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#1
06-08-2011, 08:48 AM
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Kids and allowance and jobs
We just started offering allowance to my 12 and 8 yo daughters. I've always had them help me around the house doing age appropriate jobs but we've never actually paid them because we basically buy them whatever they need (and most of the time whatever they want).
Now that DD 12 is going to the mall and movies with her friends on occasion coupled with the fact she's broken a Nook and two cell phones in the last 2 months...I think she needs to learn how to managed some money of her own. I'm curious - what jobs do your kids help with around the house? How old are your kids? Do you pay allowance and if so how much? Do you make them save a certain % or is it up to them to decide how to spend their money? Do these jobs sound appropriate for a 12 yo (she's capable of doing all these jobs without assistance - other than a constant reminder from mom) for $15 a week? Pick up room weekly Do two loads of your own laundry each week (1 clothes, 1 sheets, pillowcases and towels that she hoards in her room). 3 days of dishwaser unloading 3 days of table setting and clearing Sorting recycling once a week Bring in garbage can from street 1x/week Pick up bathroom daily (no towels or clothes on floor, counter clear) Clean bathroom (sinks, tub, counters and sweep floor) once a week (Ido the toilet due to the cleaner and I want it clean!) Sweep stairs once a week 3 extra jobs as assigned I divide the jobs out over the week and give her 2-3 jobs per day to do after school. Plus 3 extra jobs are usually on the weekend and they are to help pick up the house in general. Just trying to be fair to her and teach her to save for things she wants (and things she breaks) but still give her the ability to go to the mall or a movie once a week.
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#2
06-08-2011, 09:01 AM
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We pay an allowance once a month equal to their age. This happens in spite of chores because we don't pay for basic chores. Helping out around the house with basics is required as being part of the family, and learning to help take care of yourself.
However, allowance is likely to be withheld if doing said chores has been an issue as a punishment, not as a payment thing. Then we have a jar of chores for money - my chores or extras around the house they can do to earn more money during the month. I think all the chores on your list are easy to do for a 12yo. Many of them are on the required chorelist for us (picking up room daily, tidying up bathroom daily with quick surface wipe down, dishwasher, etc). We also require a tithe and a savings deposit out of their allowance and money earned, so that we're teaching stewardship along with the value of working for a living, etc.
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#3
06-08-2011, 09:31 AM
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We just started talking about doing an allowance for Luke. I want to pay him $5/week. Like Darcy, he's already expected to do things and help out around the house. I want to start giving him his allowance so he can start saving and learning what it means to save/spend/want something and have no money for it, etc. He will also have opportunity to earn extra money by doing extra things we may ask him to do- like we're landscaping the front yard right now. So if he helps us load up the old rocks/pebbles and haul them out, we'll give him extra.
As far as appropriate for a 12 yo... they look good to me! But I only have experience up to 7 years. 
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Kristin
social media girl for ljs designs.
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#4
06-08-2011, 09:51 AM
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I came across this very cool book Earn It, Learn It by Alisa Weinstein and I wrote it down for myself for when my DD's old enough to consider this kind of thing.
It kinda talks about how you don't want to pay for your kids to do everyday things, as they should be expected to do that anyway, (kinda like Darcy and Kristin already mentioned), so this is a way for them to explore REAL jobs and learn about them. This is what the review says: "Children four to 12 select from 50 careers and parents guide them as they choose from more than 950 activities, ranging from "shadowing" a professional archeologist to learning how to analyze products like a UX researcher. In return for completing their career assignments, children get financial compensation (the author leaves the exact amount in the hands of the parent) from parents. Children still complete household duties such as making their beds, but the allowance comes from the "Earn My Keep" tasks only. While the book is a treasure trove of innovative and imaginative activities, readers may wonder how busy kids will find time to add to their already packed schedules. Weinstein asserts, however, that many of the tasks (which are icon-coded by type, from simple to complex) can be managed in small amounts of time." Anyway, it caught my eye and I thought it was a really cool concept, plus gives kids great projects to do. It's worth a look.
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#5
06-08-2011, 10:16 AM
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Our kids get allowance just for being a part of the family - it's family money so they share (a wee bit) in that. They get allowance for going above and beyond the daily expectations, not for doing their everyday chores (dishwasher, tidy bathrooms, their own laundry etc.). If Mommy needs her laundry put away and one of them is willing to do it, they'll get "paid" for that.
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#6
06-08-2011, 10:25 AM
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For my DD (10 but almost 11) I've done pretty much what Darcy does. DD is expected to do certain things on a daily basis (laundry, picking up her things all over the house, bathroom, load/unload dishwasher, set table, empty trash cans, keeping her room relatively neat, feed cats, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, etc.) If she is cooperative, helpful with these chores, and has a good overall attitude throughout the week, then at the end of each week she gets $1 a day for each day she was "good." She frequently looses days due to "tween attitude."
 She earns extra by mowing our lawn - $15 a pop. We have a fairly large lawn and NOT a riding mower, so she has to use a push mower. She will wash my car, vacuum it, wash the windows, and Armorall (sp?) about once a month for another $10 bucks. Other projects come up and she gets extra for those. With her money she is expected to save 20% each week and 20% for each extra job. The rest is hers to use as she wants. We live in a small town and she walks home from school and frequently stops at the general store for a pop or snack or wants silly little things that I won't buy. We take a trip to the "big city" once a month and she can use her money there in the big stores for CDs, movies, clothes/shoes beyond what I'm willing to buy, books, posters, etc.
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#7
06-08-2011, 11:11 AM
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That sounds really reasonable, actually.
My 10 year old brother just started getting an allowance. Mom's initial thought was that she was going to give him $10/week and make him tithe $2 to church, but dad threw a hissy fit that he never got more than $5/week growing up, and won't let Jeffrey have more than $5/week... so they're not putting any requirements on him tithing unless mom can negotiate a raise. I've always been under the mindset that when my kids get an allowance, I'll probably make them save a certain amount, and allocate money to certain things... I'm assuming if my son gets $10, then I'll have him save $2, tithe $1, put $1 towards the charity of his choice, and spend the other $6 as he chooses. If he saves $2 a week, then in a year, he'll have a little over $100 saved up for something big... figure he does that over several years, and he'll be able to buy something pretty cool for himself when he gets older.
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#8
06-08-2011, 01:26 PM
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Jengerbread reminded me that DD also uses some of her money to help animals - from local shelters to donating to the WWF. Animals are her thing.
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#9
06-08-2011, 01:45 PM
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My kids' "allowance" goes directly from my checking account into their savings accounts. They are allowed to use money from savings to buy clothes, etc. above and beyond what we provide. For example, I'll buy them a pair of good athletic shoes a year. If my teenage daughter wants more than that, she has to use her own money. They earn $20/month. They get it regardless of what they do/don't do around the house.
Each child has assigned chores. We're struggling right now because my youngest is 11, while the older two are 15 and 17. Their chores are obviously more difficult and more involved. They complain that Ches doesn't do her share, but can't remember back to when they were 11. It's frustrating as a parent. If they don't do their chores, they lose privileges. For the older two, it's phones and car keys and iPods. For the younger, it's iPod, dolls, tv. They don't get paid for doing these... it's expected. Above and beyond their regularly scheduled chores, about once a month I create a list of bigger chores. They can do these if they'd like and earn extra money... or often they'll just pick something out at Wal-mart like a new book or hair stuff for the girls. I also don't pay my kids for good grades. It's expected. If they pull off straight As for a year, I might have a celebration dinner (which we did), but I won't reward them for something I expect. Likewise, I don't punish them for bad grades. I just get to where I'm checking homework, talking to teachers all the time, and it's annoying enough they'll pull their grades up on their own.
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#10
06-08-2011, 01:52 PM
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I don't think those are unreasonable at all for a 12 y/o....my kids don't get an allowance, but when they do something extra {like wash the car/pick weeds/paint ...yes my DD is 18 and needs her bathroom painted} we give them alittle extra cash....the way it works here is we really just reward the kids later down the road for being good....the little ones sometimes will get a movie or somethign and Ben will get Yugio cards or something of that nature...the oldest usually gets some extra clothes that aren't budgeted in and we give her some cash every now and then when needed....
Sam {18}...dishes/clean kitchen every few days/do the floors/her bathroom/her bedroom/cat box/feed the cat/babysit when needed/does her laundry if I am already done Ben {10}...recycles/his room/toliets Abby {5}..cleans her room and helps with her little brothers room/makes her bed/helps Sam do the dishes/and she can fold the towels and loves to do it! Peyton {4}....cleans his room with a little help/makes his bed/picks up toys upstairs and downstairs/also loves to help with the dishes I am picky about the vacuuming and all the laundry so I do that myself
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#11
06-08-2011, 01:56 PM
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#12
06-08-2011, 02:04 PM
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We don't give our kid's an allowance per say...at least not in the form of $$$. We do use a reward system and it works kind of like a store. They earn "money" and then they can spend it in our home "store". Here are what me 4 older kids do (13, 9, 6 and 3):
Oldest DD: Does dinner dishes (during the school year...now that it is summer she does lunch and dinner). Makes her own bed Folds and puts away her laundry Cleans the main bathroom DD #2: Makes her own bed Folds and puts away her own laundry Sweeps the kitchen after dinner (during the school year now that it's summer she does it twice a day). Cleans the kids bathroom Takes garbage to the cans (not out the street) Oldest DS: Makes his own bed picks up living room toys at end of day Takes the recycling out and to the curb on Wednesdays Middle DS: make his bed (the best a 3 year old can) brush his teeth 3x a day put his dishes in the sink pick up his toys. The 2 younger boys get 2 "dollars per day" for completing their chores and the 2 older girls get 5 "dollars per day" for completing their chores. Obviously at 6 and 3 the boy's store contains quite a bit of "cheap" stuff. The girl's store contains quite a bit of expensive stuff!  Obviously this type of system won't work for everyone but it does for us, I'm the type of parent that doesn't buy my kids every little thing their heart desires. They get presents for Christmas and their birthdays, period. IF they really want something and it's not near either of those "holiday's" we sit down and figure out a "dollar amount" to affix to it and it goes into their store. Then they do their chores and save their money and then they buy it! It works for us and I don't plan on changing it anytime soon. I figure when they get a little older and if they have the chance to go see a movie with a friend or what not then we can start setting up a way to exchange their $$ for real money. My kids do however get money from relatives and what not on holidays and 75% of that money goes right into the bank and the other 25% goes in their piggy bank and can be spent whenever they feel like it!!!
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Elizabeth  Blogging for Kristin Cronin-Barrow
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#13
06-08-2011, 04:33 PM
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I will add that when I was growing up, I didn't get an allowance. I never really went through the "Buy me this!" phase, and I always understood the value of money... my mom and I would clip coupons together, and a lot of times my helping her save money was rewarded with her buying me the things I needed and some of the things I wanted. But, I didn't ask constantly.
For my brother, every time we go to the store, he wants a pack of gum, or ice cream, or something, and he is very into the "gimme gimmes" but doesn't really understand the value of money. He and I just learn differently and have different personality types. For me, I knew the value, and so I didn't really ask about it. For him, he doesn't. But, there are a lot of concepts he grasps that I still struggle with. For him, the allowance helps him understand how to make money stretch, and also helps him understand budgeting. If he wants a pack of gum now, he buys it. If he wants ice cream, he buys it. He is less likely to do the "gimme gimmes" if he knows that it is costing HIM, and that money only goes so far. That's why an allowance worked for him, but wasn't really right for me. As for my plans for having my children put some money towards tithing and some towards donating, I want to instill in my kids that BOTH are important. Growing up, my charities of choice were often sea turtle related, because they're my favorite animal. Lately, it's been things like Invisible Children. My thoughts are that my kids could save their money up for a specific charity they like, such as one for a favorite animal or project, OR, they could just save it continuously and donate when they see a need (like the Joplin tornado). But I want them to know that their money in THAT jar should go to something that matters to them, and someplace they want to make a difference, no matter what that charity is, from Rock the Arts to Sea Turtles International to the Red Cross.
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#15
06-08-2011, 06:46 PM
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#17
06-08-2011, 08:28 PM
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Thank you everyone for your insight. My DD is 6 and I have never even given any thought to how we would work the whole allowance thing. I never really got one as a kid, and I definitely think that one should be offered for jobs above and beyond what is expected.
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#18
06-09-2011, 03:07 AM
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#19
06-09-2011, 12:37 PM
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iTunes Gift Card Jewelry from Claire's Nail polish DS games -not the actual games just a "tag" kind of like a place holder Kintec games -not the actual games just a "tag" kind of like a place holder stationary type stuff: stickers, markers, glitter glue, crayons, colorful card stock, ribbons, beads (both my girls still love to craf/scrapbook) Hair clip type things smelly stuff from BB&W Boys: Match box cars Coloring books crayons play doh lego sets (like the small $5 dollar ones) "Guys" (like GI Joe men ect....Wal acarries like packs of 3 for $5 bucks) nerf balls Anything from the Dollar Tree really!!! *lol* Both: Trips to the ice cream place date with mom/dad Arch cards Special snacks (my kids only eat fruit and veggies for snacks so these are a HUGE deal) like small bags of chips, M & M's, skittles, Gatorade, 7 up cans Microwave popcorn I also will add seasonal stuff too, like we were at Wal Mart yesterday and they had these plastic boats for a $1, so I grabbed 3 to put in the boy's store. Like I also said if there is something the kids want we work it out with them. Like if my oldest DD wants clothes above and beyond what I buy her we set a dollar amount and let her earn it or if my DD#2 wants more shoes (she is a shoe a holic!!!) we do the same thing.
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Elizabeth Blogging for Kristin Cronin-Barrow Last edited by mummytothree; 06-09-2011 at 12:42 PM.
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#22
06-09-2011, 02:22 PM
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We tried to let them do "whenever" but all I got done was pulling those things in and out of the closet and it takes them foooooooooooorever to decided so I change it to only letting then buy on Saturdays!!!!
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Elizabeth Blogging for Kristin Cronin-Barrow
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#23
06-09-2011, 04:30 PM
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thanks for the tips Elizabeth....I think I will make one for Ben {10}, one for Abby {5 with girly stuff like hair bows, nail polish, bracelets, etc} and 1 for Peyton with age approrpiate stuff {4...like crayons, bubbles, cars, sidewalk chalk, snacks, etc}...then maybe I will make them 1 general one with some extra snacks in it, general stuff...LOVING this idea!!!!!!!!!
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