How much should i give my 13 and 6year old daughters for her allowance? should they even have one/?

Question

I am new in the US and have no idea what is normal here.

Answer 1

Only if they do chores. A 13 year old can do alot of things that an adult can do and a 6 year olf can do smaller and simpler chores.

Answer 2

I am 17, too busy to hold a job, trying to complete high school, and maintain a strong social life and still to this day, my parents still give me 10 to 15 dollars per week (if the room is clean, chores are done, etc). My brother, who is the same age as your older daughter, is getting 10 dollars a week under the same circumsances. Middle-schoolers are spend hours every weeked at the mall, movie theater, and hangouts with supervision of our town's community center. I don't know his current budget and savings, but teens spend a lot. So it is okay for your daughter to have a weekly allowance (with some chore in) . You can't just give it away or else there is no point to it. She might want a summer job soon when she gets older (15 or 16) and you might not have to worry about paying her. For the six-year-old, start from something slow like a dollar. Slowly increase it by year or when you feel it is nessecary. Here is a article in Newsweek last year that might help you.

Answer 3

For the 13yr old - I never had an allowance. When my family went shopping, dad gave us each $20 (or what was appropriate for the venue) to spend however we wanted. If we wanted something more expensive, we had to save that money we received and wait until the next time we all went out.

I think that just giving a child at that age an allowance makes the child think that they get something for nothing and paying them for chores makes chores work instead of learning simple responsibility.

Just give them a little money from time to time and give then the opportunity to spend it or save it.

For the 6yr old - When my brother & I were very young, everyday my dad would empty the change from his pockets. At the end of the month (or however long), we would open the piggy bank and split the contents and then buy a toy.

this teaches patience, "depositing" money like a bank, counting out money and budgeting to buy a toy.

Answer 4

The 6-y.o. may be a bit young for an allowance; you may decide to give her some $ on occasion. You might consider setting up a "budget" for your 13-y.o., rather than a set weekly amount -- maybe quarterly. Then you can put x dollars in the pool, whatever feels right for you and meets your own financial level. That gives her the power to decide how to spend it for extra clothes, treats, movies, etc., things you ordinarily don't buy for her. Teaches her a little about practicality. I would lean toward "less is more" when deciding on how much, though. Not to be stingy, but everything is wildly expensive now, as I'm sure you've observed, and most kids (including my own) don't have much of a clue about how hard $ is to come by, and how easily it flies out of your hands if you're not careful. I'm not in favor of giving weekly allowances, and I also don't pay for doing chores: that's expected, as part of being a "citizen" of the family. Good luck with your kids, and welcome to the US!

Answer 5

Here's what works for some. . . not an allowance but commission. The girls should be given specific chores than they can earn money for (example $ 1.00 a day for keeping their room clean, vacuumed, clothes off the floor, everything put away, etc., another 50 cents a day for helping with the dishes, etc). Then they have a choice to do the work and earn the money. . . or not. They should also have to budget their money. . . 10% to church or charity (they need to learn other people have needs that can't be met but through giving), 50% to savings (a glass jar works really well for this) and 40% to spend as they like with no limits except rules of the house. The 50% savings helps them to learn NOT to be in debt. They use that for savings for a big item they want (video games/movies/CDs, iPod, special outfit or the like). On really big items you might work out a 50/50 split with them. Say they want a $ 250.00 iPod. If they save $ 125.00 you kick in $ 125.00 as long as they are working, keeping good grades, and the like.

No one (including children) should get something for nothing. This helps them develop a work ethic, and an understanding that if they save they can achieve ANY financial goal. It also gives them an appreciation for what it takes you to provide for the family.

Answer 6

My ten year old gets $1 a week base pay (base pay work includes getting up and ready for school by himself and making his bed, and doing homework without being told).
If he wants more $ he has to do chores at the following rates:
Take out garbage 10 cents (usually adds up to 70 cents a week)
Help put away groceries at 20 cents (usually addes up to 40 cents a week)
Vacuum rug in living room at 10 cent per time (about 30 cents a week)
Help sort laundry at 15 cents ( about 75 cents a week)
Dishes at 20 cents (about $1.00 a week)

If he chose to do all the extra chores he makes about $3-5 a week. If he does no extra chores, he only gets $1. Not much but he's really good at saving his allowance and birthday money. He's bought himself an Xbox and two games, he sold that and now bought a PS2 system. He just bought himself 2 PS2 video games. We're pretty proud of him.

Answer 7

I have 3 kids ages 11/9/6 and they all get an allowance, but of course they have chores. My 11 year old daughter gets $10 a week and has to do her laundry, keep her room up and put the dishes in and out of the dish washer. My 9 year old son gets $5 to feed the dog and clean up after her. My 6 year old son get $2 and has to clean the bonus room.

I think all kids should have some responsibility however little and get to handle their own money. My daughter recently saved $60 to get her hair highlighted. She wanted it and she saved for it.

Answer 8

I have a 13 yr old and a 6 yr old also. I do not give my 6 yr old an allowance. I do give my 13 yr old one. He gets 2$ a day for every day that he does a chore. If he does not do his chores, he doesn't get paid that day. That is more than enough to cover for one night out on the weekend with friends. My son actually saves his, He is saving to buy the new play station He was told that it was too expensive and if he wanted it he had to buy it himself. Believe it or not, he is almost there, he does extra to get extra money.

Answer 9

We have four children in our home ages 13, 12, 9, and 7. Every Saturday they have certain chores assigned to them according to their ages. Their allowances are based on their ages - a dollar for every year - and they get a raise on their birthday. Of course, along with that raise comes more responsibility. The older ones clean the bathrooms and the floors and dust. The 9yo washes windows. The 7yo gathers the garbages around the house and the 9yo helps him take out the trash. Both of our younger boys rake the leaves in the yard. They all have to put their own laundry away and clean their rooms.

They all have special places they keep their money, and when they want something, they have to use their own money to purchase it. It amazes me when they ask me for something they really, really want and then change their mind when they find out they have to buy it with their own money. I guess it wasn't as important to them. hehe

It seems like it's expensive, but it actually saves a lot of money and time. They are buying a lot of the stuff that I would have bought for them anyway, but they are learning to budget and save their money. We are also getting good housekeepers for a great price!

Answer 10

You give them what you think they have earned. It is different for every family. My kids get a dollar for every year of their age. My 8 year old gets $8 and my 4 y/o gets $4. We break it down like this... 1/2 of their allowance goes into savings. Then 10% of the other half goes into a jar to donate at the end of the year. They can do what they want with the rest.

Answer 11

i was always given one dollar for every year of my life a month. meaning at 6, i got 6 dollars a month, and at 13, i got 13 dollars a month. i only got my allowance if all my chores were completed and i didnt get into any serious trouble. there are many different opinions on wether or not to give your child an allowance, but i personally think its a good thing. it teaches your children how to work for what they want, how to save their money, and how to budget in order to buy the things they want. i was also allowed to complete extra chores i normally wouldnt have to do for extra money. how much money i got for the chores depended on what the chores were. 50 cents for dishes, 5 dollars for washing the car inside and out, 2 dollars for washing the dog, etc.