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How Much Allowance Do You Give?

Home » Forums » Parenting Advice » Teens » How Much Allowance Do You Give?
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September 10, 2010 - 11:27am
FirstDance
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How Much Allowance Do You Give?

How much of an allowance do you give your teens, if any?  What do you make them do for it?  Chores, homework?

I've tried giving an allowance tied to chores in the past but man, what a hassle.  I have a hard time keeping up with it- takes too much nagging and keeping up with what actually got done, etc.

Anyone have a good system?

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September 11, 2010 - 3:28pm
#1
nadinehowe
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Re: How Much Allowance Do You Give?

I think some people confuse business with family.  I don't think you should pay your children for chores- they should be done because they need to be done. 

I feel like people set kids up to expect to be paid or rewarded for everything they do and life just isn't like that.  You take care of yourself and your home because that's just part of life.  You don't get paid for it, you know?

Not saying allowance is a bad idea to teach kids about money, but I just feel that equating chores with payment is not the right message although I know a lot of people do it.

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I'm learning real skills that I can apply throughout the rest of my life ... Procrastinating and rationalizing.     ~Calvin & Hobbes

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September 12, 2010 - 1:17pm
#2
Columbia4Kids
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Re: How Much Allowance Do You Give?

Hmnn... I disagree.  I think chores (work) are the perfect avenue to start teaching kids about earning money.

Unfortunately, it's a lot of work and a lot of nagging.  I can't pretend to have the answer because I've started chore charts and payments probably a dozen times only to have the whole process fall apart within a few weeks when it's just more work for me than it's worth.

I don't believe in paying kids for things like homework because that is something you have to do whether you want to get paid or not and you do have to learn that some things do just have to get done.

My system (far from perfect) was to establish some base chores that had to be done no matter what, and some optional chores that they can earn money for.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

~Dr Seuss

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September 13, 2010 - 9:45am
#3
kaffimbe
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Re: How Much Allowance Do You Give?

Ok, here's what I do:

Homework and chores have to be done and there is no payment associated with those.  I tell them that covers their room and board- they get to live here and we feed them.

When they come to me asking for stuff, I tell them what they can do to earn it.  Maybe it's raking leaves or dusting baseboards or helping out with something else that doesn't happen everyday, but they are learning that to get the stuff they want, they need to earn it.

Now I often have them come to me offering a deal,"If I vaccumm the hall and wash the dog, will you get me a new DS game?"  That's so much nicer than the I-want's and whining. goodjob

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September 13, 2010 - 10:07am
#4
admin
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Re: How Much Allowance Do You Give?

You might want to read this:

 

Raising Financially Fit Kids by Jolene Godfrey.

Buy it from Amazon, Half.com or check it out from the library!

 

Godfrey recommends starting an allowance at age 5 and using a formula to determine how the money should be used by your child. She recommends that a third go into saving, a third for personal spending and a third for philanthropy.

 

She also states that an allowance shouldn't be awarded for chores that a child is supposed to be doing anyway.

 

The book offers real-world activities and charts to follow so busy parents don't have to devote a lot of time to figuring out how to set up their own allowance program. So, check it out!

Ideas are worth nothing unless executed

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March 4, 2011 - 10:14am
#5
aliki
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Re: How Much Allowance Do You Give?

Just the right amount will do.

 

When I was that age, my mom would give me and brother our allowance for the week and also gave us a sheet of the chores we had to do every morning. I think that worked as my brother and I are more financially mature than our 3rd sibling, who was too young to be included in that kind of set-up. He grew up not really knowing that money is earned the hard way.

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