I want to make some money!
Last night, after reading my all time favorite book to DD8 ("A High Price to Pay" by Joy Berry), DD8 told me "I want to make some money! How can I earn some money?" Then she asked "Would you pay me for chores?"
I still owe her an answer. DD8 gets an allowance of $2.50/week, no strings attached. She has no regular chores. She usually gets some money for her birthday and Christmas from my side of the family. We do not pay her for good grades. She doesn't spend her money, anyway... She has a "long term financial goal": She wants a convertible. So far, she has saved up almost $600.
I feel that we are a family, not a business. I expect her to do chores as requested because she is part of this family. On the other hand: I don't want her to go out and get a job, either (I doubt that anybody would hire her for yard work or as a mother's helper at her age anyway). To be honest: The whole thing feels strange. What 8-year-old saves up for a car?! 
Are you paying for chores or/and help/support your child getting "a job"?
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I never got into that with my
I never got into that with my kids. We buy what they need regardless. Actually it would be cheaper on us if we did do allowances and made them spend their own for those things kids call necessities and we call frivolous...like 900 gel pens, etc. Exaggeration, but you get the drift!
That said, and since she is asking to make money, you might put a list of "extra" type chores on a big poster board and make slots for quarters to fit beside each chore. If she does the chore she gets the quarter. Things like using the hand vacumn on the car floor or vacuming the couch, putting away brother's toys since he is a baby. . .that sort of thing. Just a thought. I'm with you though, some things are expected for no pay "just because its how families do when you have this many people in a house".
extra
I believe that regular chores are good for children to learn responsibility and respect. I don't think they should get paid for them,,,that being said I do believe in giving an allowance. A small one...some of my DDs get 20 dollars a week [insane parents]mine get 6or7a week. This is for extra things and sometimes they do buy their own clothes with this,,,it is their choice[ to an extent]
I think if children have to buy some of their own things that when it comes time to them wanting something that if you can not buy it for them that if they have spent money before they may see why[better] you can't but it for them. I don't have an endless checkbook. My
DDs understand that if I say NO I don't have money for that,,,that if they have the bucks they can buy it,,,,but they also may see that they really don't need that item after all...this happens quite often,,,if they have to pay for it it turns into something not sooo necessary.
I agree with Fern on the extra chores and being paid....EXTRA
I am very glad to hear your DD ask to make money and what can she do....Donald Trump may be coming after her!!
be proud of her for wanting to" pull her weight",,,can you imagine how many pparents of 16 yr olds wish that their kids had sqaved money for their car
don't get me wrong I spend gads of money on my children but they make and spend their money too...because we are family,,team work
I don't want my DD16 to get a "job "yet because I want her to GET THRU SCHOOL first,,,,hard yr last yr and am enjoying a excellent yr this yr...don't want to blow it
Allowance
I give my DD a $1 a week allowance. She gets that whether she does her chores or not. As far as I'm concerned I don't get paid to do my chores, and I'm not paying her to do her chores. I expect everyone to help out the the best of their abilities. But, if I need her to do something extra (like clean up a siblings mess) I generally give her an extra quarter.
What's wrong with gel pens??
They really are life's necessities!!! I've lost count of mine already!
I think I'd probably go with a low allowance, regular basic chores and then an extra level of chores for pay if she's that motivated. You could always teach her to do the laundry, and since that's one of your chores she could be paid to take that chore off your hands occasionally. Not just hers of course. But not until you feel comfortable that she's been taught thoroughly.
My DD7 1/2 hasn't a clue about money, and that's why we still haven't bothered with an allowance per se. What happens for now is that she gets a couple of dollars a day (ours are smaller than yours!) for food at school, and the rest goes in her tin. I was careful to warn her that if I thought she was starving herself to save money I'd change the way things work! And no, I really can't imagine her saving up to buy a car... maybe DS5 if he had a better understanding of money!
She can always look out for other ideas too. Sometimes magazines or papers will pay for stories or letters. It wouldn't be a regular income or anything, but it might be a nice extra once in a while.
You must be doing a good job with her anyway Anja if she's so eager to save and to earn, and has a goal about how she's going to spend her money. There aren't many adults can say that!
Kerri.
Thank you!
Thanks to everybody's responses. I guess, my main problem right now is that DD8 has no regular chores so I can't really pay her for doing extra stuff. Last year, she had to earn TV/computer time and I stopped doing this because each time I asked her to do something for me, she asked me if she'd get a TV coupon for it. When she had plenty of TV coupons, I had a hard time getting her to do anything without her putting up a fight...
By the way, the book that I mentioned is about "making and managing money". I love it because it's so non-judgemental. It's a story about "Jeff" and "Teddy". Jeff is has a lot of stuff and Teddy made a remark that Jeff's parents probably buy him everything because they are so rich. Jeff invites Teddy over to "share his wealth with him" and Teddy finds out "Nothing in life is free. There is a price to be paid for everything". I used the book to explain my choice of staying at home.
DD8 and I have been talking about money pretty much ever since she was able to talk. "Look there goes our house!" (told her that when we spotted a Tahoe which cost about as much as our little house
) When I take her to the movies, she gets to decide which movie theater to go to. We have $10 to spend. That's either two tickets at the fancy theater that has booster seats with a built in cup holder or we can go to the cheap one at the mall ($2 per person) and have enough left over for popcorn. I only have $10 to spend so there is no "fancy plus pop corn" option. Recently, when I took my DDs to the circus, DD8 declined the offer to buy her a light up toy (two light up toys equal a large pizza with a side order of bread sticks). When she found out that the summer camp she'd like to go to costs $100 per week, she told me that she really didn't need to go (she knows that $80 pay our family's groceries for a whole week). We've been doing this "either...or" thing for so long, that she automatically does it on her own now...
Oops, I am getting off topic... Fern, an allowance can be a sanity saver. Whenever DD8 asked me for candy while waiting at a cash register, I asked her if she brought her allowance. That ended the discussion and she pretty much has stopped asking. While she would love to have some candy, she usually isn't willing to spend "her" money on it. I am still waiting to fend off a request for gel pens
So, what are your kids' "regular chores"? What are the consequences if they don't do them? (I love the idea of letting DD8 do the laundy
) Isn't it a constant battle? I even clean up DD8's room (in return she cleans up DD2's) because I get tired of tripping over her stuff. DH keeps telling me that DD8 needs chores. I never had any when I was a kid! Mom did everything.
Tweens and Chores
My DDs (9 and 13.5) do quite a bit of the housework...in fact, any thing they are capable of doing, they know how!
The keep their own rooms clean (dusting and vacuuming, too) and when it is the "week" to "clean sweep" their rooms, they do that too. (windows, woodwork, closets, drawers etc...I "help") They clean their own bathroom (and fight about who "gets" to do the floors...they love that
) They dust and vacuum our main floor (when MIL doesn't do it first) and clear the table/do the dishes/tidy the kitchen after dinner every night.
Whatever room is on the week's "clean sweep" rotation, they have tasks there, too...we ALL do!
I often ask DD13.5 to start or change a load of laundry, and when they ask to watch TV, they often fold clothes while they do.
With that said, they rarely have to spend more that 15-20 minutes on any given day "working," and I really don't think that's too much to ask! We spend a good deal more time than that on having fun, playing games and other activities!
Our DDS are great about doing thier "fair share." It only took a couple of:
"Mom can I/we.....?"
"Sure, once __________ is done."
to get them on track with getting it done FIRST so they can get on with the fun!
Keep in mind that I have fairly casual ideals when it comes to housework, and if the bedspread is slightly lopsided, or a dish is put away in a different spot one night, it doesn't bother me. Our towels are not all folded exactly the same way, and as long as they're clean and in the closet, I don't care which shelf they're on! Panties don't have to folded "just so," and clothes in the closet don't have to face the same direction!
What my girls do with their best effort is good enough...and I don't go back and do any of it over.
Blessings,
Lenora
PS. These days, its only MY room to which I shut the door if someone is coming!
Lenora
I feel "akin" to you as so much of what you said is just like my home....[cept my room is always clean]
I feel when my kids go out in that big big world they will know how to keep a home lovingly.
my DDs have been helping since they were wee ones...its OUR home and we all take care of it....having something that you have to do once a week or every day will help you when your boss gives you a job or when you stay at home and need to have an organized home
Little Entrepreneurs
My cousins did odd jobs in the neighborhood, made items to sell, and otherwise earned money for themselves from the age of eight on up (at least I think it was eight). They were boy scouts and they bought all their own equipment with their earnings. Both made Eagle Scout. Kids learn to value and take care of their things if they earn the money and buy them themselves. It has a great effect on their psyches too. Doing this with kids empowers them, inspires confidence, and creates a healthy consumer attitude. They also understand what it takes to make X amount of dollars.
If she wants to make extra money, she can find a way. Does she like crafts? My brother and I sold nifty little fabric ribbon Christmas bows when I was 12. I can probably find the pattern again if you want. I made $17 and did all my Christmas shopping for my family with it. I was so proud. There's also the old standby, that is, pet sitting/dog walking, yard work, etc. Where there's a will...
I think you're right on, though. All the "experts" in parenting magazines pretty much agree that paying for regular chores isn't sending a healthy message to kids.
______
May The Hair On Your Toes Never Fall Out
--Traditional Hobbit Blessing
Wow!
Lenora, can we swap kids for a while?! Then again, I'd probably just ruin them. Maybe you should move in with us for a while and teach us all?
"Clean sweep rotation" 
Lotus, I'll run your ideas by DD8 but have to make sure that she understands that I won't buy any supplies (When DD makes Christmas presents, I pay for 3/4 of the cost of supplies).
I am very curious how my sweet DD8 will react to the introduction of "regular chores" so that she can earn a quarter or two for extra ones.
Can't wait for her to get out of school today!
Clean Sweep-ing
I'm a "modified" Clean Sweeper
http://organizedhome.com/content-27.html
http://organizedhome.com/grandplan/index.html
Basically, we run three "rotations" throughout the year...One Jan-May, one in the summer, and then the Holiday Grand Plan which is Sept-Dec. I have the areas and all the related tasks on index cards...but I change the order to fit with the "rest" of our life: Busy weeks/exam weeks get a "free" week or an easy area (laundry room, entry, etc.) We do closets in weeks which work for seasonal clothes-changes and the garage only twice a year, etc.
Its a very workable plan for us...but as I said, I've modified it over the last couple of years to "fit" our home and life.
Kitty makes a good point, it is easier when "chores" have been "regular" from early on. I don't even have to tell/ask the girls about the table/kitchen....DH, MIL and I just finish, take our plates to the dishwasher and go about our business. When DH and/or I offer to "finish-up," it is a gift to the girls and they are usually pleased. (this happens a couple of times a week.)
DO, DO, DO remember to compliment a well-done task (well-done for the age/experience of the kiddo) AND say thanks, too. (My kids rarely forget to thank me for a meal because my DH has always done so, usually with a smooch as he takes his plate to the kitchen
) GOSH! I love that guy!
Creating a feeling of "We're all in this together" is important! Everybody likes to be an important part of the Team!
Blessings!
Lenora
PS My DD9 is a money-hungry, capitalist, saver, too!
At the moment, she is saving for her OWN lizzard (aquarium/supplies/etc.) She has about $3.00 a week of "spendable/savable" allowance (after donating to church/charity and long-term savings) and has saved about $57.00. We rarely pay "extra" for tasks, but since she has a goal/plan, I have been paying her weekly GS dues ($1.25), which used to come from her own money.
DD13.5 had a regular afternoon babysitting job (about an hour after school) and was earning about $12.00 a week. When that ended, we returned to paying her $10.00 a week.
Both of the girls get regular deposits from the "Bank-of Grandpa"
which adds about $10.00 every month-or-so to thier income.
We have guidelines for spending, though...NO major amounts of candy/junk food, if they want a cartoon-style video...or one they've seen a gazillion times already, they pay the rental, etc.
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