I think this must be the longest I’ve not blogged for since I started blogging, I just haven’t felt like it so much lately so I thought I’d have myself a little blogging break. I’ve been enjoying time with my children which, ultimately, is what this blog’s all about and now, after a week off, I’m back, not exactly refreshed but I’m here anyway 
and I need some advice.
Our Chore Chart has been up and running for the last week and it’s been pretty successful so far. Pocket money day is now fast approaching - In fact, it’s been and gone once but we went out for the day at the weekend so we bribed the kids with treats instead of pocketmoney but this week I’m going to have to dig deep and pay up.
Now my question of the day is…. How much pocket money should I be giving them?
I was thinking £2.00 for Miss Frugal as she’s the grand old age of 8 and £1.00 for Master Frugal, who’s my baby at just 5 but I have no idea what the going rate is these days so I have no clue if that’s on the money (see what I did there lol). We pay for all their activities, I buy a few sweets with the weekly shop so I can make sure they don’t eat too many and I doubt I’ll be able to resist the odd treat or two for them so they don’t actually NEED pocketmoney but I do think they’re at the age where they should have it.
So help me out here, what do you pay your children and what do you do to encourage them to save?
That's excellent – they sound really sensible. You should be very proud x
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My 14 year old gets £3 a week and my 12 year old £2 a week – at 10 and 12 – it was £1.50 and £2 and at 8 and 10 it was £1 and £1.50
It is not very much
but because they have little they save a lot
they have one magazine (sugar) that they share a month and in the holidays I pay for a swim and a cinema each… they pay for extras of those
It is rare that each child does not have £20 saved.
My 11yo and 12yo get £2.50 each a week and I also top up their mobiles by £10 each month too. I know it doesn't sound much but they really don't *need* pocket money.
My 11yo spends it as soon as she gets it – normally on a magazine or something from Claire's but my 12yo never spends his and saves and saves until he can buy something with it. He recently saved for weeks and weeks to buy a new Nerf gun and I was so proud of him!
I'm hoping that my two will want to save theirs – I'm going to reallt encourage them as much as I can x
My 13 year old and my 10 year old both get £3 a week. They tend to save it up for things like console games (usually second hand from Game).I pay for dance classes and Sea Cadets.
That sounds like just the right amount x
my edest 15 gets £10 a month and a phone top up of £10, as she gets triple credit with tesco that is every few months, if she baby sits fo rme she gets what I can afford , from £3 to £10. now she is older if she wants extra money she will have to get a part time job/paper round etc
My son, 8 , gets £5 per month, and i pay for his dance club which is just £1 per week.
They are not allowed to buy sweets with it. my 8 yer old has learnt the value of money pretty quickly as he has to make his £5 last.
My 8y/o asked if she could get a job the other day – I told her she'd have to wait a while though lol
OK, this is ging to sound extravagant but Our Eldest (13) gets £45 a week BUT that has to cover Pony Club, non essential clothing, her other hobbies, Console games and anything else that would normally be paid for parentally.
DD2 (9) gets DLA for Epilepsy so she gets £20 a week out of that, again to pay for non essentials, last month she bought herself an electric keyboard, she had saved for it.
DS1(8) & DS2(6) get £10 a week, out of that comes any bits and bobs they want to buy, their fencing classes and other non essentials.
We don't let them use it for sweets and they stil have to put 10% of it in their money tin to go into their bank accounts.
It may seem like they get loads (I used to get £2 a week and went straight to Woolworths to buy a record) but I am trying to teach them how to budget their money. If they want something big they have to pay for it. I guess it's more of an allowance than pocket money.
We are not the sort of family that does the "oh do you want that toy" more if the "If you want that toy then you have to pay for it out of your money".
lol I used to spend my money on a single from Woolworths as well.
I like that all of their activities come out of their pocketmoney as well. I might try that too x x
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Agh, I hate thinking about this. I have a 5yo & 6yo who prob deserve pocket money (they've been doing lots of chores) and I promised they could get some on Sat if they keep it up. (Oh and a 2yo who wants what they want). I was thinking £2 each but limiting the spending on sweets and junk. I was hoping to make them save half (at least sometimes) but I'm not sure- because it adds up to £16 a month not including 2yo who can probably be fobbed off with any old shiny coin or two. AAAAAAHHHHH.
It does add up qiockly doesn't it, especially if you buy them bits and bobs on top of that x
My son is 8 and I give him €2 which would be less than £2 as it happens, but it is a nice round sum.
A girl I know gives one euro for each year, which I think is madness myself, but she does make him save about half of it.
I don't think there are any hard and fast rules but what you are thinking sounds good to me.
Jen
One for every year – that would be £8 a week!!!
I went for £2 and £1 x
B is 7 and has been asking about haivng pocket money and I've no idea how much to give – so I look forward to reading your other comments to give me the answer! We're going to agree what kinds of things she can spend her money on though – she's not having £2 of sweets every week! I think she'll want to save up to buy new story books and craft things, and I'll encourage her to use some to buy her sister a Chirstmas present.
I've banned sweets from the pocketmoney spending x