Do you pay allowance? Do you expect chores in return? I have heard both side to the chore argument–one is that allowance pays for their services, the other is that they do chores because they are part of the family and allowance is just their spending money, irregardless of services performed.
I sit somewhere in the middle of both of those camps. I have teens and give them both $60 a month and they are responsible for buying most of their clothes, gifts and movie tickets {or other entertainment} or anything else they want. They get this irregardless of what chores they do, but believe me, when I ask them to help me out, I expect them to help. And they are great kids–they do help, they help in the garden, the run errands for me, they help clean, etc.
I give them allowance to help them learn to manage their spending, so when they leave the nest, budgeting won’t be a shock to them. I get that in the real world, if you don’t show up to work, you don’t get paid–but occasionally my kids will have a CRAZY week filled with sporting events and have major tests to study and not be able to help out as much as they normally would. I consider their schooling part of their work, so I pay them anyway.
I looked up a couple of articles {this one, and this one} because I was curious what the standard thinking on allowance was these days. One of the articles suggested starting allowance right around kindergarten. One even gave a formula for deciding how much {suggesting either $.50 to $1.00 per year of age}. So, a 7 year old might get anywhere from $3.50 to $7.00 a week. I don’t know about you, but that seems a little high–has inflation really impacted the rates since my kids were 7?! I like the idea of little ones having to save for a toy or item they want–like for awhile, so they can see that it takes time to save for something you reaaaally want.
Both articles suggested increasing the child’s financial obligations as they aged. I thought that was a pretty good idea. Obviously, your kindergartner can’t be expected to pay for their clothes, but should they pay for birthday gifts for friends out of their allowance?
I saw an idea on Pinterest not too long ago where a mom had made a list of EXTRA chores and assigned a monetary value to them, so if kids wanted to do extra work to earn money faster, they could. I thought it was a pretty cool idea for little ones–it puts them in charge of their “savings plan.” {I would like to put out there that I will pay ANYONE’s kid $1.00 to clean toilets at my house. Ha!}
I’ve also heard of people who keep a notebook. Rather than giving little Johnny cash each week, they write down the amount in the notebook. It’s like a savings account that they can draw from when they are ready. That way, when they are at the store, they can make a purchase from their account {mom or dad buys, based on the amount they have in their account}. It is supposed to be helpful for parents, because let’s face it, it’s hard to stay consistent with allowance when come Friday, you don’t have any $1 bills.
So, of course, I’m curious, HOW MUCH do you pay in allowance? Do you expect CHORES in return?
~Mavis
Barbara says
My kids are 7 & 8 and they both get $5 a week. They each have a list of chores, from making beds to cleaning their bathrooms. They can earn extra money for doing extra chores (vacuuming family room and cleaning down other bathrooms). I have also allowed my children to take loans and see what it takes to pay them back by not getting an allowance for weeks. My children also have savings accounts that they took their money and opened in person. I now contribute to this account and they get statements every 3 months showing the balance. My children are learning how to deal with money and it will (hopefully) benefit them when they move out.
Kathy says
I gave my kids a weekly allowance, starting in kindergarten, based on age, not chores or school performance. As they got older it did increase, based on age and school performance. They had weekly chores that got done, believe it or not, without asking. They also helped do their own laundry by the time they were about 8…and I am talking BOYS helping with laundry! They are good young men now, both still living at home but cleaning their own messes, doing their own laundry, making their own meals (when they are here that is lol). They also manage their money better than their father ever did, always paying their personal bills on time, never over-extending by living beyond their means.
I think I did a great job raising these 2!
Sakura says
We just started a chore software program called my job chart. I assign chores/homework/play time or whatever to my son and give it a point value. 1 point equals 1 cent. Then we choose spend rewards and assign them to him. We also set a share category and a save amount. I don’t ask him to do chores anymore, he picks up the ipad, logs in and see what his morning chores are. Right now Morning consists of Feed Dogs, Brush Teeth, on Tuesday and Saturdays start your laundry and make your bed. Then when he gets home he checks his evening chores. Depending on the Day the chore is different. Once he’s done he checks it off and clicks I’m done. The points go to his account then he organizes his points to share, save or spend. The best part is I get an email that he’s completed his chore. When he goes to bed if he didn’t complete a chore I can choose to charge a “skip a chore” fee but I don’t. We’ve used this for two weeks and we both love it. He knows what’s expected of him and I don’t have to nag. Since he’s 9 I budgeted out $10 for the 7 days worth of various chores but I also have a list of 10 extra chores that include cooking, yard work, exercise, etc. I travel for business a few times a month so it’s fun to get the emails that he’s doing his chores even while I’m not there. I think this teaches him to work and earn money, organize his earnings and responsibility for himself. OH, and the software is free.
KAte says
I asked for an allowance when I started middle school (7th grade) and my parents asked me what I thought was reasonable. I took some time to think about it and I asked for a dollar per grade to be paid weekly. I then also negotatied a good grades clause. An extra dollar per A that I earned, to be paid from the time the offical grades came out until the next set came out. I got a job the summer between 9th and 10th grades, and we rediscussed allowances. My parents agreed to continue to pay the allowance provided that I was to be responsible for any discressionary spending. This included any lunches I wanted to buy, clothing, gifts, gas once I started driving, ect. They stopped paying outwhen I graduated from high school, I was on my own the last summer.
My allowance was not directly tied to my chores, but I was expected to compleete the chores that were mine.
Lea says
Mavis,
Does your 60$ a month include gas for the car?
Mavis Butterfield says
No.
Aunt G says
My kids are 10 and 13 and get the opportunity to earn $20 each a month by doing (nonmandatory) chores around the house/farm. They are both in a band that has paying gigs, so they have other money coming in as well. With their earned money they tithe (10%) and save for a car (20%) and with whatever is left they have to budget for their wants.
Alexa says
Aunt G,
You should pay them more for all the work they do. It must be very hard and time consuming to do work around the farm, and don’t they go to school? It is good that they have a lot of extra money at the end of the month!
Laura says
I never connected chores to allowances. Allowances have not been a regular thing, as circumstances change and sometimes there was money for them, other times not. Right now we are at “not.”
I do pay for chores such as mowing the back “lawn” or weeding. $20 for the mowing, usually $10 for the weeding. For chopping down lots of dead tree branches all my son wanted was a Dutch Brothers! If he or his sister want to see a movie or something, I don’t mind handing out a $20 now and again.
My kids haven’t had a lot of regular chores, since I was a stay at home mom. For me, it was my job to do their laundry! Cleaning their own pet cages was one of their jobs, but my daughter would rather pay me $2 to do it! Fine. My son changes his own sheets, but I think that’s to keep me out of his room!
Do either of your children drive independently? I mean, alone? Do you pay for the insurance? Mine don’t drive alone yet, but when they do, I expect them to pay the increased insurance costs.
darlene says
I think you will be shocked by the increased price of insurance when your teens starts driving. There are things you can do to lower it. Most companies give breaks for good grades, having taken a drivers ed class, etc. The kids pretty much need a job to pay for the insurance though!
Laura says
I already looked into it for my daughter. She has a permit now. For our one car it would only be $45. more, which thrilled me! Her school doesn’t give grades, so no good GPA discount there. But, she isn’t in high school anymore either, as she graduated early. The company does have a good driver’s program they do online that lowers it, and the quote was assuming she did that.
erica says
As long as your kids don’t have their own car, you don’t need extra insurance. Your car is covered if you let your sister borrow it, it’s covered if you let your licensed teenager occasionally drive it.
Laura says
This might be the law only in your state. I haven’t heard that myself. In my state, and the one I moved from, as soon as your child has a license you have to add them to your insurance policy. If someone borrows it, that’s different, but if someone living in your household drives it, they need insurance. Not their own insurance policy, but on the parent’s policy.
My state has A LOT of special rules for teen drivers too. Be very careful to follow them, or your insurance will not pay out. Like, in many states a licensed teen cannot drive other teens in the car. But, they often do, especially to and from school. Insurance will NOT pay in the event of an accident.
Chris B says
Wow, I think my husband and I are behind the times. We live in suburbia. We give the boys $0.25/year old. So the 16 year old gets $4/week. No extra money for chores. However, we pay for clothes and entertainment ($4 cheap movie or $10.25 for new release.) It takes all of us to run a house so they are expected to help as we deem necessary ie: lawn, snow, leaves, etc. We have not yet determined how to handle gas and car insurance – most likely they will be responsible for filling the tank based on their usage. I can’t see making them paying for insurance since we determine the company and coverage level. Interesting topic!
Cecily says
I don’t give my boys (8,11 and 14) a traditional allowance. They each have daily (clean room, dishes, homework, farm chores) and weekly (clean their bathroom, do their laundry, vacuum their spaces) chores. They are not compensated monetarily for these. If they don’t complete their chores and homework then they aren’t allowed their “free time” i.e. video/computer games, t.v. I also have a list of extra chores that they can do to earn some money. There is no set amount on these chores. We tell them what we want to pay for each chore and, if they feel it is worth more, they can negotiate for a higher rate. They each have a $150 clothing budget that renews every six months (August and February). They have learned to shop frugally and to keep their clothes and shoes nice since I started doing this. They each have savings accounts that their grandparents match their deposits on. They each have $5 a month in “mad money”. This accumulates and can be spent on anything they want. I DO NOT pay for grades. My parents did this and I HATED it. I was one of those kids that struggled in school. It took me much longer grasp concepts in school and as a result I got mostly C’s. My sister did really well in school and got mostly A’s. Believe me, it was not a pleasant feeling at report card time to see her walk away with $100 when I got $30. It did NOT encourage me to do better since I was already doing my best.
darlene says
My son is 15 and gets $15 dollars a week. We pay a dollar per year of age and that seems to have worked out perfectly. He actually has his own bank account and puts money in there and manages his own check register and debit card. As for chores, he feeds the animals and helps out when asked to do other chores, but in high school, they are so busy with schoolwork and extracurricular stuff it’s hard for them to find any “down time” let alone extra chore time.
I wish my parents would have had the money to give me allowance, I think I would have been better at my finances as an adult. It took me YEARS to figure it out =)
MW says
When I was young, we were paid ‘lunch money’ that was essentially our allowance and my mother bought us clothes and such. We never did the chores around the house because it never seemed to have any rewards (and my dad would always redo a lot of them anyway, OCD). Make sure your kids know that they are expected to do the chores and have a reward, like a nice sunday dinner once a month or if they get all chores done for a month, they get to choose the restaurant or a toy or a movie or SOMETHING.
Beth says
We tried giving our 7 year olds some money they earned by learning things and other chores etc., but we’ve found that they aren’t responsible with their money yet. It’s been lost, taken to school and given away and found by teachers, etc. So for now we’ve had to hold it again for safe keeping in their banks.
But I’d love to have them keep working toward it. I’m of the philosophy that they live in the house they help, but there are extra things they can do to earn more and sometimes it’s a learning incentive for school work we use too.
We also focus on what happens with money when they get it. A portion goes to savings, a portion to giving, and some to spend for themselves.
Allison says
We have been doing the $0.50 per year old for the last few years. So my 8 year old gets $4 a week and my 11 year old gets $5.50 per week. They are expected to do some chores around the house (feed dog/cat, get chicken eggs, pick up rooms, set/clear the table, etc.), but, like you, if they have a busy week with school and activities I don’t dock them if they don’t get the work done. When I need extra help and they are itching to make more money I take post its and put a chore and a price on each one. The chores range from $0.50 for emptying all garbage’s to $5.00 mowing the yard. I try to have enough smaller jobs so my 8 year old doesn’t feel like she can’t make as much money as her sister. We also have their bank accounts through our bank and each week we ask them if they want it in the bank or in cash or split. We just transfer it in if they want to save it. This way they can save if they need or have some cash to spend. Right now they are “saving” for our trip to Hawaii in December. My husband had this great idea that we would match all the money they had in their accounts right before the trip so they would have double the spending money!
Michelle O. says
I love reading how other parents are treating the allowance issue! We have four children ages 12, 10, 5 and 3. We do not pay them any money, for anything around the house (my husband received a weekly allowance as a child, but I didn’t so we’ve discussed this at length). There are certain household chores that are their responsibility and they just do them (I don’t know why it’s this easy but it is :). They receive money for birthdays, holidays, and sometimes ‘just because’ from relatives that haven’t seen them in awhile. They each have three jars (actual mason jars): Share 10%, Save 60%, Spend 30%. All of the money they receive is divided among the jars. Every July and Dec they make a donation to a charity of their choice from the Share jar. They each have a long term goal (except the 3yr old 🙂 and deposit the money from the Save jar into their bank accounts every six months. They are allowed to spend the money in the Spend jar as they like, but we encourage them to really think about their purchases before making them. We also have a $20 gift limit for other family members and close friends for birthdays and Christmas – they use their Spend jar for this. Even after all of this, they always seem to have loads of money!
Wendi says
I’m afraid I can’t speak to the “how much” but I would like to share a process. I’m 55 and I know how to budget, thanks to my dad’s wisdom when I was 12. My dad used to write me a check every friday. As I walked to the bank, I knew what that check needed to cover. It was my lunch money for the week as well as my church and sunday school offering. It was my girl scout dues, it was intended for my christmas club and vacation club. And there was a bit of spending money. I was responsible to meet all of those obligations – no need to come to dad asking for money, ever. I knew that if I didn’t contribute to the Christmas club, I’d have no money to buy gifts come December. If I spent too much on Hershey bars, there would be no money for lunch come friday. If I didn’t contribute to the vacation club I’d have no spending money for vacation. I knew that I could cheat on my Sunday school money but that was stealing from God. I also learned that if I skipped ice-cream with lunch, there would be extra left that I could use as I desired. The process was a valuable lesson in budgeting, spending and saving. I also learned about compounded interest and that even a small amount contributed on a regular basis can add up to significant cash. My dad was a wise man and prepared me well. And for those of you too young to know, a Christmas club/vacation club was a process of saving. The bank gave you a coupon book and you made weekly deposits. In June (for vacation) and November (for Christmas) the accounts matured and the bank sent you a check including interest (those were the days of 12-18%). Pretty cool, right?!
Katie says
Haven’t read the other posts, but here is my 2cents.
We are pretty old school, with a modern twist, I think. We have two 8yr olds, one 5yr old, and one 4yr old. We have “paychecks” for the kids, just like us (their parents). Paychecks are once per week, and are based on behavior and chores. $1/wk, per child. Each child has an coupon envelope that we divided into 3 categories….give, save, and spend. They have to take their money and divide it into those categories. We don’t tell them how, just guide them on what each category means. The kids get to pick their “give” charity at christmas and donate their money or buy something with it for that charity. We also do “spend” days when they get to have fun at target or walmart, but its THEIR money. great life lessons learned!
Karen says
My daughter is almost 5. Up until a few weeks ago, we were using that Melissa and Doug chore chart (which I love). She had 5 – 7 things on it (feed the dogs, clear her table, put her shoes away, etc) and we’d give her a nickel each day for each one that she did. But then she got it in her head that she could just say she didn’t want the money so she wasn’t going to do the chore, which was not at all how I intended things to go! So now we’ve changed things up and she is just expected to do her chores as a member of the family and I give her $2 a week (half her age so it’ll go up to $2.50 very soon) and half goes in her spend bank, half goes in her save bank (while I know it’s a good idea to teach her to save, I still haven’t figured out what exactly she’s supposed to be saving up for).
When we went to Disneyland this past fall, we did make her earn her spending money. For the month leading up to it, she had a list of extra chores (some required more work than regular chores and some were easier things we wanted her to practice, like sweeping). She got a dollar a day for those and then she ended up with about $30 to spend on her souvenirs.
Beckybeq says
I have a son (14) and daughter (12). I started giving allowances a few years back – son has autism and learning responsibility with money is one of my independence goals for him. I give a base “salary” of $5/week. They get that, even if they do no chores. With school & extra-curriculars, we have some weeks like that. (This week, both are working on the school play.)
Extra chores get extra allowance. Son figured this out very quickly and will ask for extra chores. Daughter is really busy and not as interested. Heck, son earned $70 in one weekend moving 2 cubic yards of dirt for my greenhouse base! I pay for incidentals that are related to activities – $5 for snacks when daughter is performing with Pep Band, $10 for dinner when son has an away wrestling match – because I’m encouraging them to do the activities. Both kids have savings accounts and deposit regularly to save for large items – daughter bought a guitar, son saved up money for G-Fest souvenirs (Godzilla Festival).
Katie @ Life Lived Intentionally says
Our kids are 3 and 5, so we’re not quite where you are! However, we budget a certain amount for clothes, home school, fun money, etc. When it’s gone, it’s gone for the month, and may or may not be replenished. We offer money for extra jobs, but expect help with chores to earn keep. They save up money for special extra toys that they want.
I think it’s a good system, but I think as they get older, we’ll give them more responsibility. We talk them through the budget and let them make choices, but it’s different from handing that money over. They’re not ready for that yet. Haha!! They’d probably pick candy and toys instead of school supplies.
AlysonRR says
We’ve given our children (now age 11 and 14) $45/mo for several years now. It is not specifically tied to chores, but they are expected to help with regular chores and requests for help in a positive way. They both sort and fold their laundry, help bring in and shelve groceries, keep their spaces (bedrooms and playroom) clean, and vacuum and mop the floors. My son loads and unloads the dishwasher, takes care of recycling and garbage including helping me load our van and dump it all at the county facility, cleans the litter box and feeds the cat, and does all my heavy lifting when my husband isn’t around. My daughter takes on most of the care of the dog including baths, feeding, and outside trips, takes care of her turtles, cleans toilets (!), and usually helps me with laundry.
We set up checking accounts for them with our bank (USAA) and transfer the money. They keep registers, but have not yet written checks. Usually I’ll spend from my account then transfer from theirs to mine. We’ll be changing that this year. I’m going to add the amount I’m willing to spend on school lunches into their accounts and let them write their own checks for it. They may choose to spend more of their own money on school lunches rather than prepping (or helping prep) a lunch from home!
JP says
I give my kids money each week (8 yo and 6 yo). I expect help and get it but it isn’t tied to pocket money.We recently opened the kids bank accounts and half their pocket money goes into the bank but they can retrieve it if they want to, although they get more interest if they deposit but do not withdraw. The kids actually insisted on bank accounts and seem surprisingly alert to the idea of earning money through interest. Either we talk about it more than we think we do or they learn something at school.
I also, however, give them the opportunity of earning more money if they want to and when they have something to save for they work very hard!
I think much of the point about pocket money isn’t savings but the ability to make decisions – do I buy this, or this, or save up and get this. A lot of people seem to have problems with decision making – it seems an important thing to learn about.
meredith says
We just started an allowance system for 7 & 9yr old boys. I’m don’t agree with paying for chores but believe they need a way to learn managing money, expenses, and determining wants vs.need. so we came up with $1/age per week. The money is freely theirs BUT if the daily/weekly responsibilities from their list doesn’t get done, they can LOSE the money. So far it has been a great motivator to get the simple responsiblilites of family life completed and encourages them to this of the consequences of their decisions
Karen says
We have the last of our children at home( the older three are out there working). Ages 34,31,29 all employed. The last a set of 17 yr old twins get 10.00 a week each,both work as well as attend school (gr 12). At age 12 we begin discussing if the child in question wishes to drive at age 16 and then start our creative solutions to get their own vehicles. We front them some cash towards a car or truck or help them out with their first year insurance or a repair on a fixer up vehicle. If they crash it or get speeding tickets – they pay or walk. Child #1 chose not to own vehicle until 32 yrs old, Child #2 asked us to buy old mustang as grad present $500.00-she chose college so Dad paid first year insurance and tune up -had car 3yrs- sold it. ( she worked at an insurance office from Gr10 until college) Child #3 cut lawns starting at age 12 because he wanted a camaro (old 70s one) bought one at age thirteen got it running did some body work on it and traded it for a newer pickup at age 15. Got a job at a grocery store and bought an 1980s mustang after fixing up the truck and selling. He restored the mustang and had it road ready including new paint job by age 16. We paid his first year insurance. Our last two( the twins); older twin helped out with chores at metal scrap place and got a running truck $200.00 at age 14 ,his bother worked all summer at a truss plant on night shift so he could get higher pay and bought a truck at an auction. On their 16th birthdays I paid for their liscencing Over a $100 where we live and my husband paid for inspections and tune ups $500. Three months insurance in our area is $600. They work and pay that and their own fuel costs. All of our kids got $10 a wk until grad. Our oldest bought a car two years ago Dad cosigned as she never had a loan before on the condition if she missed a payment Dad took the car. During that year she attended college and worked(single Mom). She never missed one payment and graduated. Did well in school,all learned to manage money.
Alice says
Irregardless is not an actual word. Just say regardless to avoid a double negative.