Question

Ok guys, let’s talk allowance. I have 3 kids, ages 15, 12, 9 and my nephew who is almost 9. They have daily chores, an after dinner chore, and the older two do their own laundry. The younger two fold and put away theirs. With our new budget, we’re trying to stop the random handing $20 here and there for things they want, and decided to put them on an allowance. What do y’all pay your kids for allowance if you do? The older two do more, so I know they should earn more. But I just don’t know what’s reasonable these days! They ALL do dishes on a rotation, clean bathrooms (as well as they can lol) bedrooms, sweeping, swiffering. I usually only go through on a Saturday and clean over them  

Answer 1

I don’t know if you have Instagram but @simplyonpurpose has awesome positive parenting stuff which is besides the point haha but she has a family economy that is awesome! My oldest is only 3 but I want to implement it soon. Worth checking out! It’s a great mix of them earning money, but still doing things as part of a family and giving them opportunities to be responsible and earn and save etc

Comments

@steddman I will check them out! Thank you!  

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@steddman what’s the general info? I went to her IG but I just don’t wanna give my email lol

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Look on the Instagram page under the family economy button. Richard and Linda Eyre also taught it. Basically, it's that the money you spend on them anyway goes through them so they feel more responsible, less entitled and jen to budget, save etc. As they get older they buy their own clothes, gifts for friends e. t. c

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@haldane7285 yes the highlight bubble will tell a lot too! But from what I understand they all have chores they have to do every day like help clean up after dinner etc, whatever you would choose those to be. But then they have a “zone” every day. She says this is something that if they choose not to do it (because it’s a choice and all about responsibility) that it wouldn’t cause problems for the daily flow of things. So washing the dishes wouldn’t be a good zone chore, but like vacuuming the front room or other things that need to get done but aren’t imperative if that makes sense. They do that chore/s when they get hone from school or whatever and they have to bring you a paper to get signed off each day. She doesn’t hound them about it, but will randomly say oh does anyone need something signed off? And then at the end of the week is “payday” and if they have all of their days signed off then they get their allowance which is how old they are, I think. She makes them keep a ledger on paper to see how much they earn and how much in savings etc. all of that is completely customizable but it’s neat because it adds all components I guess. She does make them buy their own clothes after a certain age and all of that etc. her 16yr old chooses not to do her zone family economy thing(she doesn’t want to worry about signing it off) but she has a steady babysitting job and that’s how she earns money. So it’s all a choice and they get to learn responsibility etc and if they want it. Hopefully that makes sense. And she hardly ever sends emails (like i think i get a total of 4 or less a year haha) if you want to get her blueprint of it but hopefully something helps! Sounds like you’re doing an awesome job.  

Answer 2

My kids get $10 biweekly to do chores. I have the Greenlight account for them and it goes in there. They use it for a random trip to grab a snack or save for a game etc. i don’t buy them random crap from the store anymore. I think it teaches money management and with the all I get to control the way they spend.  

Answer 3

I give my 17 year old $20 a week which is a lot less than what I was giving before - like you said $10 here, $20 there etc etc. Now it’s a set amount. My 14 year old gets $10 a week. I send my college son $20 every 2 weeks just because.  

Comments

@memling my Kim was DEFINITELY my college checkbook  

Answer 4

My son is still a toddler so no allowance yet but I plan to in order to also teach him how to manage and save money. I wouldn't pay for daily chores (washing their dishes, making bed etc) but you can for the more weekly chores (mowing grass, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming the house). Maybe $5 for each chore and how well it is done but this really depends on your budget. Technically people pay for house cleaners, nothing wrong with paying your kid an allowance and teaching them to clean and work for money.  

Answer 5

My 12 year old has the opportunity to earn $25. 00 a week. 10% of anything he earns has to be saved. trash 3x a week, vacuuming entire house everyday, and keeping his room clean and bed made. He's got a Friday payday on a debit card bc I'm not spending any extra money that he doesn't earn on XBox, etc.  

Answer 6

My son is 11 I give him 15$ bi weekly . He can earn more by doing chores .  

Answer 7

My son is almost 10 and has the opportunity to earn $10 per week. There are certain non-negotiable chores (trash, picking up toys/clothes, brushing teeth which shouldn't be a thing but its a struggle so I added it in). If he only does those three things daily, he earns $5 for the week. There are several other chores he can do during the week. A certain number gets him $8 or $10. He has asked for a Switch for the past two years and I finally agreed he can have one if he pays for half so he is super motivated.  

Answer 8

Up until my brother and I got jobs our allowance system was the following : a base allowance of whatever grade we were in (I. e. base of $6 in 6th grade). We got an additional dollar for each A in an academic class, $0. 50 for a B in an academic class or an A in choir/band, nothing for Cs in academic classes, reduced by $0. 50 for any D, reduced by $2. 00 for any Fs. We would get them Sunday as long as whatever our chores were had been done for the week.  

Answer 9

We were spending money all over the place on them. We have three kiddos and we decided they would each get $15 a week. If they want Starbucks or their nails done or a new toy, that’s on them. My 4 year old blows it every week. My 10 year old is saving for a purse she wants and my oldest doesn’t ask me anymore to get her nails done. It’s been working great for us! And when they ask for something we can easily just say, “do you have enough money? ” and it’s done!  

Answer 10

I do $3/mo for every year alive for my 6yo, so she gets $18 the first of every month. She does 10% tithes, 25% savings, 25% emergency fund, and the rest as spending money (all roughly; since she's 6, we do $2, $4, $5, $7). I don't do chores based allowance because she is expected to contribute to the household, but I do withhold pay for extreme misbehavior. She is also expected to do her best in school (whatever that best may be). I provide her needs and essentials, and she provides her wants. If she wants new toys or McDonald's, she has to buy those things. She also has to get rid of other things as she buys new. I encourage saving rather than spending, and she almost always has more cash on hand than I do.  

Comments

@carminecarmita we used to tie allowance into behavior, grades and chores. Eventually we kept falling off cuz one or another wasn’t on point  

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@expeditious  I feel that! She's still little so I have all the control *evil mom laugh* I felt like we needed a learning control, just like I'd have at work, and school is her job (complete with sick and vacay days). Chores were a no go when tied to allowance because she has to contribute, period. As she gets older, I'll funnel all her money through her and when it's gone, it's gone. Right now, we still have a foundation to build.  

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@carminecarmita and it’s so good to start young. Honestly all the advice we learn on this page is stuff so important to teach our children. So many of us were NOT taught and it’s why we’re here  

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@expeditious haha yasssss that single mom life is REAL and rough sometimes. Idk who she'll be or how she'll end up, but I know she'll have a crisis at some point; I need to know she can handle it.  

Answer 11

We do their age every week so my 6 year old gets $6 per week and the 11 year old gets $11. Half goes to savings.  

Answer 12

I totally get it. My son is 14 and an only child. He has responsibilities around the house that is expected of him, and I take care of all his basic stuff. But then I give him $20 every other week(my pay schedule)to blow on the random little stuff. Like when he rides his bike with friends to the gas station to get a slushee and candy, he knows that has to come from his allowance.  

Comments

@kernel he sounds like my kids! Circle K for 89 cent slushees and takis  

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@expeditious Exactly!  

Answer 13

1x month 16 & 13 $20 10 $10 7 $5

Answer 14

I have a 13 year old son (home schooled) and I have a daily list of chores that have to be done before I get home from work equivalent to $1. 50 a day. Doesn’t sound like much but if he does his chores before I get home everyday for the whole month, he gets $45! Now if even one chore isn’t done on any given day, he misses out on that $1. 50. I tried putting a monetary value to each chore but it was time consuming, so I opted for this way. I take care of his haircuts, shoes, clothes, that type of thing but if he wants new earbuds or go to the movies or Starbucks. that all comes out of his pocket now.  

Answer 15

I have not read the other comments. but here is what we do with our 5 year old. We don't pay for chores. We give him $10 a week. He saves $5(50%), He spends $4(40%) and he shares $1 (10%), He knows that his savings goes into the bank account. He knows that he must accumulate his spending money to cover the cost of friends birthday gifts (he really has no need to spend right now). He knows that he will give away 10% of what he earns (right now it goes to church). As he get's older, and his spending needs increase, his allowance will increase and his responsibility to pay for his needs will also increase. We do this to teach our child about being financially responsible! I wish my parents had done this when I was a kid!  

Comments

@edelstein this us what we do! We split savings into savings and EF though. Right now, she's savings her spend for a puppy and have savings and EF to open accounts.  

Answer 16

Also **I don’t know who needs to hear this but don’t forget an envelope for the tooth fairy**  Speaking from 15 years of tooth fairy failure. Just had to give my youngest $3 because she was a week late ‍♀️

Comments

HA! It got so bad here that the kids figured it out, so they just say "Here's my tooth, can I have my dollar? "

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@mindymine I’m pretty sure I’m there with the 9 year old but she’s milking these last holidays

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Me too! My son stopped believing in the tooth fairy cause of this  parent failure  

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My goodness, my daughter lost four teeth in the last week alone!  

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@expeditious my daughter lost 2 teeth in 2 days - €12 - thank god for cash envelopes

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@subtractive  so smart.  

Answer 17

We give $5 for the 5 year old, $7 for the 7 year old and $2 for the two year old, but they earn it as comission. They also have to split it 15% save, 10% give and the rest to spend.  

Answer 18

We don't pay for chores. It takes everyone working together to make the household run smoothly and I want the kids to learn responsibility without money being attached. The goal is to get them to help out because its the right thing to do, not for a reward. My kids each have 1 special job they do get paid for though. Pay is based on difficulty and whether or not I have to remind them to do the job. lol

Comments

@mindymine this!  

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@mindymine  

Answer 19

We don't pay for chores. That is part of being a family. But I do a monthly allowance that they can use on whatever they want that they that I don't normally splurge on. And once it is gone, it is gone. 15 year old-$20 13 year old-$15 9 year old-$10

Answer 20

We don’t pay for chores. Our household doesn’t work without everyone doing their part.  

Answer 21

I don’t pay for chores. Like others it’s helping out the house and family. But I also don’t do allowances. If the oldest (12) wants something she can earn money by doing not chore stuff. My littles don’t grasp money yet and frankly I couldn’t pay them to do anything lol

Answer 22

We also don't pay for chores. BUT, my kids do get an "allowance" every week. $1 per age year/week. So, my 10 year old get $10. They do chores daily, keep their room clean, practice their piano, read, do their own laundry, make their bed, pack their lunches, help prep dinner, help clean up dinner, etc, etc. They do these because they contribute to the family and their commitments, but it is not linked to their "allowance" - completely separate and not related. With their allowance my kids give 10% to charity, and save at least 30% - they also buy their own stuff . toys, clothes, underwear, movie tickets, candy, etc. It all comes from their weekly allowance. That has actually made it so much easier for my own budget purposes . not to mention they learn at this young age to budget money as well as the importance of giving and saving. It's been working really well for us.  

Answer 23

I do a dollar per year of age. And it’s not tied to chores (mom and dad don’t get paid for their chores and it’s just part of the the things you have to do as a part of the family). It helps the learn the value of a dollar and they’re supposed to save 10% of the weekly amount.  

Answer 24

I don’t do allowances but am thinking about it to help decrease the random stuff I buy my kids. Make them learn to budget and more of the value of money. I will probably do a set amount each week and they just have to do what they’re responsible for. It’ll save me money doing it that way.  

Answer 25

My children are 11 and 6 and every month I give them €40 each as pocket money- they clean their rooms - my 11 year old has a phone where I also pay €20 credit each month - when she becomes a teenager I will give her €60 a month - but I think that’s enough

Answer 26

Mine works for computer time now. Lol. I started her out when she was about 5, earing $. 25 a chore, then changed it to only $. 25 with no griping (lol), then it evolved into game time (computer, laptop, etc). She recently asked about if she was being paid and I told her, "Yes, in computer time instead of money. " She's 10, she's ok with it for now. Two chores a day, my pick, if they aren't done then they accrue. She really powers through the 6 chore days. Lol. Works for us. for now.  

Answer 27

We are doing on commission now so an amount per job but my girls are little. I’ve also read if you are doing a standard amount and the oldest do more which is normal do it by age. 1. 00 for age so 12. 00 for a year old

Answer 28

Our kids get their age every week. $13 for the 13 year old, $10 for the 10 year old, and they have chores that are age appropriate. It really cuts down on our budget and the junk they buy. Now, we say, "if you really want that, use your money". That makes them think twice.  

Answer 29

I think this all depends on a variety of things. First, I started paying attention to how often my 17 yr old needed money for various things and I realized giving her an allowance may stop some of my overspending. She babysits but she doesn’t have a regular job currently. She does a lot of theater and I am ok with her spending her time doing this for now as she wants to pursue this as a first career option. I’m a single mom and she helps me a ton around the house. She watches her younger sister when dad or I can’t. We clean some area of the house daily. She does dishes, sweeps, takes care of dogs, trash, does laundry, etc, etc. Her room stays clean. She is a tremendous help and gets great grades! She doesn’t ask for money for frivolous things and we have sat down and gone over our household budget. She also coupons for me. Lol. I give her $25 a week. I am now spending a lot less on her than I was before and she is budgeting every dollar. She also stays on me when I want to buy something frivolous. She has been doing it to her dad as well. She stopped him from making a large impulse purchase last week.  The 7 yr old gets $5 a week but maybe I’ll increase to $7. She is a great help too.  

Comments

@paranymph this is where I am. My oldest plays volleyball year round. She babysits the little kids, she helps everyone in the morning getting up and out. She doesn’t have time for a job right now. So I’m trying to see what to “pay” her.  

Answer 30

I’ve heard allowance equivalent it age to reflect more chores. We give our kids $5/week provided they do all of their chores and it’s all or nothing. But they are little so it’s mostly picking up their playroom, bedrooms, putting away their laundry, practicing their handwriting and taking care of the pets.  

Answer 31

We also require that they save 20% of their allowance and we pay interest on what they save. We use the Greenlight debit cards for kids and it helps them learn to budget and save and also allows them to see the chores they are responsible for on their app. (Really just my 9 year old, the other two can’t read or use the app) but those debit cards have been a game changer for us.  

Answer 32

Grade level = number of dollars per week. My sophomore gets $10, 4th grader gets $4.  

Answer 33

We have a 6 year old, but don't do an allowance. I put money into a savings account for her each month (equal to her age, so $6 at 6, $5 a month when she was 5). She also gets all our change to put in her piggy bank. It's up to her on whether she saves that or spends it. When she does chores on top of what's expected of her (ie. Cleaning after herself, putting her laundry away), she earns TV time.  

Answer 34

We use the Greenlight app and card. We set a monetary value for each chore and they earn their allowance that way. That way, they are in charge of what they make. They are also required to put some of their money into savings and some into the giving section of the app once a week. Then when they want something, they use their own debit card. They absolutely love it (and we do too)!  

Comments

@procter7729 M. Porter we just started using this too and I ❤️❤️❤️ it!  

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@procter7729 M. Porter that looks awesome but is it really worth $5/month for it? Seems like a lot.  

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@campo6 it sure is! It’s $5 per family (not per kid).  

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@procter7729 M. Porter may I ask how old your kids are? What age do you think it is good to begin something like this?  

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@campo6 mine are 7 and 12 and we started using it about a year ago. I would say school age would be the best time to start using it. They have saved and gave so much more money since using it (plus, they feel really grown up using their debit cards/PINs all by themselves. My eldest son is even taking his card with him when he goes on his overnight field trip next month. I like that I can oversee what they purchase (when I’m not with them) and add additional money from the app if they need some extra money for food.  

Answer 35

We just started one for my 7 year old. She gets $7 a week. My parents did a dollar per grade level, but I feel like that hasn’t aged well with inflation. She would be getting $1 and girl knows what things cost. Can’t get anything for a dollar!  

Answer 36

My kiddo earns allowance. She had 2 major chores daily and then random ones I give her. She makes $10 every 2 weeks.  

Answer 37

I keep chores and money separate. Allowance is money given regularly, not earned. Chores are compulsory, even if we couldn't afford to pay allowance. You can do extra work to earn extra money.  

Answer 38

No allowance here it’s just expected to help out if you live here. That’s how my husband and I were raised so that’s what we’ve done . We also don’t pay for grades.  

Answer 39

I don't do allowance. I pay for what they need and when they are old enough they get a job. They have good work ethic and great money skills (for nearly 17 and 18). They all have chores and expectations. Its working out well for us. Plus, I make them take an extra math course all about budgeting, investing, finding and evaluating financial information, managing a checking account and online banking, and investment planning, along with exploring different career paths.