Kids and allowances - How old, how much

luvmykids wrote: We're trying to figure out how to start allowances here...the kids don't have TONS of chores but enough that I don't necessarily want to add a lot to them although there is always plenty of stuff they could do to earn it.

Do your kids who get an allowance "earn" it, is it tied to doing their chores or extra beyond their chores? How much do you give them, and is it weekly or monthly?

lisar replied: If Lexi has to work for the Money she would rather not do it and go without the money. So that is the problem I have here.

BAC'sMom replied: We don't pay allowance and never will. Doing chores is room and board around here

stella6979 replied:
I agree. It's all about learning to be responsible and they certainly aren't going to be getting paid for doing those things once they are out on their own. Of course, this is coming from the mean Mommy.

TheOaf66 replied: we give Tanner $2 a week and if he wants something (not everything) he has to use his own money for it so it is just to

-Teach him how to save money
-Make him feel responsible
-Hopefully teach him to take better care of his stuff since he paid for it

my2girls replied: We DON"t pay for : Clean room, taking trash out , help with cleaning house, laundry , doing dishes or good behavior.

We DO pay for : washing cars, doing stuff without being told ( like they saw something that needed to be done and they just did it), cleaning toliets ( because I hate doing that), yard work ( beyond regular weed pulling) , etc.

Sometimes in your "real world" job you do get a bonus if you go above and beyond what is expected so we reward that also.

They get anywhere from $10-$15 a month ( My dd's are 13 and 11 years old) and they are paid at the end of the month.

They don't really rely on this money because they also babysit and pet/house sit, so they can make anywhere from $200-$300 a month ( NOT including allowance) with their "jobs".

boyohboyohboy replied: we have a melissa and doug chore board..it has 7 items and then the 7 days of the week..caleb at the age of 7 has to complete an entire row of that same chore for the entire 7 days to get a quarter..
it isnt much, but he has to work for it..so he has the potential for $1.75 at the end of the week..then he has to give 10% to savings and 10% to church.
He does get it for the normal chores as well as extra things..
he also has a schedule amount of three hours "screen" time that includes his tv video games, computer..so if he gets bad grades or in trouble at school. he loses 15 mins each time..

that has more incentive then the money.

moped replied:
Is the "screen" time per week or day?

Good plan on the savings and church!

boyohboyohboy replied:
that is 3 hours weekend total
during the week we rarely watch tv.

Kaitlin'smom replied: no allowance here, but she does help out at home quite abit until you ask her to clean her room drives me crazy but I let her help and I help clean her room which needs to be done again....way to much stuff.

luvmykids replied:
That's my attitude when it comes to their general chores, they pitch in because we all live here, we all make the messes, etc. But, I'm wanting to give them a small allowance that isn't tied to their chores, for a lot of reasons but mostly to start teaching them about money, getting it once a year on their birthday doesn't really make it sink in, kwim?

Plus, I'm thinking it might be a good way to start instilling the "If you want money, you work" idea.

mckayleesmom replied: Mine get 5 dollars a week...Not always in cash though..sometimes I just buy them something they want at the store. They have to do their chores and Mckaylee has to get smilie faces.

I have recently ammended the plan and she now gets the money up front, but she has to pay me 25 cents for every time she has to move her smilie face at school and 1 dollar every time I have to clean up her room.

CantWait replied: Both the boys get a weekly allowance based on things that do not have to do with their personnel upkeep.

So keeping their rooms clean do not count, putting their dishes where they belong do not count.

They get allowance for something that helps the family (or mom specifically), dishes, laundry, garbage etc.

I don't believe in making my kids "pay" or "have their keep" for me giving birth to them and making them part of my life or family.

luvmykids replied:
I don't mean it that way, like they have to earn their keep, just that in a family or on a team or whatever everyone pitches in and does their part.

CantWait replied:
Yes I realize that.

I just mean that if I'm asking my kids to do things in the house that I feel are the parents responsibility, than I pay them for that, whereas I know a lot of people, (by the sounds of it) yourself included do not.

coasterqueen replied: Kylie get's $6 a week. Dh had originally told her $10, but I thought that was too high so I went with $6.

Megan does not get one until age 5.

Our children do not get allowances for doing chores. They are apart of the family and as a family we all have to work together to be a happy one. The allowance is to teach them responsibility of money, how to save, what to do with it, what you can get with it, etc.

BAC'sMom replied: That is the way I run my household too Karen. We are a family unit; helping out makes things run smoother around here and less stressful on everyone. Especially when you have 3 with homework, baseball practice etc.

My kid’s list has 5 yes F-I-V-E things on it.

Clean your room
Make your bed
Pick up your toys


Then I usually give them 2 other things to do. Like feed the pets, take out the trash, vacuum or mop the kitchen (it’s a swifter), put up clean clothes, put up the clean dishes etc. It’s not like I have a whip and I am standing over them screaming. So it’s not child abuse or child labor. I base our chores list on the age of the child. My 5 year old certainly can’t take out the trash, but my 12 ½ year old son can.

I know lots of parents that pay their kids for grades or chores. Heck I know of one Mom that pays her kid when he gets on base in baseball. This same woman tried to pay my son a few years ago when the boys were on the same team. I told her no.

My kids are not suffering they get treats and surprises. If you could look in their rooms or my yard and you can see that. Them helping out teaches them to be responsible and to take care of their possessions. My DH and I had chores when we were kids and we turned out all right, it didn’t kill us. So I think my children will turn out just fine. My theory is if I can wash, dry and fold the laundry the least they can do in put the clothes in their dresser.

luvmykids replied:
You're still more generous than me, DH said $5 a week and I said $3

luvmykids replied:
Thank you, that about sums it up for me And, of course jmho, I don't feel I'm putting my responsibilities off on them by asking them to help.

stella6979 replied:
Me too!