new chores for commissions

It was this time last year that my family made the switch from giving the boys an Allowance to giving them Commissions.  You can read the original post here but basically we were tired of handing over money to the boys each month when they'd done nothing to earn it.   We came up with age appropriate chores they could do in order to earn money and they did an exceptional job for 8-9 months of keeping track of what they did and I normally had their commissions ready to give them on Sunday nights.  

Around the time of their birthdays (in the Fall), they were extra busy with football and they were receiving money as birthday gifts.  It was then that they lost some momentum and motivation to get their chore charts completed.    I have to give them credit though, even without earning commissions they did an exceptional job helping out around the house and doing their regular chores.  I keep thinking that one of them is going to give me a "bill" of what I owe them for taking out the recycling bins for the last 3 months.

It's a new year though and they're each another year older.  It's time to get back into our routine of regular chores and commissions.  And since they are older, I want them to each learn a new skill.  

For my 10 year old, I want him to learn how to sort and wash his own clothes.  Last year he was responsible for bringing his laundry basket to the laundry room for me to do the wash.  This year I want him to simply learn how to start the wash.  Also, he knows how to dust, but this year I want him to get even better at it! (ha, ha!)  So, he'll be dusting the furniture on the main floor of the house.

For my 13 year old, he and I both had the same skill in mind that we wanted him to learn and practice.  Cooking.  He'll be responsible for planning (with my help at first) and preparing a meal one night each week.  He's pretty good at grilling burgers, so that will probably be his meal of choice, but I want him to learn how to slice the onion and tomatoes, shred the lettuce, and prepare the side dishes.  It doesn't have to be complicated.  I'll be happy for him to heat up a can of beans or cut up some fruit (or even open a can of fruit...).  He could even make a pot of spaghetti and serve it with garlic bread and a bagged salad.  Easy stuff.

Also, my chore charts aren't fancy.  Just something printed from the computer and taped to the refrigerator.  Here is a sample of what I do:

for my 10 year old...   

CHORE	Earning Potential	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Total Earned
Take out/bring in trash & recycling on Mondays	$1
Clean, dust, vacuum your room	$2
Dust furniture in the den, dining room, living room, guest bedroom	$3
Clean the basement bathroom	$2
Wash & your laundry (I’ll dry, fold & hang it)	$1/load

^{for my 13 year old...}

CHORE	Earning Potential	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Total Earned
Plan and prepare 1 dinner	$5
Clean, dust, vacuum your room	$2
Clean your bathroom	$2
Wash & dry your laundry	$1/load
Fold, hang & put away your laundry	$1/load

My main goal is to teach them to be responsible and to have some basic skills that will serve them well when they are living on their own and for when they have a family of their own.  The bathrooms aren't always going to be cleaned perfectly, but I know they'll get better at it as they get older.  Also, not all chores are tied to money.  There are several things that we expect them to do just because they are a member of the family and we all pitch in to help one another.  Things like feeding the dog, setting the table, putting their clothes away, keeping their rooms tidy, etc. are just normal things they do each day.  As much as they can annoy me sometimes, they're really pretty good kids!  :)

They use the money they earn to pay for concession stand snacks, movies with friends, video game rentals, songs from iTunes.  Normal 10-13 year old boy stuff.

Anyway - have you found a system that works for your family?  How do you handle spending money with your children?