| Author | |
albeto
Forum Pro
Joined: March 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 105
|
| Posted: Oct 17 2009 at 7:06pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
I have three children age 9 - 14. Currently, they have a very small allowance as we figured it would be their "mad money" they wouldn't have to account for.
I'm tossing around the idea of increasing their allowance for two reasons. One is to give them some practical experience budgeting. It's one thing to have money to spend on simple toys, another if you're expected to pay for your own Halloween costume or new jeans. The second reason is to correlate work with payment.
My oldest has Asperger's and giving up control is something that is very difficult for him. Doing school work because it's his responsibility feels like manipulation to him but since he's 14, I wonder if it's not time for him to correlate work with a weekly paycheck. He has a hard time respecting other people's property and paying for broken and lost things costs money.
I'd love to hear what works (and doesn't work) for you.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
LLMom
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 19 2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 995
|
| Posted: Oct 18 2009 at 11:42pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We have always given our dc a very small allowance. But it is not a payment for work they do around the house. We make that very clear. They work because they live here and are a vital part of the family. We teach them to save a little, give a little, and spend a little. (We do this also with their gift money) Once they have a "real" job, we quit giving them allowance. Right now my 10 and 16 year old have jobs so they don't get an allowance. Then, we have them pay for things like movies, carnival rides, etc. that can be expensive for a large family. That is how it has worked best for us.
__________________
Lisa
For veteran & former homeschool moms
homeschooling ideas
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
melanie
Forum All-Star
Joined: June 28 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 563
|
| Posted: Oct 21 2009 at 5:15pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
My kids get an allowance once they are around 6 or so. They put 10% in the church basket and 10% in a savings jar that gets emptied into a savings account when it's full. I try really, really hard to leave them alone about how they spend the rest, as long as it's not on something we've decided is not allowed in the house for other reasons. I do think, though, that it's very reasonable to use allowance to replace things that you have been careless with. We do that all the time. Especially for the 9yo...he is rather thoughtless that way. He picked up a bracelet of my daughter's once and was bending it back and forth and broke it, and so he paid her for it. Also, he recently decided to use the entire shampoo bottle as bubble bath...this is the second bottle he has done this with,s o he is buying the next one.
__________________
Melanie
homeschooling Maria (13yo), Kain (10yo), Jack (5yo), Tess (2yo), and our newest blessing, Henry Robert, born 4/23!
slightlycrunchycatholic.blogspot.com
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
albeto
Forum Pro
Joined: March 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 105
|
| Posted: Oct 22 2009 at 10:09am | IP Logged
|
|
|
melanie wrote:
| I do think, though, that it's very reasonable to use allowance to replace things that you have been careless with. We do that all the time. Especially for the 9yo...he is rather thoughtless that way. He picked up a bracelet of my daughter's once and was bending it back and forth and broke it, and so he paid her for it. Also, he recently decided to use the entire shampoo bottle as bubble bath...this is the second bottle he has done this with,s o he is buying the next one. |
|
|
Which prompts me to increase allowance. He doesn't have enough to pay now. Maybe it will help "click" that his hard work can lead to personal reward or spent on reparations from foolish impulsiveness.
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JodieLyn
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 06 2006
Location: Oregon
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 12234
|
| Posted: Oct 22 2009 at 11:30am | IP Logged
|
|
|
I have a friend who looked at all the "extra" things that they tended to spend on the kids.. trying to think of an example but the only one coming to mind is..
When they'd go out to eat.. dinner and milk they didn't consider extra.. but sodas or dessert those would be extra.
And then their allowance was increased but the parents no longer paid for extras.. they didn't have to say "no you can't have a soda with dinner" rather instead it was, if you pay for it you can have it.
And I think she made up dummy checks so that her kids could write her a check for those things (and learn to balance a checkbook into the bargain) and not carry cash around so much.
If you gave him the money to buy his own shampoo as part of his allowance then he might think twice about wasting it.. you know about how long it should last so even not dumping a whole bottle, if he's wasting it will eventually catch up with him, because he'll have to buy it more often than he'll have money for, except for dipping into the fun things.
Make a list of all those things that the kids would not be buying for themselves and a realistic amount that you spend on it. So that if you buy shampoo every 6 weeks.. you can divide that money out over 6 weeks for their allowance. And the same with special soap or deoderant or treats at the store (you no longer buy them, they do) etc etc. Then you have an amount that you're already paying out to someone.. you're just giving them the money to manage for those things that they are concerned with and/or have control over.
And they get lovely choices like.. do I get my favorite deoderant or the one that's half the cost. 
__________________
Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Allowances
