Thursday, February 21, 2008

Allowance

I don't really give an allowance, but I came up with this great idea of how the girls could earn money and help around the house (moreso than they already do). It sounded perfect and I was busily making lists of all the possibilities and ideas.

The girls came home and I proposed my idea. It got really quiet and Em said "A dollar? All that for a dollar? I can make more money by selling a book or stuff than I can doing a bunch of extra work."

Where did I go wrong??? When I was growing up we used to get our age multiplied by our grade. So in 2nd grade I was 7 years old and got 14 cents. We were paid once a year and then driven directly to the bank to deposit our "wealth". Once we figured out that we were getting ripped off, the allowance stopped.

In Em's defense, she does keep her room clean, help with Andrew, and help around the house as needed, so I guess I shouldn't try and fix a system that isn't too broken. I'll have to come up with a new plan.

Any ideas? How much allowance is too much? I just can't see a 6 and 10 year old getting $5 a week or more.
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9 comments:

CJ said...

How about negotiating it with the kids? See what they think is fair for what and go from there? I love the fact that you aren't the kind of mom who is simply willing ot hand the money over.

Oh, and as a kid, Saturday morning was always spent cleaning and we didn't get any allowance!

cjh

February 21, 2008 at 5:05 PM
Anonymous said...

Yup. Giving them $5 a week or more would be a problem....considering Gunner gets $25 per month. You'd have to give him a raise : )

February 21, 2008 at 6:58 PM
Old Cowboy Dan said...

When your Dad and I were young, I may have been in the 6th Grade, we received $0.25 per week. That lasted about 2 weeks after which we had to earn our own money. When your Dad was about 10 or 11, he took empty, small sized, tomato sauce cans and filled them with 25 worms and some mulch and sold them at the lake near us for $0.25 each.

We also worked picking Boysenberries during the summer to earn money for school clothes, and never complained.

February 21, 2008 at 7:33 PM
Anonymous said...

Dad the entrepreneur!!

February 21, 2008 at 8:23 PM
Blogging for Friends said...

Girl, you have been blog busy!

Well, my kids used to get $1 per year for their age per week once it started. Granted, they can do alot more than your kids can, especially Brett with heavier things and Baylee can really clean when she sets her mind to it. Last week, though, Baylee got $80 between gas money, groceries needed, etc. LOL There you go......$80 per week per kid times their ages!

February 21, 2008 at 8:38 PM
Leslie said...

i like the classic idea- $5 a week per kid, three jars, $1 to tithe, $2 to save, and $2 to spend. I wish I could do that with my money now lol.

February 21, 2008 at 9:42 PM
ABW said...

But $5 a week per kid, for 3 kids for 18 years is a hunk of change!

I'm going to have to think on this one.

Uncle Dan--If only my dad had saved 10 cents of that money for a corn dog for my mom!

BFF--maybe since yours will be out of the house sooner you can subsidize mine?

ABWF--I think Gunner's allowance is enough considering there is nothing for him to buy!

February 21, 2008 at 10:05 PM
Gypsy at heart said...

Considering all the figuring going on, I think you are now overpaid for the job you do for the company.....
although, the perks are priceless.

February 21, 2008 at 10:58 PM
rose_michelle said...

My parents didn't give allowance (12 kids would put them in the poor house) but I had friend whose parents would "match" what amount of thier allowance they put in the bank, so if they put their $5/wk allownace in the bank the parents doubled it. If they took money out, they have to give that much back to their parents. When they went to college it was for them to use for expenses. Whatever they didn't use (such as if they got scholarships) they gave to them in cash to start off with. Each child had a ledger that they kept up with. It was a way for them to earn allowance but also put money away for college. The parents were willing to pay more for the future.

February 22, 2008 at 10:42 PM

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