So, this past week my nine year old son came up with the brilliant idea that he's entitled to an allowance. "Everyone else at school gets one" Being the stingy bastard I am, I've never offered one and was hoping he'd never hear of the concept. Unfortunately, now he has and he's been hounding me about it since.

I told him I'd give him the same allowance I got when I was his age, a whopping fifty cents a week. I'd splurge it all at once and buy myself a pack of baseball cards, you know, the ones with the stale piece of bubble gum that comes with it. I never felt like it wasn't a lot of money

He didn't go for that. "Fifty cents?!? That's nothin! That might have been worth something back in the olden days" LOL. Guess I'm an old timer now. "You have to give me five bucks a week at least!"

So..... a daily chore list is in the works. Gonna make him earn it!


What do you think about allowances? What's a good weekly dollar amount? Do you treat it like an entitlement or teach them early on how that working hard is what makes you money?

My son is 5. He gets $4 week. $2 goes directly to him, and $2 goes into a savings account to help pay for big ticket items (Recreational classes, a new bike, etc.) For this money, he does the following things (in the best way a 5 year old can :) ): dusting, changing sheets on his bed, sorting laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, shovelling the walks, and helping to make meals, sometimes. We started him on an allowance when he was about 3 1/2. Since then he saves his money up to buy toys for himself. He once saved for 3 months to buy a special Thomas the Train toy! At his age, he likes to help, so it is a positive experience for everyone.

When he turns 6, he'll get a raise to $5 a week. The splitting 50/50 between spending money and savings will continue.

Once he's earned the money, it is his. It is never taken away for punishment. Haven't got to the point where he refuses to do his chores, so I don't know what will happen then! LOL.

I only got a quarter a week and had to vacuum, cut grass, wash dishes, take out the trash, etc to get it! 25 cents sure didn't go too far, so I had to get a job when I was 14.

I think every family should do what works in their home.

In ours, we teach to be appreciative of blessings like shelter and food and entertainment. We teach that with privilege comes responsibilities.

We dont do allowances, but instead each have things we are 'responsible' for just because we are a part of a family unit and all share in the household privileges.

they can earn money doing for people outside of the home though, or doing 'extra' chores like cleaning out the family car or doing a whole house cleaning instead of just their own chores.

My son is gonna be 5 this year and he hasnt' had any interest in money or an allowence, apart from playing with money. I think allowence should be earned, kind of like having your first job. the dishs, cleaning the washroom, vaccuming, sweeping, keeping the dinning room table clean, making his bed, cleaning up his toys. all that good stuff. Otherwise, they are just kids, they want what everyone else gets, especially if they dont have it ^_^ more so if other kids are bragging about it ^_^

its really a personal and private parenting matter that differs for each family, and each family should do what works for them

in our family, we never got allowance for chores, it was our responsibility as part of the household just like it was our parents responsibility to go to work and pay bills,,,,,


we sometimes got financial rewards but they werent routine or scheduled, they just happened occasionally for straight a grades, or extra special consideration of others, or good reports from teachers or other parents,,,etc,,,

heh i got ten bucks a week
and would get 25 from my neighbor for cutting her grass once a week
and 20 for cleaning my other neighbors pool a week

ah the good old tax free days

I did lots of chores for no allowance. Once I was finished my kid brother and I were allowed to take the lawn mower and mow neighbor lawn's for 50 cents for spending money. We blew it on comic books. Else we had to give 25 cents back as lawn mower rental.

I agree with MsH, every household has to decide an appropriate amount...and also what the money is linked to e.g. chores or positive rewards for good behaviour/grades etc.

I can’t remember how old my eldest son was before he was given an allowance but I think he was into double digits when he got it.

My youngest is six and he isn’t even bothered about getting pocket money. He gets money for every tooth he loses which goes into his piggy bank but other than that, it doesn’t get mentioned.

Oh, btw, my kid's allowances where based on their report card. $1 a week for A's, 50 cents for B's. Worked well when they were young. When they became teenagers the expenses hit and had to raise it substantially. Could always count on them to lend me a hand.

different incentives work for different kids, despite the 'experts', child rearing is not one size fits all,,, lol

its cool your kids did well academically

I dont think I ever had a defined monetary reward for anything, I was expected to contribute at home and make good grades and sometimes I would randomly and suprisingly get 'rewarded'

I think I appreciated those rewards much more because they were random and not an entitlement,,,,

My dad went the work is hourly route, and you only get paid if something needs doing. He also encouraged me to work for our neighbors.

I made 2 dollars an hour. I worked a maximum of 15 hours weekly until I was able to get my work permit. Then I worked 20 hours weekly until 16, then I worked 30 hours weekly until I went and got a corporate job (at 17 I worked at Taco Bell, it paid me twice as much hourly!!!!)

Honestly I am the successful person I am now becuase he was serious about teaching these skills early.

When I worked for my dad he would match my 2 bucks an hour and put it into my college fund, which was how I paid my way through the first 2 years of college.

Yea, Random or entitlement, naw ill go for work = pay thanks.

I wanted air Jordan's one year, spent 10 weeks raking leaves for my neighborhood to buy those 100 dollar shoes. What did I learn? That 100 dollars was way too much for shoes when you are working for it yourself.

That's how I'd do it (and how I was taught). None of this instant money cause 'you deserve it'. There is no such thing as entitlement for being alive. Work for it just like you're supposed to. It doesn't get any easier as you get older, so ween them into it. If questioned, make clear that you have to work just to keep them alive (then let them spend a month figuring out all the bills). Then show them how much you make (best if not rich). Then show them the classifieds and what jobs pay (and with what education). If they don't give up just by figuring out that amount of math by now, you got the start of either a mathmetician or a lawyer. Maybe they can support YOU in 30 years. If my parents gave me money at will(or had it) I wouldn't have learned how to do much of what I do today. I grew up with flea-market stuff and fixing things on my own because I couldn't afford to pay anybody to do it for me. Or, building stuff I wanted from whatever materials I could scrounge up. From a lot of book reading and a LOT more hands on I was fixing radios, TV's, BUILDING circuit boards, multi-floor tree houses with nothing but found wood and used nails that are in better shape than some welfare apartments, later making motorcycle parts from practically nothing. I accumulated enough electronic test equipment to cover a wall (and knew how to use it!)! That was by the time I was 13 (I'm 38 now). All of that came to use for me. Yeah, I still have the wall-worth of electronic test equipment (even though mostly WAY out-dated now), but what better way to test 50's-70's sound/music equipment? That somewhat became second place as I got my first motorcycle. A busted Yamaha DT-250E when I was 12. Paid $100 for it (and A LOT OF saving). Still got that bike (even though spread here and there and what was left outside rotted back to Earth). I fooled with that thing till I got it running and rode the crap out of it for 2 years till it blew up an I moved on to others. Went on to high school and bought by first car from money I saved working summers and a paper route 7 days a week..... '81 Camaro. Well, teenage drivers are hard on a car... I had to fix it myself..... Directly out of high school I went to school to work on cars. 2 Months after graduating (from all but one class they offered.... and 'I' paid for it all!) I starting doing it professionally. 19 years later, still doing it and now for myself. While getting my business going, doing jobs of ALL aspects of home building/rebuilding/repairing as well as other jobs including turning a wrench, you name it. I didn't have to put in job applications. They came to ME cause they knew I had skills and work ethic, but without all those skills that I picked up along the way, I wouldn't be where I am now. I STILL pick some nice extra $ here and there from people who COME TO ME in need stuff fixed on their house or need computers fixed as an added bonus. When you're taught tough from the start and learn to fend for yourself, you adapt different skills that will not only keep you alive, but will keep you successful.

I think my kids always lent a hand cuz the sooner daddy was finished the quicker daddy could play. And you know how kids like to play!