allowance question

Not sure. IF mine want $$ they have to help out & dad pays them. I know my DH give WAY more for things than I would - so its hard to say. I personally $5 is plenty a week for doing normal things.

My girls get an allowance once a month, because we get paid once a month.  It isn't chores based per se.  We had a conversation about how our family is like a sports team.  In order for things to work everyone has to pitch in and help out.  Since we all work around here, we all deserve a little bit of money for things we want.  That being said, they know that if they don't pull their weight they lose their allowance because they had to pay us for doing it for them.

As for how much.... It is based on age and family responsibilities.

Karah is 5 so she gets $5 a month.

Sammie is 7 so she gets $7 a month.

Tessa is 11 so her base is $11 a month.  She has extra responsibilities though, she babysits her sisters for about an hour after school twice a week, and one hour before school once a week.  For that she gets a $9 bump in her allowance.  If the babysitting increases so will the allowance a little.  

It may not seem like a lot of money, but since we take care of all their needs, they don't need money.  This just teaches them a little about saving and spending.  They have learned over the last year or so, that they have to work to get money (they can earn extra if I have it), and that if they don't help out they don't get money (they have lost it all).  They have learned that money doesn't magically appear and that it might be fun to spend it all on Dollar General toys, but those toys don't last.  They have also learned this summer that if they want something nice they have to save their money.

I don't give my kids an allowance ... I just can't seem to budget it in.  IF Haley would do a little more and cause a little less grief in the house, I would be happy to pinch back a bit and give her an allowance but she has a bit of an "entitled" attitude and flat out refuses to be a benefit to the household.  She does get money on ocasion to go to football games and dances though.

Zach just doesn't seem to care right now ...

We don't do an allowance, per se.  I have a list of chores that they can do to earn spending money.  When we have it, that is.  Things are super tight right now, so we have had to cut back.  Drew pretty much refuses to do anything, so he doesn't get much.  He runs a tab with us for babysitting and then when he wants to do something (like his homecoming this weekend), we subtract it from that.  Ally regualrly asks what she can do to earn money, but its always little things like sweeping the porch, moping the floor.  Never things like I would like her to do, like cleaning her room, etc.  Big chores get the big bucks.  Little chores get change. 

well, for me you have to give them same amount to be fair..thanks

I don't think there is a lot of "fairness" in giving kids the same amount if the ages are spread out ... The amount needs to match the age and the responsibilities ... My 14 year old wouldn't exactly be happy with the $5 I'd give my son for taking out the trash on a reg. basis and she also wouldn't be happy if I upped his allowance to $20 a week to match what she deserved for her much more extensive list of chores ... of course this is all hypothetically speaking as I don't give my kids any allowance at all. :oP

I agree with Mary. Just give them the same amount to avoid any conflict.While it is a good way of motivating your kids to do more house chores for allowance, you don't want them to get paid with every thing they do in the house. Next time, they will not work for anything but for the money.