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...
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