extra jobs might consist of shoveling snow, clipping coupons, swiffering and dusting the stairs. It all depends on what I need done at the time.

 

[shortbun]

How old are they? Your first list of paid chores are things my son has always done as his responsibility to the family. I pay for things like shoveling snow, pulling weeds, stacking fire wood - real labor. Taking out the trash just should not be a paid chore, imho. DS and his friend shoveled snow last week for extra money. I warmed them up with dry gloves, hot chocolate and dry boots then sent them out again. They split $60. DH blew the snow off our sidewalk and driveway, he wasn't paying, lol!!