TexasCHLforum.com

When I was a kid, I got 50 cents a week if my chores had been completed that week. No completed chores - no allowance. Simple concept.

If I remember correctly, I used to buy two fifty round boxes of .22 LR every week. I always got my chores done.

Texas_Blaze wrote:My rules:

work around the house is the kids duty and contribution to the family therefore NO pay.

This pretty much sums up our approach. Our kids (8, 7, 5, 4, and 1) all have chores:
- 8 yr old: prepare some meals, make coffee, unload dishwasher, set table, make drinks, help with the baby, clean 1 bathroom (sinks, counter, and mirror) weekly, sweep / mop, help sweep from yardwork, collect upstairs trash, be the backup for the dog chores, etc.
- 7 yr old: primary for all dog chores (food, water, and letting outside / inside), clean one bathroom (sink, counter, and mirror) weekly, set table, clear table, make drinks, carry stuff for sisters, cleanup from yardwork, unload dishwasher, collect downstairs trash, etc.
- 5 yr old: set table, clear table, make drinks, clean windows (lower panels), straighten common areas, help backup for dog chores, etc.
- 4 yr old: set table, straighten common areas, help backup for dog chores
- 1 yr old: help straighten common areas (mostly pickup toys, she knows where they go!)

All are responsible for cleaning their room, helping with tasks as they arise, serving one another, putting their clean clothes up, bringing their hampers to the laundry room, gathering extra hangers, etc.

No rewards - these are expected contributions to the family economy. It's humorous to think Opie was complaining about a quarter and here we are in 2016 and he was making more than my kiddos (and me in my childhood).

I have thought of finding over-and-above tasks for them to earn money so they can learn to manage their own finances beyond Christmas / birthday gifts and lost teeth, all of which we generally just put in the bank for them.

As a kid and a teen I never had any allowance or any way to earn money when doing work around the house. I just did the work I was told to do and did the regularly scheduled chores weekly without a thought of I should be getting paid for this. Just never occurred to me I guess. Now I was still given money but it was never asked for. The money I was given was usually in the form of I was going to buy something for myself and my dad would just tell me to save my money and he would get the item for me this time or maybe pay for half, but he didn't do it all the time.

I am not sure I would have taught myself to play guitar if one was just given to me. I decided I wanted to play so I bought a guitar and amp myself and taught myself to play. It is always the feeling of I don't want to waste my money on something I won't keep up with.

Honestly baffles me that people in my neighborhood will pay for service to have something done at their house even if it is something simple like an easy repair. I mean even if you didn't learn how to do something as a kid you can always find it on the internet. No one seems to cut their own grass or have their older kids do it.

As I get older I do see the my time vs my money to solve a problem but it is rare I pick the my money option if I have the skills and time to do it.

I bought my 1st 45 and Win model 70 mowing yards

With my son and daughter I have tied to encourage self reliance , responsibility ,and hard work , neither has ever got a 'free' lunch at school , medical , my government has not been out for their 'raising' . Started my daughter making jewelry at the age of 7 . In the process I had to learn first to show her . We had a good time learning and interacting .Having a small business I set her up a table to sell what she produced . By the age of 12 years old (after opening her own savings account) she had over $2000.00 for her college education that she earned herself . At !2 years old I started showing her to work in our business plus she did payroll and all the books ..............yea it took patience . Put her on the payroll last year , she has a time book .

I want her to be self sufficient , confident and have faith in GOD . We always have projects going , actually it gets kind of hectic at times with school and work . Summer before last I bought a cheap Harbor Freight table saw and showed her how to use it , got a cheap brad gun and she made yard crosses , went door to door putting them up . Got her a 1/2 hp dc drill and augur to install them . She talked to the folks , she did the work , people testified , cried , she learned much .

Last summer we stepped up the program .


Help them teach them , any edge you can provide could save the .Tell them about GOD and don't stop at the telling , live it with them .

I got an allowance growing up. Was $5 a week, then when I got older it went to $10. I had to do the normal kinds of chores, washing dishes, taking trash out and burning it, helping clean the house, etc. I also had to do ranch work too. When you are younger it is the light stuff. Opening gates, fetching tools, guiding the truck around the hay field. Then it moved on to doing everything, working cows, building fence, actually doing the hay hauling. I did that for years before my allowance went up to $10. Homework happened after we finished working. So there was no opportunity for me to get a job making my own money. During school I would come home change clothes, get a snack, and then start working. During the winter I didn't work as much because it gets dark so early, for most of the year it was easily the equivalent of a part time job. During vacation, especially the summer, I would work in the upper 40's hours a week. Sometimes during the summer I'd work 60 hours a week easily, I remember one week during hay season we probably worked 75 hours.

No allowance for working for your family, you can kiss my behind. I never had it so easy as when I got a "real" job.