Thread: Pocket money
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Old January 27th 09, 02:58 PM posted to misc.kids
Rosalie B.
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Posts: 984
Default Pocket money

"Welches" wrote:

I thought I'd try and generate a debate or two as this group seems to have
gone fairly quiet barring the spam.
I'm going to raise a couple of senarios, that I've been in as a child or a
parent or a friend.
This one is about pocket money.


What is your definition of pocket money?

I ask because we got 'allowances' which in my case were carefully
calculated so that we had money for our church offering, our Girl
Scout or other organizational dues, and then we had some left over to
save (saving was required), plus a tiny amount to spend. In my day I
got about $1.00 and my spending money was about 20 cents which I could
buy a candy bar after school or something like that. (Candy bars were
5 cents) My parents supplied money for school lunches, music lessons,
school supplies and the like.

I would define only the 20 cents part of my allowance as 'pocket
money' - that is only the discretionary spending part of it.

Three children, two born at the start of the academic year, one born towards
the end.

I was born at the start of the year (November) and my sister was born
at the end of the year (June), but she skipped a grade. My first two
children were born in August and September and the third one in May
and the fourth one in January.

Pocket money could either be raised (and started ot be given) on birthdays,
starting at age 5yo. However, assuming that all children go onto university
and then get a job and are then self supporting, this means that the one
born at the end of the year gets almost a year less of having pocket money
as they will be just 18 when they leave home, and the others nearly 19.

We didn't have increments set on age - it was based on the expenses of
the child

Alternatively: You could raise pocket money (and start giving it) when they
start school. This means that they will have the same number of years having
pocket money, but the one at the end of the year starts getting pocket money
at only just 4yo rather than nearly 5yo.

I can see that either could raise resentment. Or neither. Which do you think
is fairer, or have you an alternative (not giving pocket money at all
doesn't count!!!)
Debbie

I started out giving allowances in the same way that my mother did,
but by the time I got to the third and fourth child it pretty much
went away - partly because at the point that DS was in school, I was
working and my husband was injured and out of work and we were pretty
short of money. DD#1 was in college and married by that time. DD#2
(who was in HS) wanted to earn money and she signed a contract with me
to do cleaning of the house for a set fee each month. DD#3 and DS got
jobs.