Hi all. We are planning on giving my son (7) a small sum of euro's this year for the first time when we go away in August. He's really excited about it, I've told him I'll buy him his own wallet to keep the money in. We don't give him pocket money...you've all made me feel a bit guilty...please tell me your children are older and I'm not tight! I intend to get away with it for as long as possible.

nic, you are not alone ! I was thinking I was tight as my daughter is 7 also and we don't give her pocket money either. however, as I've said, the grandparents give her 'holiday money' to spend on what she likes, but she's as tight as me and can't bring herslelf to spend it ! lol !

I think it is great to make your kids work for their money. Ezzy had a little waitresing job/pot washing job int he local pub from aged 15 onwards and she has had part time jobs doing that ever since. Before that, if she was skint, I used to give her a little extra in exchange for doing the ironing for me.

Gav is now 15 and just leaving school..he gets an allowance but if he wants extra, he has to work around the house for it (he is lazy and sometimes says he would rather go without! Doesn't last long though!) but he is just about to enter the working world hopefully and will learn the value of money.

Up until now, we have always paid for the kids holidays, generally given them so much spending money and expected them to contribute anything extra.
things changed when Ez turned 18..she mostly pays herself and we help her out a little and things will go the same way with Gav once he starts earning.

Kids need that discipline. I had jobs from aged 14 and worked for everything. My parents gave me the child benefit as my pocket money when I was 16 as I was staying on at school andm y mum said she would have lost it anyway otherwise if I had left. I had to pay for everything out of that £7 per week. My travel, clothes, dinner money etc..so of course it needed topping up and I had all sorts of jobs. Rob was the same..he went down the pit to work when he was 16. I don't see why our children should have it any different.

doepsmc wrote:

lynwestie wrote:

If they want to take money for anything else I expect them to save their pocket money which is only £25 a month

Phew ! I am glad you posted that Lyn, I'm always pleased to hear when someone gives their kids a similar amount of pocket money to me. I never know whether we are being tight, generous or just about OK. Nobody seems to talk about how much pocket money they give their kids, it's like a state secret. :rofl

That's what Tom gets too.

You seem to have the right idea justval. Once they've had a part time job they won't want to go back to just relying on pocket money - it's too good having your own hard earned cash.

I was virtually frogmarched to a waitressing interview by my dad at 16 after O levels. His words 'you're getting a part time job'. No arguments there then. Thing is it was a definite pain in the you know what me even having this job as he had to come out and pick me up at midnight after a shift once or twice a week while I was working there, so it really was not for his benefit.

I never know whether we are being tight, generous or just about OK

.

to be honest Chris and cazz my 11 year old doesnt really need any more than £25 per month pocket money . My 15 year does need more money now and according to him his friends all get loads more and whilst he gets between £15-20 per week for the hour it takes him to deliver a few free papers he now goes out friday evenings where he normally spends about £20 in the chinese or similar, so he doesnt really have a lot left for buying drinks, snacks etc when he is out with friends during the week and weekends but hubby and I are adement that if he wants any more he has to find a saturday job and he would if he could get one hubby says he "got nowt " when he was growing up and he spent his weekends caddying on the local golf course and cutting peoples lawn to earn a few bob . He,s always worked hard and strongly believes our boys should do the same . They have what they need and not what they want . they do get £10 credit each per month on their phones as well.

I know they probably dont really appreciate it but they do OK .

lyn

That's a good rate for delivering those free papers lynn. Sounds like he does alright.

Thing is re part time work, he's very restricted what he can do before he is 16 so perhaps your hubby could wait until he's had his birthday before he gives him a hard time.

These are different times anyway, I sometimes think 'geez, parents giving their kids money for phones (after buying them in the first place) when all we ever had was 10p in our pocket for an emergency'. But this is how it is and we have to move with the times don't we?

But this is how it is and we have to move with the times don't we?

Its very hard especially when he has some very wealthy friends who,s parents just throw money their way and dont blink an eyelid at handing them £200 to go shopping with on a saturday and to be honest I dont think it would do them any favours if we had the money to do that as well .he,s a good kid really and happily admits he gets more satisfaction having worked for his little bit of money.

lyn

this is the same with my daughter. i cant really say we give pocket money because if they go in the shops and say can i have that? there more likely to get it than get a weekley amount. but it will be about 11oclock on a saturday morning and my daughter ( who is 12 ) would say mum can i have 40pound to go in town with in a hour ? and i think woah! stop a minute, since when were you going in town today, and when did you think i will just hand over 40pound, i know thats nothing compared to 200 but an hour before ! then there is my younger daughter whos 8, would just say, Mum can i have my Zoey 101 magazine this week? haha!

CourtneeLouise x

so, reading all these posts, could anyone tell me what age you all started pocket money ? ( sorry, mods, going off topic here, just curious ! ) only my 7yr old hasn't mentioned it yet, thankyou god !, so I'm thinking I can get away with it till she's 35 !
seriously though, I started work myself at 13 on a stinky cheese stall and saved all my money, but I don't remember getting pocket money at 7, probably cos I was up them chimneys ..................................

My youngest is 17, still at school and not coming on hol's with us
if he had been then we would have paid for him, but he would have had to
use some of his pocket money, for his own personal spends. He has £60 per month pocket money
off us plus his EMA which is £10 pw

so, reading all these posts, could anyone tell me what age you all started pocket money ?

I started giving mine £25 per month paid into a newly opened bank account when they started secondary school ,although for a couple of years before that I used to give them £2 on a friday which they used to take straight down to the sweet shop for a bottle of coke and sweets. Thats why I only gave them £2 .If they were going somewhere special like cinema with a friend or a party they would also get the odd tenner .

But as I say im like others and not expecting eldest son who is now 17 and working to pay for his holiday or the diving etc when we are there . Its our choice to take him and to be honest just because he,s now working it doesnt change our feelings that he is one of our children and we still want and enjoy him with us . We will take and pay for him and his girlfriend (her mum pays for her) for as long as they want to come while he is doing his 4 year apprenticeship but like you lynne he will have to bring any other spending money etc and I would be very disappointed in him if he didnt dip in his pocket somewhere along the line because now he,s earning i see that as basic manners if you get my point

Just remember the whiskey chasers when it's his round!

Just a memory that's been sparked by this convo. I took a friend with me on my last holiday with my folks when I was 16. Dad used to give me money for lunch every day (we would eat with them in the evening). We would have a plate of chips between us or something and spend the rest on alcohol. Naughty gals. Every extra penny helped.

We would have a plate of chips between us or something and spend the rest on alcohol. Naughty gals. Every extra penny helped.

thats probably what mine would do too . That or spend it on haribos or tubes of pringles at £5 a tube like they were this year in egypt .

Just remember the whiskey chasers when it's his round!

yeh right chivas . Will be a long wait me thinks

lynwestie wrote:

Its very hard especially when he has some very wealthy friends who,s parents just throw money their way and dont blink an eyelid at handing them £200

I have that problem Lyn, the other month my poor daughter accommpanied her mate into Zee & Co where the friend bought a £170 skirt on her way home from school. I felt so sorry for her but my daughter was more impressed that the girl still had enough money left to get her tea in Pizza Express as well.

I had a Saturday job from the age of 13 and my parents expected me to find my own holiday spends from then on. It seems a shame that the only jobs that kids under 16 can have nowdays are paperrounds. DD would be happy to go and work in Smiths or Supermarket but still to young, then she would happily contribute to her own holdiay spends.

It also seems odd that the time they can get jobs is the same time as the hard study kicks in for their GCSE's which I would rather they concentrated on.
Doe

The local pubs in our area will take kids on aged 14 and above..14 for pot washing only and 15 for waiter/waitressing. They do restrict them for the hours they work though.

My lad worked at the local leisure centre aged 15 onwards (Council owned)but he was only allowed to work a maximum of 6 hours..except for when the town flooded and many people were evacuated to the sports centre last year..and even then, they had to get permission from me for him to work over the 6 hours. He worked a 12 hour shift in the end.

It is very difficult for youngsters to get real jobs when they leave school. The problme we have encountered with both Ezzy and Gav is that they are among the youngest in the school year..so when Ezzy left school she was not 16 until the end of August..and although she tried very hard to get a school leavers job..none of them would touch her due to H & S restrictions on employing U16's. Gav is just leaving school now, he is 15 and although he was unlucky yesterday in missing out on an Apprenticeship with Thomsons..he is having the same trouble in getting anyone to even allow him to apply as he is under 16.

He will be financially dependant on us for a while yet..and I don't mind at all. None of us bring kids into the world to make a profit from them..but as they get older and become adults, they have to learn the value of cash and paying their own way. Ezzy is doing this to some extent now she is almost 19..but we still help her out and I don't begrudge this at all as she is trying her best to contribute. It will be the same for Gav.

I think the general consensus on here is that all of us feel pretty much the same.

we also divide our grandaughters money,into a daily amount & carry it over,if she doesn't spend it all.she is 7 now & we have been doing this,since she was 5.she enjoys,sorting her money out,every morning & putting it into,her own purse.it makes her feel,grown up
tracy

ahh bless her tracy!
my daughter is the same shes 8 now and she will have about 20euros and she feels rich! then she just goes and spends it on the first thing she sees!

CourtneeLouise x