For the past year or so, we've given our kids an allowance. The allowance goes towards after school snacks, renting video games, school book fairs, the concession stand a the ball-park, "teen night", and of course, anything that they want to save up for. I have given each of them $25/month.
This past month when my oldest came to me with his hand open and asked for his allowance, I had a very unsettling feeling that this allowance was simply a "hand out". This uneasiness was validated on Sunday at my FPU class when Dave Ramsey talked about this very subject in his Kids & Money speech. While my boys both do quite a bit around the house to help me and my husband, they're essentially doing nothing for the money we give them. Also, I haven't been consistently teaching and encouraging them to SAVE and GIVE.
This month we're transitioning from an Allowance to a Commission. I'm anxious (and admittedly, a bit nervous) to see how it works. We're giving them the opportunity to earn more....my 9 year old can earn up to $9/week and my 12 year old can earn up to $12/week IF they complete all of their chores. But, with this "raise" we're also expecting them to both SAVE and GIVE.
Here's a peek at what their chores chart include for the month of February:
9 year old:
clean his room, vacuum and dust it 1x/week -- $2.00
clean the basement bathroom's toilet, sink & counter, 1x -- $2.50
empty the recycling bin daily, 7x.20 -- $1.40
bring his laundry to the laundry room, 4x.50 -- $2.00
take the recycling and trash bins to the curb on Mondays, 1x -- $1.10
12 year old:
clean his room, vacuum and dust it, 1x/week -- $2.50
clean his bathroom toilet, sink & counter, 1x -- $3.00
empty the kitchen trashcan everyday, 7x.20 -- $1.40
bring his laundry to the laundry room, 3x.25 -- $0.75
if he...
washes, dries & folds it (his laundry only), 3x$1.25 -- $3.75
We'll expect both of them to continue with the "basics" of helping out around the house. Things like feeding the dog, keeping their room tidy, helping to do the dinner dishes are just expected and aren't included in the commissions.
So, what about you? Do your children get "commissions" or "allowances"? What are some of the chores they do to earn their money?
2 comments:
I really like Dave Ramsey's take on giving kids money. I heard one podcast where he spoke about "allowance" being akin to "welfare" if you just hand over the money without them working for it. I like his stance on this and agree with it a lot more than Gail VazOxlades stance.. (even though I love her too). I do believe you should have to "sing for your supper" like everyone else has to. It's a good lesson to learn!
We put together an allowance system for our 6 year old. She was excited in the beginning because she wants to save her money to buy a build-a-bear. That excitement has fizzled slightly and she isn't motivated to do her chores. When she realizes that mommy & daddy aren't buying the bear, she might change her tune.
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