Allowance | Imamother

IM-MA

Sun, May 15 2005, 1:46 am

What do people feel is appropriate allowance for children (so they can learn about giving maaser)? Should they be encouraged to spend their own money on such things as nosh, books, outings?

deedee

Mon, May 16 2005, 12:14 pm

we have 6, 10 & 12 aged children. they have a star chart where each star is worth .25 and each 0 is -.25. they earn stars for good behavoir and above the norm things, like clearing the whole table insted of just their dish. and 0 for really bad behavior-like hitting, or fighting (rare behavior).
at the end of the week we add everything up and they get he $ as their allowance. that way they have earned the money, they had to "work" for it!
they use this $ to buy things they want-candy, toys etc. I told they we buy food and clothes what ever else they want they buy with their own $.

gryp

Mon, May 16 2005, 2:08 pm

I dont mean to say this rudely, I know it could sound it, but im wondering.... your 12 year old has a sticker chart?

deedee

Mon, May 16 2005, 5:22 pm

she is going to be 12 in a mt. we have had the sticker chart for a while so she is used to it and looks at it as a way to make $. she is the one who wants to make new ones and put up stickers and tally up at weeks end!! I also use it for high grades on tests-they run in the door from school to tell me they got high grades!

Tefila

Mon, May 16 2005, 5:44 pm

deedee u sound like me 8)

deedee

Mon, May 16 2005, 7:03 pm

great minds think alike! LOL

Pearl

Fri, Sep 09 2005, 5:29 am

bringing this topic "back to life"..

I want to start giving my 8yr old and 6yr old allowance.

how much do you give, and when (which day of the week)?

ny21

Tue, Mar 07 2006, 10:06 pm

I think the chart idea is a great idea! LOL

hisorerus

Tue, Mar 07 2006, 10:20 pm

I have a book called Totally Organized by Bonnie McCullogh. Most of the book is useless to me, but it has a great guide for allowance:

1. (age 4-6) Free spending money
Give them some money to let them do what they want with. Don't restrict their choices, but help them evaluate these choices. (I.e. let them buy that junky toy, but help them see that it broke quickly.) Also have them learn about safely carrying and storing money.

2. Part of money for regular expenses (dues, lunch, bus fare)
Increase the amount of money received, and help them see that money is not all for pleasure- it has responsibilities.

3. Enough to include irregular purchases
Learn to manage purchases like haircuts, school supplies, trips, birthday presents, etc. The child now needs to learn to plan for these expenses.
The child needs to know what you expect the money to cover, and at this point you can also teach them to start keeping financial records, to see what they spent it on.
You also want to start to teach them about saving for things, starting with short term goals, and progressing to long-term goals.

4. Then, add enough to the allowance to cover clothing, vacation purchases etc.

shoy18

Tue, Mar 07 2006, 10:26 pm

I am strongly against letting children use thier money for nosh, either the kid can have it or cant have it, just because they have the money doesnt mean they can have it.

stem

Tue, Mar 07 2006, 10:45 pm

I just of this randomly, how about the amount of dollars as half their age?

Like: a 6 year old will get $3 per week. a 12 yr old will get $6 per week? is that too little? too much?

Just want to add that allowance should be purely extra money, they can do/buy what they want (within the house rules), I don't think they should have to pay for their own haircuts or school bus.

hisorerus

Wed, Mar 08 2006, 1:36 am

I think they should learn to use their own money for it, but their allowance should be increased to the point where they have a decent allowance even deducting those expenses.