back in the day.... my mum did something that I think was amazing! I had an allowance (a pretty big one, think it was $300 a month which was a LOT back then)... it was paid at the start of the month and was for EVERYTHING outside of home... entertainment, clothes, snacks etc... Mum paid 50% of clothes bought when I gave receipts at the end of the month. I thought this was amazing at the time, I had a lot more financial freedom - but it taught me great budgetting skills etc too. When the money was gone for the month it was gone - no movies, no afternoon tea when i went out with friends, no new stuff. I highly recommend this (with whatever money is the right amount and inclusions) - great life skills and building trust etc.
MP, I love that idea. There was a girl at my school who did a similar thing - got a larger amount of pocket money but had to buy all her own clothing with it. It is something I would consider when my kids are older.
When I was growing up I got $10 pocket money a week - but I had a single mother on a low income so I usually didn't bother asking for it. I usually had Christmas/Birthday money to keep me going and mum would happily give me some if I asked. I didn't have a social life so I didn't really need much and by the time I started doing things outside of school I had a holiday job.
I am a bit terrified of kids wanting phones/ipods/gadgets!! I got my first phone when I was 17 and moving out of home but I strongly suspect that kids start a lot earlier these day.
L already has a few friends with phones and he is only 10! so it is something we've had to think about a lot sooner than we hoped. We wont let the kids have their own phone till they are old enough to get a job and pay for it themselves - and only then a prepaid phone. We take the view that we survived our teenage years with only a landline phone to stay in contact with the world and I think it's important that they are able to 'disconnect' from life a little at times kwim? I see young teens who are on the phone all the time and they don't have any downtime away from their friends these days.
I really like MP's idea about the pocket money though if you can afford to do that
My parents were both on pensions, and I have 3 sisters, so there wasn't a whole lotta money around. We didn't have regular pocket money, but all we had to do was make a good case to Mum and she'd buy us what we wanted - not overboard, but movies, out with friends, that type of stuff. We weren't allowed our own mobile til we were driving, and we always had to pay for it ourselves. For me, I started work before I could drive, so when I went to work I could take Dad's mobile for emergencies only, same deal if we went out. So we had access to a phone if necessary, but we weren't running up bills. I don't know how you'd go with that these days though...
This is for when a bit older, but as soon as I got a full time job (I was 20), I had to start paying board. The more I earned, the more I gave my parents.
Then, when I was looking to buy my first house, my parents gave me a cheque for the total amount of board I'd paid over the 2.5 years. Totally unexpected and awesome.
Hoping to do the same for my DD in the future.
We homeschool.
Dc spends a lot of time at home and with his family till "after school" activities begin.
So we have rules to the phone. The number is not to be given to anyone!!! The people that are allowed the number (parents, grandparents and godmother) have the number. If the name of the person does not appear on the phone don't answer it. Yes we tested him)
OK back to the phone, (got slightly off track with the rules)The phone lives on the bench permantly till it's needed and then is only ment to be used as an emergency tool cause in our area youcan count the numer of public phones on one hand and most of the time they are not working. It's for my piece of mind. It is on a contract, we pay the bill but if it exceeds the plan amount he is responsible and will loose the phone perminantly. He will have to work off the bill with hard labour (farm work which he hates)
Pocket money, I don't believe we should pay our children to do everyday tasks such as making the bed or emptying the dishwasher they are everyday tasks and I don't get payed for them so why should the children.SO if he does extras like lawnmowing or picking up a paddock then he gets payed but at base rate nothing more.
Clothing, I keep a tight rein on that one. I can not stand boys wearing rude insignia swrawled across,Im so over skulls and stuff.
We shop together, if he needs it we buy it sometimes we have to negotiate over what is on the T or whatever but we always come away happy. Or at least he says he's happy.
I'll be B*****D if I'm buying labeled clothing to be ruined in the paddock. I refuse to pay $80+ for a labeled clothing item at anyrate so if he wants it out in the paddock boy come and see me when your done and start saving what your making boy.
DD1 & DS1 were both given phones in the last year of primary school. Both on a plan, which we pay for, if they exceed the limit they pay the excess or lose the phone until it is paid. DD has only done it twice, and one of those occasions was only by about $10.
She did have to upgrade her phone because she lost it, and she paid for that herself. We have told her we will pay for her phone while she is in school, even though she is working now.
We used to do similar to MP and give DSD $50 a week to pay for all her clothes, phone, movies, public transport etc. etc.
For that she was meant to go to school, cook dinner once a week and empty the recycling bin.
She barely ever did all three and we ended up docking some or all of her pocket money each week. Then she would bug her friends for money and/or steal from them.
Extreme case though. I still think giving teens an allowance is a great idea and will teach them invaluable budgeting skills.
My older kids get $1 for each year of their age (DS1 - 17=$17) and they get that for going to school, being well behaved (no teen tantrums!) and for washing or wiping up after dinner each night. If they do extra, they get extra and we come to an agreement on the amounts. We bought them both mobile phones which we control which means they are to be given to us every night at 9pm, or else they would be smsing or on facebook until 2am. They buy their credit out of their own earnings but if they have been extra helpful, get an award at school etc, we will buy them $30 or so of credit.
We buy all their clothes for them and they are encouraged to try to sell off their old clothes for extra money via ebay or facebook so that they can buy the extra little things they want - such as better brand name clothes etc. Most of the time they are just happy to donate their old clothes though.
My kids got their phones when they started high school. Both are pre paid and on $30 caps. They have jobs to do, if they do them I recharge their phones ONCE a month. If they use all of their credit they either have to pay for more out of their own pocket or go without until the due date. I give them $20 a week, if they want extra they have to do jobs around home to earn it.
What do you do re phones, pocket money etc for teens?
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