allowance for 8 year old

[lil_acorn]

Did/Does your 8 year old have an allowance? DS wants one and I am thinking about chores in order for him to earn it but am struggling with amount. I was thinking $1/week but he thinks that is too cheap becuase he is trying to save up for an ipod. But I never got an allowance as a kid. And I don't know the going rate - i was considering $1 was enough for him to buy some candies or treats.

[lcarlson90]

We give our almost 8 year old DS $2 per week. The only real chore he has is clearing his plate and putting in the dishwasher. I need to think of more things for him to do.

[o_mom]

DS1 got $2/wk at at that age. We put it in our 'bank' (really just a ledger that we keep) and pay him interest. He can also deposit any money he gets with us and if he gets gift cards for his birthday he can deposit those as well as long as it is something I can use (Target, Walmart, etc.). We do not tie it to chores since the point of it is to teach him to manage the money. I will pay for chores that are more than his normal work.

[lilycat88]

DD gets $5 a week but that goes to "short term spending - pocket money", "Long term savings - bank" and charity - usually church. It's not tied to chores.

[JElaineB]

We have been giving $1 per year old per week. So at 8 he got $8 a week.

[essnce629]

We have been giving $1 per year old per week. So at 8 he got $8 a week.

We also do a $1 per year of age. So DS1 was also getting $8 a week at 8 years old. It is not tied to chores. Any toys outside of birthdays/Christmas or snacks (at swim school) he has to pay for himself. He's currently saving up for his own computer (since he keeps messing up mine and has now been banned from it!)

[essnce629]

We give our almost 8 year old DS $2 per week. The only real chore he has is clearing his plate and putting in the dishwasher. I need to think of more things for him to do.

DS1 is 9 and last year these were his daily chores (we add a new chore every year):

Sweep/vacuum dining room floor
Make bed
Empty all little trashcans into main trash can (there's 6 of them)
Wipe down his toilet with a flushable wipe (since there were always pee dribbles everywhere!)
Clear plate from table and rinse it
Hang up backpack and hat on hook
Keep room neat
Put away toys after using
Empty and rinse out lunchbox after school
Pack backpack for school
Fill up water bottle for school every morning
Put dirty clothes in hamper

[Twoboos]

DDs are 7 & 9, so average 8. ;) They get $5 a week. It's not tied to chores, although we have been known to withhold if they have not done something they have been asked to do repeatedly.

[s7714]

We delineate amounts per job, not a lump sum. 25 cents per load of dishes. $1 per basket of laundry put away, etc.

[mom_hanna]

dd is 8. She gets $3 a week. Not tied to any chores. She is free to spend it how she wants to, although we do make suggestions such as saving up for something she has been asking for. She usually uses it to go rollerskating, or to a movie, or some activity like that.

[brittone2]

DS1 gets $8 per week right now, but as their allowance amount grows, there is a bigger expectation that some will be long(er) term savings, they are encouraged to donate, they are encouraged to kick in toward a sibling's gift, that type of thing. We don't tie it to chores, but the kids do have chores.

We started with $2-3 when they were about 5 I think.

We don't buy them many toys or gifts outside of holidays and birthdays, so we wanted the amount to be significant enough that they could manage to save up for a more expensive item in a reasonable time frame. They do get lots of books, educational materials and games, etc. throughout the year, but we don't really buy anything on a typical trip to Target.

My thought was that at a dollar per week or something on the lower end of the spectrum, it becomes incredibly difficult or frustrating to save for something more substantial (say $30 or $50 toy). I want saving up to be a challenge, but not so difficult that they get really discouraged. My kids do a good job of socking away money to save up for the occasional want (DD bought herself a camera right around her 6th bday; DS1 bought himself a Nook last year using GCs and some of his own cash). While I don't want it to be too easy for them to buy a given item, I don't want it to be so frustrating that they decide to just blow 1-2 dollars of allowance on silly stuff regularly.

We did allow them to make some mistakes with buying junky stuff, etc. here and there as a learning experience. They caught on quickly and generally prefer to save up for something more substantial.

[almostmom]

My 9 year old gets $2.50, 7 year old gets $2. They don't spend it very often, but do chip in on presents at the holidays, and occasional toys for themselves. DS wanted to buy his grandparents and all of us presents at xmas, so was happy to spend some of his money that way (I asked him to pay 1/2 of each gift). But it is crazy to me that they both have well over $100 in their piggy banks thanks to a $30 donation from my parents recently!

They both do minor chores to get their allowance. Most important is that they clean their rooms on Sunday so it is clean on Monday morning to start the week. They have gotten better at keeping it clean all week in preparation for this day. They also make their beds most days, clear their plates from the table, and DS cleans the basement weekly (hence his extra .50). They are also starting to put their clean clothes in their drawers, thanks to a post on BBB! And they help bring in bags when we get home from weekend travel. Very soon DS will be taking out the trash - he keeps asking to do it...

[daniele_ut]

8 year old DS gets $5 a week and it isn't tied to chores. He does need to practice his violin regularly, though.

[hillview]

We have been giving $1 per year old per week. So at 8 he got $8 a week.


We also do a $1 per year of age. So DS1 was also getting $8 a week at 8 years old. It is not tied to chores. Any toys outside of birthdays/Christmas or snacks (at swim school) he has to pay for himself. He's currently saving up for his own computer (since he keeps messing up mine and has now been banned from it!)
:yeahthat:

It isn't tied to chores but chores are not optional and get done daily.

[gatorsmom]

We don't do an allowance. Our kids have regulat chores and if they do extra work on top of that, they can earn money. We also have an incentives chart that allows them to build up points for money. Any money they get from us is earned.

[missym]

My 7yo and 9yo both get $4/wk, but by agreement $1 of it goes automatically into longer-term savings in the bank and is matched by us. They're not currently spending their allowance on *anything* because they're both saving for a Nook/Kindle. It's not tied to chores/behavior, though they can earn bonuses.

I recently read an interesting book called the No Cash Allowance, and we may transition to that kind of program as they get older. Basically, you transfer control of money you'd spend anyway to the child - their clothing budget, school supplies, etc. - and they get the experience of managing that money (with help as needed). The amount of control and money increases as they get older - so by the time they move out/go to college, they know how to handle household finances.

[belovedgandp]

We started at 6 with an allowance of 2 times age per MONTH (because weekly was too confusing for me). DS1 is now 9 and gets a raise on his birthday, so $18 per month.

We ask that he comes up with some division for spending, saving and sharing. Right now he does $8 to spend and 5/5 to share and save. Save is truly long term, we keep talking about his first car savings. He uses his share for church, school service projects and lots of other things that seem to come up all the time. He rarely spends his money on just any $2 thing, but has dutifully saved up for some 50-80 dollar lego sets.

We do not tie his allowance to chores. I have him keep a check register and we talk about budgeting.

[Asianmommy]

We give a dollar a week to our 8-year-old. Her chores are to set the table, make her bed, pick up her toys, put her laundry away, pick up the mail, and clean up her room. She can earn extra money by pulling weeds and stuff. She also gets money from relatives for holidays and birthdays.

[hillview]

I recently read an interesting book called the No Cash Allowance, and we may transition to that kind of program as they get older. Basically, you transfer control of money you'd spend anyway to the child - their clothing budget, school supplies, etc. - and they get the experience of managing that money (with help as needed). The amount of control and money increases as they get older - so by the time they move out/go to college, they know how to handle household finances.
Interesting. I will have to take a look. I think when my kids are older we'd like to do something like this