Comments on: Should You Give Your Child An Allowance For Doing Chores?

By: Mary

Mary — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:53:20 +0000

I grew up doing chores with no allowance, and will probably do the same for my future kids. I feel I truly learned the value of hard work, and I’m seeing in my own generation (Gen Y) how the sense of entitlement has instilled in individuals thanks to their upbringing.

Plus, I’m an adult now, and still have to do chores. Do I get paid? Nope. I suppose I could pay myself in a glass of wine while doing it, though. :)

By: annellle

annellle — Sun, 31 May 2009 19:36:15 +0000

Wow nice hints but I want to know how much a 13 should get for school clothes once a year. What’s reasonable for my daughter?

By: Fred

Fred — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:52:35 +0000

Since this discussion has broadened from Trent’s initial question to how to best educate your kids about money, let me add my 2p.

When I was young (I’m now 26) my parents taught me to save any money I received rather than spend it. I even did exactly that when I finally (quite late, actually) received an allowance. When I finally decided I needed some pocket money (for parties, bars), I worked for it (baby-sitting) and only used the money I had worked for (moreover, only part of it).

I now realize there’s probably no better way to learn your kids to spend wisely. If abstention is one’s second nature, money never has a chance to become more important than it should be.

However, this approach doesn’t encourage my kids’ entrepreneurship (spotting earning opportunities). Therefore I will give my kids the opportunity to work for money from an early age on (only for special tasks, not for their fair share in the household). I will try to find a good middle between the fun of spending (to fuel their entrepreneurship) and abstention/saving (money should be a tool for what is truly important only).

By: Brianna

Brianna — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:46:14 +0000

Kids from the age of 5 to 8 should get $5 a week.
Kids from the age of 9 to 12 should get $10.
Kids from the age of 13 to 17 should get $15.
Kids from the age of 18 and older should get $20.

Hope this helps! :)

By: Sandy

Sandy — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:02:28 +0000

I thought of another thing, in addition to my earlier post. When it comes to giving money for grades, it reminds me of another parenting strategy…that of bribery for nearly every aspect of life, and it starts early.
I never used bribes like “if you go number #2 in the potty, you’ll get an M&M” or “If you make your bed, I’ll give you extra dessert” or things like that. As far as I’m concerned, once a parent starts that kind of “negotiating” with their kids like that, it is a very slippery slope, and the “negotions” get more expensive each time. I made some concious decisions early on that the girls needed to want something intrnsically before they see the need in doing something, and it’s worked very well at our house.
Now, my husband will challenge them with various things that hopefully will benefit their future. Currently, they have a financial incentive to learn to type quickly and accurately and once they have hit so many words and acuracy of 80%, he’ll give them a few dollars, and a fairly hefty sum once they hit 30 words per minute. The reason behind this is obvious…they’ll be able to do their work faster when they are older inHS and college. So far (1 week into it) they have each gotten to 12 words per min and got the first reward.

By: belleandthecity

belleandthecity — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:12:12 +0000

My parents always gave me a pretty nice basic allowance, which adjusted as I grew older and needed more money for entertainment with my friends. I also recieved it during the school year because they did not want me to work and focus all my energy on my studies.

When I was saving for something, like a big purchase I wanted to make, they would let me do extra chores for extra cash.

I think this is a good system because I had to do my normal chores because I was part of the family. My parents also felt bad making me work for allowance or witholding it if I got into trouble because they didn’t hold themselves to that standard–my parents got her weekly spending money from the budget whether they did the laundry or not–so it didn’t seem fair to them, and I agree. But by giving me extra money for extra chores, I learned the value of hard work and the reward of saving for something you want early on, so it’s a good mix.

By: PiFreak

PiFreak — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:27:27 +0000

That’s what I think too Ro, because I get docked out of my birthday money and Christmas money, which all goes to my college fund.

By: Ro

Ro — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 21:23:17 +0000

I would dock my son for stuff, yes, but I would give him something to dock it out of first!!!!!

By: PiFreak

PiFreak — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:41:09 +0000

I got an allowance before I needed one, and now that I’d like one, I don’t have it. I’m 16 now, and although I have a good sense of how the world works, I’d like an allowance. I’m gonna head off for college, and I pay for all my own christmas gifts. Sometimes I spend upwards of 40-50 bucks. I make no allowance, and due to my schedule, I have no time (literaly) for a job. Unless there’s a company that will hire me from 7:30 to 8:30, three nights a week, I have no time for a job. My only form of allowance is a “reverse allowance”. I have to pay my mom for each time I don’t do a chore on time. I think a combination would be best. Give them an allowance of say, a dollar a week ($52 a year), an additional dollar if they do something extra, like rake up all the leaves, and if they fail to do something, take 50 cents away each time. They’ll catch on soon.

Oh yeah, if I want something or need something, my parents will pay. However, my wants are relatively small. If something is high-quality for a low price, I usually want it more (eg, my parents bought five pairs of speakers for me at dollar tree, because the first pair has lasted for over a year, and they always sell out) My wants usually are something like $5 a month.

What do you think of reverse allowances? Yes/No, why?

By: Ro

Ro — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 04:13:25 +0000

Another interesting discussion. My husband and I are still trying to figure out what approach to use with our child. I never received an allowance as a child, nor was I expected to do any sort of chores at all. I don’t think either thing was a good idea, to be honest. My mom is a great person but she is very anal about how she wants stuff done and since we could never measure up she didn’t even try to teach us to clean our own rooms, do laundry, cook,, etc. (Of course, she wonders why I have so much more trouble staying on top of my house than she did!!) I don’dt feel we learned those life skills, and I am trying to make sure my son does. As far as money goes, if my needs were supplied and if I had any wants and they had the money, and if it was something relatively small (bigger gifts were for Christmas), she would try to get it for me. My wants were nothing like the wants of the kids today though…there were XBoxes, Wiis, etc. But I do think I would have gotten more out of having to learn to budget my own money to buy it myself,with gifts here and there as they felt like it. I am only beginning to even learn the basics of money management at the age of..well, let’s say 29ish (um…that would be if 40 is the new 30!!!)

By: Captain Sarcastic

Captain Sarcastic — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 02:43:14 +0000

I do like using the allowance as a way to teach kids about money, specifically that there are decisions one has to make. If you buy the shiny Polly Pocket this week, you'll not be able to get a pack of gum until you get paid again. I let them do stupid things with the money, though I try to guide their thought process. At this stage, the allowances are modest: $2/week for the 9 year old, $1/week for the 7 year old. For now, that amount works out well. When they get older, we'll raise it, trying to perhaps instill more of a sense of earn/reward by adding options for them to do optional things. I would advocate not tying allowance to chores since it instills the sense that chores are optional. Dishes need to be washed, dinners cooked, trash removed. Everyone in the family should do chores. I also agree grades should not be tied to money. My parents did that when I was a kid with my brother and I. His grades didn't improve, mine were already stellar, only rubbing it in at payment time.

By: Robin

Robin — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:44:38 +0000

Our 12 year old son receives $20 monthly as an allowance. He divides it 4 ways-tithes, save, invest, and spend. 1/2 of the tithe goes to church, the other half to a charity of his choice. (He recently purchased $42 in toys for kids for Christmas). The investing money is currently being saved until he has enough to purchase a CD or mutual fund of some sort. The save money goes into the bank to help pay for college or what ever someday. It is untouchable until he is at least 18. That only leaves him $5.00 to spend each month. If he wants extra, he must earn it for doing extra and he is expected to tithe and save on that money also. This summer he set up a stand in our yard selling produce and made over $300 in two months. He’s talking about expanding next year! He also has two saving accounts-the one that is off limits and the other to put some of his spending money in to help save for a larger item he may want. Last year he purchased a PSP, which is about $300, from money he earned and saved. As parents we have to teach them about money and how to use it. With the buy now, pay later mentality of the world out there, we must be sure we are setting good examples and teaching our kids the right way. Good grades are expected but we will reward him monitarily sometimes. It’s always after the fact and he doesn’t know it’s coming until he gets it. Sometimes it’s cash or something he’s been wanting, sometimes we go to a movie and dinner and celebrate.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 20:51:48 +0000

For my girls, aged 14 and 9, they both started getting regular allowences about about age 5. For a long time, they both recieved $3 per week, and they were responsible for their rooms, helping in the kitchen, and once per week chores. The allowence comes whether they do their chores or not, but priveledges are taken away if the chores don’t get done. that, in our household, seems to work best. For example, if the cat goes unfed/watered for more than a day (or if I have to do it) they lose 3 days of TV/computer time.Likewise, if they want to make more money by dooing additional chores, they could.
My 9 year old still gets $3/week, and my 14 year old gets $5. As for budgeting, we give the 14 year old $20 evry semester for lunches. She can eat through the $20 in the first 3 days, or she can plan to spend it sporadically. Sleeping in and not having enough time to make lunch doesn’t count for more $. Tough. If she goes over $20, she must spend her own money…hopefully, she’s learning budgeting this way. We still buy her clothes, but we think in HS, we’ll give her a set amount, and what she does with it is up to her. She pays for all her entertainment (movies with friends, etc..)She has a part time job now, too, and helps a neighbor girl with her homework 3 afternnons per week, and she’s bringing in a tidy little sum, and every few weeks, we go to the bank where she’s happy to save her earnings, so she’s watching the amounts go up fairly dramatically, and enjoying that!
We’ll do the same with the 9 year old, who is more into “stuff” than her sister.
Oh….they have never received a dime for good grades…that’s an expectation, and they know that if grades come down, out of school activities they love (Tai Kwan Do for the older, dance for the younger) go away, as will TV and other such things. But never money for grades.
It’s tough…there is no manual for these kinds of things…you just do what you think is best, and hope that that’s the right thing!

By: !wanda

!wanda — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 20:51:40 +0000

I never had an allowance. My parents made it clear that the money they earned was theirs, because they earned it, and if they chose to buy me stuff, it was a gift from them to me. If I chose to not listen to them, they could choose to not buy me stuff, including food and board, although it never got to that point because they are basically soft-hearted and I was basically a good kid. (It also got me out of the house really quickly- I was 16 when I left for college.) I’ve also done a fairly good job managing my finances, despite never handling money before leaving the house, because honestly, the concept of spending less money than you earn is really, really simple and logical. Money is power and control, and it’s good to have power and control over your children. If you mold them, even if they hate you, even if they rebel, the grooves of thought you’ve laid in them never quite go away.

By: Sue M

Sue M — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 17:22:51 +0000

As for grades, if the kids got all “A’s”, we did something special…a trip to the zoo or big amusement park. That way we all celebrated.

I failed on the allowance scheme. Here was my idea: pay the kids on a “per-piece” scheme: making the bed was $0.25, picking up from the floor was $0.50, washing dishes was $0.50 per meal, and actually had a whole scheme based on per room. If they did all the chores listed on the price sheet, they could earn $5.00 for cleaning the bedroom, $5.00 for cleanup in the kitchen, $10.00 for yard work. What they did was read the entire list, and chose mowing the front and back lawns at $3.00 each…that was worth the most money!!! They never did see the big picture…

Later on I capitulated, and gave them $1.00 weekly per year of age…the 9-year old would get $9.00, the eleven year old would get $11.00. But then, they had to buy their own special items. I’m not sure this worked, either. They could pack their lunch, or buy at school, but I didn’t give them the money for that…it had to come from their allowance. Packing lunch was free.

Well, these are just ideas that, like I said, I don’t know if they worked. One had no math/money skills at all, the other was just shifty. They are now in their 20′s, so I’m waiting for the results.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 15:52:02 +0000

So now I am really confused after reading everyone’s comments. I have a 2 and 4 year old and I was looking into setting up a system to teach them how to spend and save money. I agree with both points- they shouldn’t be rewarded for doing jobs they are suppose to do around the house but I can’t seem to think of a single job they can do to earn money that they shouldn’t do anyway. Things like mowing the lawn seem like normal maintenance not worthy of reward if you are on that wave of thinking. (Obviously I can’t have my 2 and 4 year old mowing the lawn but it’s an example that was discussed for older children) On the other hand, they MUST acquire money on a regular basis in order to teach them how to spend and save it without them loosing interest in the idea. I am just not sure I am on board with handing money over without them earning it but I also believe they should do chores for the good of the home and family, not for money. I guess I need to pick which I feel is most important….Can anyone think of a middle road without picking and choosing the least and most important chores to place value on?

By: Diane

Diane — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 13:22:25 +0000

We gave our three kids allowances that were not based on chores. We gave them 50c per year of age up to age twelve and then $1 per year of age until the turned 16. They got paid every two weeks like we did. Once they were old enough to work, they got nothing.

By: Justin B

Justin B — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 10:43:01 +0000

This is one of the things I have thought about when I think about how I’ll raise my children when I have them. My idea is to make allowance a paycheck and chores a job. Work with them to set their schedule of what time they will do what job. We’ll figure out how long it will take them to do each job and pay them per hour. Write checks to them and take them to the bank. If they are late doing a job then they get warnings. They have to request off if there is some where they need to be. I don’t know. Just figure I’d try and show them what it takes to be a responsible worker and how working hard will pay off.

By: Sophie

Sophie — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:50:00 +0000

I was amused by kath’s “Emphatic NO!” comment because our thirteen year old been “handed money for nothing” in the form of a monthly allowance ever since she was six years old. I can assure you that she doesn’t “spend it all at the mall” (or anywhere else) on “silly things”. She hasn’t been raised with “a sense of entitlement” and she definitely realizes “the value of a dollar”. This past summer she started babysitting and between that and the allowance and the $20-$30 she gets for birthdays she has saved over $2000 so far. Trent, I’m with you about the many, many valuable lessons an allowance NOT tied to chores can be used to teach. Chores are what we ALL do to keep our household running – my husband and I aren’t paid to do household chores and neither are our children.

By: Jillian

Jillian — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:42:36 +0000

By the way, it wasn’t *that* long ago since I was 12. My friends always had more money than me, but I’m glad I didn’t because I never got in the habit of buying things I don’t need.