# Pocket Money - what do yours get?



## DottyLottie

My girls get £2 a week, and the option to earn extra if they take on additional chores. They are 10 and 9, and their chores are currently pretty basic, setting and clearing the table, feeding the dogs and other random odd jobs like popping to the shop or entertaining the boo while I cook.

I think they are old enough to take on more chores, perhaps running the hoover around or washing the pots, but they reeeeally make out it is SO much hard work, that I don't insist on it.

Starting to wonder if I should, with baby #4 on the way, going to need all the help I can get.

On the other side of the fence, I remember friends at school who's mum did EVERYTHING for them, they didn't lift a finger or even tidy their own room, and got pocket money for good behaviour and grades at school.
I remember as a child envying their perfect mama's and cosetted lifestyle. I have one friend who does this for her kids - her view is that they have their entire life ahead of them to clean and do chores, she wants to let them enjoy being kids.

Which is right? 
What do your kids do to help in the house and how much pocket money do they get if any?


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## samsugar7

Today i do think that it is fair for children to "work" for extra pocket money. When i was younger mum didnt have to work so yes she did most of the house work/cooking and all that. We took chores off her to earn extra. 

For me i will be in work so there will be a set list of simple things i.e making beds, laying table, washing up (age dependant) things that can take less than 10 mins to do. Then i will list things that that the kids can do to earn more i.e vacuming, mowing the lawn, hanging up the washing things that take more effort. 

I used to love doing things around the house it was a trust thing i think, mum was very proud of her home and she let me help but would tell people that the floor is so clean because Sam mopped it didnt she do well??

If you praise them and let visitors know they helped out and those visitors praise them too you might find they are more willing to help out. 

x


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## Jkelmum

Katie aged 10 doesnt get any ...
Jake aged 14 gets £5 a wk for washing the pots


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## Ruskiegirl

mine gets 5 dollars every 2 weeks if she does her chores and keeps her stuff cleaned up she just turned 10


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## mamalove

DottyLottie said:


> My girls get £2 a week, and the option to earn extra if they take on additional chores. They are 10 and 9, and their chores are currently pretty basic, setting and clearing the table, feeding the dogs and other random odd jobs like popping to the shop or entertaining the boo while I cook.
> 
> I think they are old enough to take on more chores, perhaps running the hoover around or washing the pots, but they reeeeally make out it is SO much hard work, that I don't insist on it.
> 
> Starting to wonder if I should, with baby #4 on the way, going to need all the help I can get.
> 
> On the other side of the fence, I remember friends at school who's mum did EVERYTHING for them, they didn't lift a finger or even tidy their own room, and got pocket money for good behaviour and grades at school.
> I remember as a child envying their perfect mama's and cosetted lifestyle. *I have one friend who does this for her kids - her view is that they have their entire life ahead of them to clean and do chores, she wants to let them enjoy being kids.*Which is right?
> What do your kids do to help in the house and how much pocket money do they get if any?

I agree with this, but i also agree that they should do extra chores if they want to earn EXTRA pocket money. Making their beds and keeping their room tidy is what they should be doing anyway.
My 2 year old tidys her toys and gets a sweetie, let alone a teenager.


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## kimbobaloobob

mine increased with age, it started of as something like 50p when i was little for cleaning my room ect, but when i turned 14, my mum gave my my child benifits (the £80 odd one) and said i had to buy all my own clothes and womanly bits and bobs, (obv she hellped me out here and there) but this helped me to learn how tomangae money and that i dont get handed everything on a silver platter...


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## Lianne1986

i think kids should earn there pocket money, 
if my 5yr old has been given sum money by a family memeber say £5 orf sumthing an we take him to a shop to spend it & he sees a toy for £6 or £7 i wont give him the extra he needs...my reason for this is...

when he does his weekly shop when hes older or any shoppin for tht matter, he wont have his mummy standing behind him if he doesnt have enuff to pay for it, i want him to learn the value of money!

i have a couple of cousins tht are spoilt & i DO NOT want my children turning out like them! they get everything they want, they are 13 & 15 and they dont lift a finger at home. they wont even get themselves a drink,

some people thing im such a meanie with tyler but i want him to grow up knowing you have to earn ur money!


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## aimee-lou

I never got pocket money as a child.....my parents couldn't afford it and even at boarding school, when everyone else queued up on a friday afternoon to get their spends, I just had the bits and bats I'd stashed from my birthday money. (Before anyone gets confused I was on a 98% bursary so basically, the child benefit paid my school fees) 

I would hate for Earl to have to feel like this (I'm not proud of the fact that I would shoplift sweets etc in order to have the same as my friends rather than ask my parents for money I knew they didn't have. I also lost our on all sorts because I was too proud to ask for money!) so I will give him couple of £ a week from about the age of 8/9 just for being him. He will have chores to do but I don't believe in paying a child to do things that they should do anyway. Growing up I did the pots, the ironing, vacuumed, walked the dog, cooked, all sorts without any 'pay off' and I think this is the way it should be. Kids should be kids, not mini wage-slaves. Responsibility with money is a lesson that can be learned when they're a teenager. IMO a child below that age (around 13) really shouldn't have a concept of money as a commodity.


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## sabby52

Dan gets £4-£5 every day this is for school lunch and any other school things he has to pay eg. H.E fees, Tech fees and such. He also gets £10 a week for his nanny, he doesnt get paid for doing chores, it is his house as well and if he wants to live in a clean house then he will do his bit to help keep it clean, I never got paid to do chores and my sis and I basically ran our house. 

Dec gets £5 a week from his nanny, at the minute he doesnt get anything from us, he is only 2 1/2 and I dont think he has any needs for pocket money just yet lol.


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## Jemma_x

I was brought up where i didnt have to do any chores or any jobs and i got money when i asked for it. Yes it was nice to just have to ask and id get whatever i wanted but i wish they had made me do chores and not give me money when i asked for it because im useless with money now and i just wish that they would have given me chores to do and then gave me money and them tell me i had to make it last me as i think it would have helped me now im older. When connor gets older he will get a couple of pounds a week until hes about 11 and then will ask him to maybe wash pots or tidy his room to earn some money


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## honey08

my stepson ( all wont agree wth this ) is 15 and smokes ( ive started him letting him smoke outside due to the fact of been so scared of him smoking in the bedrm , i smoke outside and im just not having it in my house) 

he was getting a £1 on a night mon-fri then a fiver on a sat, BUT he was nicking my tobbacco, so instead now im giving him a pack of backy and £3 a wk ! ( backy £7 ) hes tidies his rm and the garden on a sunday for this , if hes backy left over by the saturday i wud give him more, like this wk he had more than half left so i gave him his normal money and will see wot he has left next wk


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## Ju_bubbs

I never had to do anything around the house when I was younger, and got £10 every week, plu when I went out with mates at the weekend I would get an extra fiver for lunch and another 20 quid or so for spending money! Mmy parents were rich, so what I wanted, I got! I really wish I was made to do chores n things for my money, coz now, I'm useless with money, and I'm not much better at keeping on top of housework! lol

I've pretty much been the same with my kdis tho, I do everything for them! But, now that I'm on my own with baby no.4 on the way, things are going to change! My 11 year old is going to get £5 a week, IF he helps me out around the house, my 8 and 6 year old dont get anything at the mo, but they are going to start doing small things like help clear the table after dinner etc for the things i buy them when we go shopping.. you know the odd new toy, or packet of sweets!


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## anothersquish

He doesnt get any and never will. I dont believe in them getting "free" money. He gets very small amounts for doing extra chores (he has things he does that are expected of him regardless) He will always have any classes/clubs he wishes to go to paid for and gets a set amount of snack money for those clubs etc. When hes older (hes currently almost 6) if he wishes to have some extra money for things he will be welcome to do a bit more around the house to 'earn' money for specific things.
If I thought for a second the money was going on cigarettes or the like I would stop any money he was getting immediately. I went through a rebellious teenage phase where I smoked but I sure as hell paid for it myself. I was taught well enough not to steal other peoples possessions to fund my habits and well enough that if I wanted something I had to earn the money to fund it.


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## honey08

anothersquish 
well good 4 u, are u sayin we aint taught him not to take something that isnt his ? and he does earn his money , this was the only way round i thought b best maybe not the best but its my choice anyways


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## princess_vix

We never had pocket money my parents were always the ones who if you asked you would usually get ect ect..but saying that we helped around the house and sometimes if we wanted to push our money up that we were asking for we'd do extra jobs to earn it.
But it wasn't like pocket money weekly it'd be like if i was going out with friends i'd ask and mum would give me £20 say for lunch and whatever i was doing just depended.

Even now my parents still help out with things like clothes,and extra little bits for the baby ect x


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## kelley32

Iv just read this thread and found it really interesting, my 2 are 14 and 11 and dont usually do much around the house apart from tidy their bedrooms every now and again, and only sometimes general household chores if im feeling a bit under the weather. I dont actually give them pocket money but I will get them what ever they want within reason. 
After reading this thread im goin to make a rota up of what I want them to do daily for me, like someone has already said, if they want a clean house to live in then they can help keep it clean, these jobs will be done for no reward what-so-ever as I cook every night and keep their clothes washed n make sure they are clean and tidy everyday, as well as being a taxi service for them.
However I will set out extra jobs on the rota which they can do for a set amount of money depending on what the job is, e.g £3 for washing the car or £5 for cleaning it inside and out.
I really want them both to learn the value of money and to know that you have to work for it no matter what, so thank u all for this post xx


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## Lianne1986

kelley32 said:


> Iv just read this thread and found it really interesting, my 2 are 14 and 11 and dont usually do much around the house apart from tidy their bedrooms every now and again, and only sometimes general household chores if im feeling a bit under the weather. I dont actually give them pocket money but I will get them what ever they want within reason.
> After reading this thread im goin to make a rota up of what I want them to do daily for me, like someone has already said, if they want a clean house to live in then they can help keep it clean, these jobs will be done for no reward what-so-ever as I cook every night and keep their clothes washed n make sure they are clean and tidy everyday, as well as being a taxi service for them.
> However I will set out extra jobs on the rota which they can do for a set amount of money depending on what the job is, e.g £3 for washing the car or £5 for cleaning it inside and out.
> I really want them both to learn the value of money and to know that you have to work for it no matter what, so thank u all for this post xx

i will be doin this with my 2 when there are older, my little boy will wash up (plastic plates etcs) after dinner an he doesnt get anything for it, he enjoys doin it, but this will prob change as he gets older lol 

good luck with ur rota, let me know how its goin x


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## morri

I got weekly pocket money although that was handed rather laxly as I often didnt get it xD. 
From the age of 12 you are allowed to get an card from the bank, but you cant go into overdraft on it.so I got my monthly pocket money on the account. (which was 25 Mark a month)(a mark used to be half a euro in 2000)


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## shaunanicole

I believe it should be a mixture of the two. Keeping THEIR room clean and performing/behaving well in school. That is just my opinion though, I haven't hit that barrier with Ava yet, I have a long ways to go before that. Thank goodness!!! :D


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## Hayley90

When we were younger (about 12/13) we used to get £5 a week. We sometimes had to help mum with jobs etc but she was a SAHm so to be honest there wasn't a lot we could do! We would help on school holidays though as she used to take us out all over the place on trips and days out. 

Then when i was 13/14/15/16 ( we always got the same amount, my sis is 2 years younger than me) we got £10 a week, same as above - jobs if mum needed them doing but not often. 

That said, the £10 was instead of any clothes etc we wanted. My mum bought all our uniform and school stuff, but stationery we had to get, and casual clothes we got. She would get the little bits & we'd get the bigger bits, unless it was desperately needed (a new coat in the snow for example!) I had to pay for my phone credit aswell. 

im actually ok with money, i make sure all my bills are paid before i spend anything else - i know how much "free" money ive got every month. Liam didnt get any pocket money at all and he is useless with money! So that £10 a week helped me manage the important stuff first, then the treats after. 

I got a job when i was 16 so they stopped my money then. 
x


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## DottyLottie

All interesting response ladies!

I have arranged a more detailed rota for the kids now, there are only 3 compulsory chores (tidying their own room, setting/clearing the table, feeding the dogs), but I have included lots more with the additional payments detailed next to them, so if they do extra chores I have to sign their rota and they claim the extra bounty on pocket money pay day.

My eldest is starting secondary school soon and wants a mobile phone, and I have already pre-warned her that she will be responsible for topping up her own credit, so she is now checking out the new rota with great interest! They both get £2 each a week for their compulsory chores with the option to earn an extra £3 each for extra chores.

Will have to see how it goes. Am already encouraging Boo (aged 20 months) to put her own toys away when she has finished with them, and she is actually very game! I wish I had done that with my older two!


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## amazed

My older 2 get £2 a week for making there beds every day and picking up there clothes (a big one for my 6 yr old daughter who is like her dad and takes off her clothes and leaves them where they land lol).... x


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## Mummy2Asher

my son get £10 per week, hes 3.5yrs. but this he pays for his classes, his music, footy and swimming, that totals £7. with the change he buys a pack of sweets normally. 
he does however also get money weekly from his grannies, they dont tell me but he has a wallet and in there he always gets £5 notes! so he can buy a toy once a week and uses his money from his grannies for that.

when i was younger i got £20 per week and extra things if i wanted it, but i did generally buy my own clothes with that money.
my son is responsible for his own toys and his room, he tidies up his toys in the living room and tidies his room and makes his bed. i dont think when hes older ill ask him to do much more.


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## angelofthesky

hi all,

i encountered your thread by accident on google, and i thought, i have to tell those busy parents what i know!!

I found a website which encourages children to do chores and get pocket money for it! I have started using it with my kids, and i am so happy with it; i have more time now as i dont have to tell them what to do every 5 minutes, as they can check it online, every day, and do the ones they chose, one at a time; and it's all free!

you must check it out:

Write juniorsgold in google, and you should find it :)
:thumbup:
:coffee:

let me know if that helps :winkwink:


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## Lianne1986

think i might try that, thanks xx


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## morri

I had to do chores in the household and got pocket money but they weren't related. The chores were to show that everybody has to help in the household and getting money would be like getting paid to apply common sense.
We got small amount of money perweek (1 dm) but we wouldn't get more if we asked.
from age of 12 we would get a monthly pocket money. 
If we wanted more we had to work for it( like doing paper rounds or so) , but this was a basic allowance .


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## Lucy22

I feel like I don't expect much of Elena, but after reading this thread, 
I'm not so sure :wacko:

I expect her to tidy her toys (putting them back into the toybox) when she's finished with them, and she must put her dirty clothes into the wash basket in her room every evening. She also does little bits for me around the kitchen, like I'd ask her to throw potato peelings in the bin or to put something away in the cupboard.

She's only 4 and a half so I think she's too young for pocket money. Instead she gets a treat on Saturday, such as a trip to the park or the cinema or something. She knows this is a reward for good behavior and doing as she's told.

Am I expecting too much of her? :wacko:


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## Lianne1986

no hun i dont think so. i get my kids to help me, just little bit like u really. they will grow up knowing if u wrk hard u get good things :)


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## seoj

I for sure think kids need to help out around the house... and personally, I won't pay for that. You are part of the family unit, so you should help- period. However, if they go above and beyond the basic weekly chores, and there are extra things they can do to earn money, then I feel that is good. So they learn that being part of a family unit means giving your fair share... but that hard work does have rewards. Our oldest has to keep her room and bathroom clean, put dishes away and feed the cats (change litter etc)... for her "normal" family chores. Then if she wants to earn money, she can help out side in the yard... or wash cars... or help with other chores as needed. Sometimes she'll even ask what she can help with to get paid! lol. oh, she also does her own laundry as well and has since she was about 10yrs old... she's just turned 14. 

I think it just depends on each family to do what feels best for them. For me, it's about raising my kids to be independent and self sufficient... and I don't feel doing everything for them really promotes that. But everyone has different views and needs to do what they feel is best...


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## MustangGTgirl

My littlest son at 3 years old doesn't get anything...heh. 

My oldest is almost 9 and he gets about 10$ a week for being good in school. I also buy everything he needs but I don't buy any extras like games or toys or anything like that. The only time I buy him toys or what not is on birthdays and Christmas and that makes up for the whole year because I spend about 1000$ per child during Christmas and 500$ per child on birthdays.

I don't require my kids or hubby to do anything around the house... I am a SAHM and it is my job to do the house stuff. Kids have enough time to have responsibilities when they are older, let them be kids now is how I feel.

When I was younger my mom (single mom) would give me any and everything I wanted and I didn't have to do anything for it. Whenever I wanted to go shopping or whatnot I would ask her for a blank check with just her signature on it and I could fill out the amount of whatever I purchased.

I am perfectly fine with money, all of our bills/expenses/extras only come to maybe 50% of our income and I save the rest. I never go out and just "blow" money just to spend it but we do buy anything we want (within reason). The last major expense I made was my bulldog that I paid 700$ for (she was an 1800$ dog but we got a deal because we knew some people).

I don't think I will require my kids to do anything around the house until they are atleast teenagers and even then, if they get jobs then they don't have to do anything. I like doing everything for everybody, it makes me feel needed and special that they need me so much :) :kiss:


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