One of the most efficient ways to get parents fired up is to bring up the subject of pocket money.
Every family does it differently – monthly, fortnightly, in coins or online transfers, roster systems and magnetic charts. Or not at all.
Trish Lott and her husband struggled to find a pocket money system for their primary school-aged kids that struck the right balance between being able to give them things they really need and allowing them to take some responsibility in earning money for the things they want.
“In the past I’ve done the sticker chart, the stamps, the weekly pocket money if chores were done and my kids just weren’t interested. I was constantly nagging them,” she told Mamamia.
“My kids have pretty much always got what they wanted, I would go to the shops and they would always walk out with something. Totally all my doing, but I wanted my kids to start to realise that it’s not always like that. They haven’t been able to understand ‘not today mate, Mum can’t afford it’.”
But after seeing some ideas online from overseas, Trish came up with an easy pocket money hack that’s managed to get her three kids aged four, six and eight excited about doing chores. Yes, excited.
The best bits? It’ll cost you less than $20 and an hour of your time to make, and you’ll find everything you need at your local Kmart store.
Top Comments
I like this idea, however I did it a little differently with my kids when they were growing up.
In my opinion, household chores are the responsibility of all of the members of the household. No one was paying me for scrubbing toilets, washing dishes, cleaning fingerprints off of walls, etc... nor did they pay my husband for fixing broken toilets, mowing lawns, or clearing raingutters.
Everyone in the household participates in eating meals, bathing (separately, of course) and enjoying the dust-free environment while watching TV, so it is the responsibility of each member of the household to participate in the upkeep of the house.
So, how do we make money? We do our JOBS. Yes, my husband gets up and goes to work every morning, and at the end of the week, he gets a paycheck for doing a good job.
I had an "at-home" part-time job that I got a paycheck for, plus I did other tasks, like laundry, meal preparation,driving kids to activities and shopping that were considered my "JOB".
So, what are the kids "JOBS"? Kids' "JOBS" are to get up every morning, get dressed and fed, and go to school, pay attention in class, complete their assignments, get above average grades, be respectful of the teachers (their bosses) and do their homework every night without hassle. That is a kid's "JOB", and if they do their job right, they get a paycheck at the end of each week, too!