I get this question often….should I give my kids an allowance?
I think this is completely up to you – as parents. There is no right and wrong answer. If you’re asking if I give MY kids an allowance then the answer is yes. But not for everyday household chores. Here is how it works in the Edwards home.
Each day the kids have their own chores that they do as part of the family. They do not get paid to do them. I personally believe it’s unrealistic since they will not get paid to pick up their clothes, wash their dishes, or take out the trash when they are adults. I do, however, pay for extra special “jobs”. For example – helping vacuum/clean the pool or raking leaves. These are things we would normally pay a service to do, so if the kids are willing to help with these, they will earn money.
I grabbed these two paragraphs from Dave Ramsey:
Send them off to work. Child abuse is letting a kid sit in front of a TV all day playing video games and eating junk food. Kids need to understand what a little dirt under the fingernails means. Delivering newspapers, mowing lawns, or working at a concession stand are some appropriate jobs they can handle.
Guiding your children in the choices they make with money is HUGE! The lessons you teach them as they earn money and learn to spend, save and give will lay an influential foundation for their lives. Remember, if you don’t teach your kids how to handle money, someone else will.
Here is the current chore list for the Edwards Family:
All four kids: (ages 4,5,9,11)
Weekdays – clean your room after school. (pick up clothes, make your bed, and put away toys). This takes them 10 minutes tops. Put your uniform in the washer. Weekends – Make your bed after you get up. Clean up toys from your floor before bed.
11yr old son:
Monday – take the trash from every room out to the trash cans. Put new bags in the trash cans.
Thursday night – same as above and drag all cans / recycling out to the curb.
Friday – return all trash cans to the house.
9yr old daughter:
Monday and Thursday- wipe down the kids bathroom counters and mirror. Sweep the bathroom floor.
Friday – help return trash cans to the house.
In our home, all 4 kids are also responsible for helping set the table and clear the table. All four were taught at a young age to put their dishes in the sink. My 9 & 11 yr old also load & unload the dishwasher when asked.
What are YOUR thoughts on allowance? Chores?
You may also want to check out this article: Kids and Couponing – Do Your Children Coupon?
Our kids work in entertainment so they have their own spending money. They do some chores like help pick up the playroom and clearing their own dishes that they don’t get paid for but anything else they do we pay them. I have a full time housekeeper so for us I can’t pay the maid but not the kids if they decide to help out with things around the house.
We were looking for a way to manage our kids allowances and teach them about money and making smart financial decisions.
So, our 11/yo came with an idea for a family bank – and this is how http://www.bankaroo.com came alive.
After only few months, thousands of families are using it online and on their mobile devices.
We also have an active blog with ideas and tips –
http://www.bankaroo.com/category/kids-allowance/
Try it out – it is free and kid friendly.