allowance

Our girls have been geting an allowance since about that age. Right now DD12.5 gets $10.00 a week and DD16.9 gets $15.00 a week. We don't pay for regular chores/housekeeping or for grades, although we do occasionally "supplement" low funds for a specific item/event by paying for "above-and-beyond" tasks (ie: DD12.5 needed about $8.00 "more" to buy a specific piece of software so she swept and washed the proch, deck and sidewalks) and we often set a reward for reaching a goal...DD12.5 wants to eat at The Melting Pot so that will be the reward for meeting some learning goals/tasks that we'll set for her first grading period in 7th grade(first year in middle school here.)

Some of our guidelines are: if an outing is our idea (DH and/or I), we pay. If we are included in the activity, we also pay. If we drive but are NOT included, they pay. We pay for meals on outings. We don't buy "toy" souvineers. Ever.

We cover the costs of school and scout related activities (except for junkfood, snacks, etc.)

They buy their own music, software, batteries, etc.

We have given DD(almost 17) a budget for all her "senior-year" related stuff and will let her decide what the priorities are: the more she spends on pictures, the less she has for prom, etc. She also has two BIG trips this year (Florida with the band for Spring Break and Europe with my mother after graduation!) so she know she needs to be saving for that.

Both of our DDS seem to be thoughtful spenders...possibly because I don't "shop" for fun at all. Both will research and compare prices before buying, and DD12.5 expecially LOVES to get a bargin! That's my girl!

Blessings!
Lenora

*~* GLITTERY.HOMEMAKER *~*
I do not have children yet but I have thought about whether or not I will give them an allowance. I will probably do something like what my parents did for me when I was younger. I did not get an "allowance" but I was rewarded with my weekly tasks around the house. I had set things that I helped my mother to do and I also had my own responsibilities of making my bed each day, keeping my room clean, etc. If I did all of these things then I would get a set amount at the end of the week. If I did not do all of them then I would not get the entire amount.

I then decided that I wanted to make even more money (I was ambitious as a 10 year old) and decided I wanted to help my father feed the calves. I grew up on a farm and love animals so this was perfect. It became my little "job." Each afternoon after school, Mon-Fri, I would go to the farm and feed the calves (it only took about a half hour and thinking back was such a simple task). Each day that I did it, I would get $2. So potentially I could make $10 a week. It taught me responsibility and how to save/manage money. It was also fun!

We just gave a raise to DD11(almost 12). She is now getting $10/week because she has completed a babysitting class and can now watch DD5 for an hour or two while I run errands. By not having to take my little tornado along, I save at least that much We do not pay for chores or good grades because we'd go broke. DD5 won't get an allowance until she starts Kindergarten. This has created a lot of melt downs because DD5 feels it's sooo unfair.
DD11 gets to do with her money whatever she wants. She is expected to budget and we don't help out just because she spent all her money on a video game and has nothing left to go to the movies. That's life. Can't do it all... DD11 has been pretty good about keeping an "emergency savings", though.