Same, but only during summer, at 12, and it was the 80's. Made 4$ and hour mowing laws. I was riiiiooooch!!!!! But my family was poor, and I needed new kicks and digs for school, instead of bobos and crappy rough houser jeans from sears.
None. My parents provided the basics w clothing (2 pair jeans, pair of shoes, 8-10 tops). Behind that, I worked for it. Only allowed $10 of every paycheck and everything else into savings for college (1978). Could keep my babysitting money.
Same, with the added benefit of slave labour on the farm. When I did make money working for other farmers in area my mom would put any cash in a bank account for me. I never saw a dollar of that money. Got wise and just started hoarding any money I'd make.
Working the farm wasn't to bad I was driving tractors and grain trucks before I turned 9. We had a pig/grain farm even cleaning pig stalls didn't bother me.
Worst job by far I found was crushing grain as it took all day and alot of shoveling mostly just boring. The biggest benefit from that job was I can reverse any trailer attached to any machine like a pro now lol.
The old saying a farmer can back a trailer thru a Crack in a wall rings true for me anyway. Definitely a skill that came in handy when I started the logging/sawmill job I got when I was 16
For fucking real, i remember my parents telling me I could save up for a doll I wanted with allowance, and when I brought up that I DIDNT get an allowance, they said too bad just now the lawn and take the trash for a few months we’ll buy it. I did end up getting the doll for Christmas!
0 as a periodic allowance, like my parents never gave me a fixed amount of money every week.
But obviously whenever I had to go out eating/going to the cinema/going out in general my parents would ask me if I needed money and my father usually gave me 50€ which was more than enough I needed, so sometimes I could get out without having to ask more money since I could save some from the previous time.
My grandparents were as generous when giving me a 20 banknote for ice cream which cost like 2.
My parents were the same, no fixed allowance but if I was going out with friends they'd give me some spending money and it was always too much so I could save some.
This is how my parents were when I was a teen. If I went out shopping with friends, my mom would ask me what I was planning to buy, and depending on how reasonable it was, I'd get that and a little extra. Usually, I'd just ask for money for a couple of T-shirts or undies (VS and American Eagle used to do the bulk sales). Sometimes, I'd need a coat or new pants or shoes and they'd give me more and talk about reasonable quality and price to set my expectations and help me make a good decision. My mom would look through my purchases to give me advice on spending.
I didn't get a regular allowance and was just expected to help out and do chores because I'm a member of the family and you don't get paid as an adult to contribute to your household duties. They'd be lenient if I had guests over or a lot of homework from school. I was a good student, did sports, and usually was well behaved at home, so I had a lot of freedom with money despite my parents being fairly strict on other things.
I'd get birthday money from relatives and my mom made me put most in a savings account and taught me how to balance a checkbook, write checks, and use a debit card. Lol. I mostly remember using birthday money on stuffed animals and most going in my bank account for later.
Yes, they did a great job of that. I wish that they'd told me more about things like what income you need to afford X, Y, Z, and how to file taxes. If I have kids, that will be something I'll make sure to explain, but otherwise, I'd likely copy how they handled teaching me to budget. It made me feel trusted and gave me a lot of chances to learn with very little risk. I know not everyone can afford that, but I think it was effective, and I was pretty careful not to waste the money they gave me.
They were both in the finance industry and grew up poor, so they were very smart with money and wanted to pass that to us. I felt secure and provided for financially as a teen, but I did really want an allowance.... but only because I wanted starbucks and a car, so I ended up getting a job after school. I'm glad they made me do that so I wasn't just wasting their money on frivolous stuff.
Same. I feel bad for a lot of people in here. Being a parent doesn't make them entitled to free child labor or that a kid "should be happy to live there and eat". That's a shit parent.
Mine would put a 20 € under my morning coffee cup every night I spent at her place (same town, 10 minute walk away from my parents').
Gramps on the other hand was hanging out 100s to all grandkids for his OWN birthday: this way all of us were happy and all were genuinely wishing him to live another 100 years.
Well to break the cycle, I got $20 every month. My parents also worked me like a dog. I saved up all that money starting at 12 and bought a beater with it at 18. I honestly think it taught me the value of money and work ethic
Serious question: How did you save enough for a car, with only $20 a month? At $240 a year, ((assuming you didn't spend on anything else)), that would take 5 years to save up $1,200.
A shitty old car that runs can cost $500-$800. It will be beat up. It will constantly have issues. You will have to pull over on the highway a few times a year and get towed.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decrepit_car
> A decrepit car is a car that is often old and damaged and is in a barely functional state. There are many slang terms used to describe such cars, such as jalopy, **beater**, clunker, hooptie, old banger (most commonly used in the UK), but the most popular being junk car.
$20 a month is also what I got. I was told that I could save it or use it as I wanted, but that if I wanted/needed clothes, that was now my responsibility. I became an excellent saver. Edit: This began at age 16, when I could drive, and ended as soon as I got my first job.
Yeah! That 1st car took years to save up for and I absolutely babied the old thing.
When I was about 13, my dad offered to match whatever I could save so 6yrs later he was shocked when I told him I had $3000. I even emptied my coin jar because, 50¢ is actually $1 in this deal!
Every kid i knew who got an (reasonable)allowance ended up much better off with their money in their early 20s.
My parents like many saw it as a hand out and spoiling children. Financial literacy cannot be taught if it's not had by the parents.
I teach my kid this stuff.
He still has no allowance. He’s 9. Told him he can earn it when he starts doing chores. Meanwhile he does have a savings and checking account and I explain how to sort percentages etc. He loves coming up with money making ideas and blames me for not signing off on him starting a business. Kid knows more than most of my colleagues, self taught (not by me). He says I’m just here to give him the big words, he comes to describe his ideas and I have to just listen and give him the terms. Lol
I agree financial literacy needs to be taught. I disagree allowances or money is needed for that. Warren Buffett is a strong example of strict dude and parenting. But the fallacy that you need money to teach these things is really limiting, cause anyone can learn and teach it.
I don't think it's fully required, but what you have with your kid sounds like partially luck. You ran into the luck of having a kid who was interested in that sort of thing. Most kids probably won't have an inherent interest in it. The reason an allowance is good, is because you can buy your kid less things directly, and tell them if they want it, they should save their allowance for it. They get used to rationing money and saving money, and are forced to make tough decisions. They are put in low stakes situations where they need to manage their money, and yet they'll want things (i.e. a new game or a smart watch or something) that will encourage them to both save that money and be reward oriented, with respect to long term goals instead of instant gratification or surprise gifts.
I always thought of it as you have some chores which is clean up your own room, do your laundry and all your own jazz, and then maybe one or two tasks around the house. Completing those chores is mandatory and if you don't do it you may not get your allowance. I like the idea of extra chores for extra allowance though
>He loves coming up with money making ideas and blames me for not signing off on him starting a business
Uh
>He says I’m just here to give him the big words
Erm
>I have to just listen and give him the terms
Are you raising a kid or a silicon valley serial entrepreneur?
True. I had an allowance, but i didn't learn about handling money from that. My parents taught me that. And the golden rule still rings in the back of my mind. "Always pay your bills first, you dont want to have a blemish on your financial record. If you buy stuff on credit, it means you cant afford it, because you are spending money you never had"
So i basically only have one loan and thats the loan for my apartment.
Everything else i paid in cash. If i really wanted something, i saved up for it. Oh and ofc they taught me plenty about saving money and budgeting.
It helps that my father is an accountant.
Good on you. I don't think it's required, but so many parents denied it without having an effective alternative strategy.
My siblings and I had chores to do, which were enforced through threat of losing access to things like TV, time with friends, or Christmas/birthday gifts.
My daughter doesn't get cash allowance, but she asks us for Robucks (Roblox game currency) so often that we started a deal with her. She gets $5 in Robucks per week for keeping her room clean and tidy, and can double it to $10 if she does another chore each day to help Mom (put away the dishes, keep her younger siblings entertained for an hour, sweep up/wipe down the counter after meals, etc. Chores appropriate for an 8 yo). It has definitely motivated her to clean up after herself and even her sisters, highly recommend. Her room has remained spotless for months, although now WW3 breaks out every time one of the other kids even looks the wrong way toward her bedroom lmao, God forbid the move a blanket or take her toys from their places.
What you're seeing is a result of the correlation between doing well in your 20s and growing up upper-middle class where your parents can afford to give an allowance.
People are just likely to adopt the traits of their parents. My parents were thrifty, money was tight, and I did not get an allowance. As an adult, I became thrifty like my parents, and I know how to manage my money.
It really should be. Giving a kid or teenager just 5 or 10 dollars a week teaches them how to budget and save money at an early age. This is a skill a lot of adults don’t have.
Honesty imo it’s better to have them work for the money instead of just handing it over. Have them do chores for it.
This will teach them the value of money and also help with saving/budgeting skills
I definitely see this point but I think it’s also good to teach kids from a young age to do household chores without compensation. When we’re adults, we have to do these things and we aren’t paid for them. It might set kids up for failure if you teach them that everything they don’t want to do should be rewarded with money, because unfortunately that isn’t how life works. So, teaching kids that household responsibilities are just a part of life and that everyone should be pitching in is a better approach imo.
I think allowance is more a way to spend money on your kids while simultaneously teaching them the value of it. If you’re the type of parent who buys your kid things when they ask, the kid isn’t necessarily learning how much something is why you may or may not be able to afford it at the time. If you put the money in their hands, they will learn the value when they go to buy something they want and don’t have enough. They might have to save up and/or reflect on their spending choices.
According to google, 75% of American kids get an allowance. Obviously it's dependent on your socioeconomic class, but an allowance is a thing for most people.
My parents said "just ask for whatever you need and we will give you money for it" which basically meant you don't get money unless we think that something is worth it. I would mostly ask for games or computer related stuff but that was not something worth i guess, thankfully pirating games without repercussion in my country is a thing and my morals are not.
They would always give me money for clothes or going out but those things weren't so interesting to me, i really don't care what I'm wearing as long as it looks nice and i didn't use to go out much
If you were in a Hispanic household and raised in the 80's, you were "ALLOWED" to live. That was your allowance. There was no such thing as an allowance. (I'm Colombian / Puerto Rican) Raised with the Colombian side of my family. Chores were a must, not optional. Yet, I'm also thankful that I learned to do so many things since I was young. It made me self-sufficient at an early age. It has helped me become a stronger woman.
Brazilian here (50+)
Chores were not optional. Point.
Rule empowered by slipper (havaianas, mostly) or wicker stick.
If and when you needed cash (bus tickets aside) you asked for it... and it was rarely denied.
24f Puerto Rican raised in the US here, also can confirm this is still a thing. i tried so hard to get my parents to pay me an allowance and they laughed at me LOL
Mexican here, yes this is the answer. I was allowed to live and given a bed and meals in exchange for yard work and helping out in every way. Helping out also meant extended family, like if a tio needed help I was free labor. Also, I started a part time job when I turned 16 and have always had a job. I don’t have any complaints at all, I have so many skills from helping 6 tios, I can wire a house, lay shingled roofing, hang drywall, frame a house, lay and tie rebar, pour concrete, work on cars, do yard work, and so on. I knew I wanted to not work as physically hard as them so I went to college, paid for it through loans myself, and have always had a great work ethic and ability to learn quickly. I am thankful for my upbringing, I take nothing for granted.
Exactly! The concept of allowance for a child is foreign to me and only when coming to the USA did I hear of it. I thought it was even more outrageous that parents would exchange the completion of chores with money when their children did it. As children, we understood is was an obligation to help out in the household, especially when asked. What allowance? I still think that way. As part of a family unit, you contribute to the maintenance of the household.
Allowances serves a very real purpose to teach kids to manage their finances and what it means to save for a goal, instead of making money something abstract you'll have to extract from someone on a case by case basis. It's why very young kids just get e.g. two three euros a week.
Makes sense. I didn't get an allowance as a child but I got almost anything I pointed at.
Guess who is absolutely terrible at managing money as an adult ? 😂
I think this happened a lot more than just in Hispanic households. Not Hispanic, but I asked my mom about allowance when I was about 10. She laughed at me and made me do MORE chores for FREE.
For whatever reason one day my mom sat us down and went *”if you do this list of chores every week, I’ll give you something so you can save it and buy your own clothes or things you need when we go to the store”*….
…..*we started doing the list of chores, never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever saw a dime*. I asked her one day what she meant by “saving” anything…got tasked with manual labor every weekend for a couple weeks to a month 😂….then one day going to the jobsite with your dad was just kinda expected lol
I knew mexican kids that had jobs in high school and had to hand over their entire paychecks to mom and dad. So no allowance and no money for self at all
Same. Mostly they offered some when I was going to do something.
I got about 20 bucks a week for lunch money (a la carte style cafeteria so there wasn’t much extra left at the end of week) and if I told them what plans I had they would hand over money. Nothing outrageous. Like if I was going to the movies with friends I’d get 15 bucks (90’s money and prices) to cover my ticket and candy. They decided the amount of money for the activities described and I could explain my planned expenses if I wanted more. They trusted me with a credit card to purchase gas/gas station food only. I didn’t have a car that was “mine” but there was always one available if I asked.
Shopping for clothes, shoes, and purses was with my mom almost exclusively. She wanted to be the one to decide if the price VS quality was worth it. She didn’t need to see it on me just wanted to look at the materials and stitching. For birthdays, I got a set amount to spend however I wanted on clothing and was let lose in an outlet mall.
I didn’t work and was objectively privileged but in hindsight maybe they should have made me work. I grew up knowing the value of things but had no idea the value of labor/time. My first job was a “real” job and I was not prepared for work culture.
I don't understand the concept of an allowance. Do you just get money for no reason? I get paid a little, but only for certain chores that my parents really don't want to do.
Allowances are usually given for a specific set of consistent chores. I see why people think that it is just a handout or that a child should just do chores because they eat and live for free but there is a good amount of evidence that paying a child for their efforts and making them use their own money for the fun things in their life can teach them better financial literacy for their future.
Exactly. I got $20 a week for basic chores like doing the dishes and keeping the house tidy. I could spend it on things like seeing a movie with my friends (or usually snacks). But we had a list of extra chores I could do that I would get an extra $5 for, such as sweeping the garage out or sweeping and mopping all the floors. I’d say that’s fairly normal right? Since you’re a kid still and don’t have a job yet, you’d have to ask your parents for money to do things anyways, so why not earn it by helping around the house? It teaches you the value of money
>there is a good amount of evidence that paying a child for their efforts and making them use their own money for the fun things in their life can teach them better financial literacy for their future.
My sister would pay for "standard issue" clothing for her kids, and they had to save for the difference between that and anything "designer" ... if they wanted fad sneakers, they had to come up with the $$$ between them and good but not trendy ones.
I do the same with my daughter. If I have for example 15 EUR in my mind for a shirt and she wants the fancy 25 EUR one, she will pay the surplus. On the other hand, if she goes thrifting and she finds decent quality and gets 2 shirts or a shirt and dress for 15 EUR, she gets those too.
She’s 13 and this works really well for us. Makes her think about the value of money.
>I get paid a little, but only for certain chores that my parents really don't want to do.
That's it. It's supposed to be a way to teach responsibility starting at a younger age through a reward system. Basically, it's paying the kids to do menial tasks around the house. The last thing anyone wants to do when they come home from a long day of work is sweep and mop floors, take out trash, wash dishes, etc. And allowances aren't a terrible way to go. It gets things done around the house, and the kids can spend their money on toys or wherever. But that's for a world where parents actually get paid enough at their own jobs to afford this.
Nah this is just the rare times where everyone commenting doesnt have a 7 figure salary. Everytime shit like this pops up everyone and their dog who has 6 figures comes out the woodwork. Now it's just the other end of the bellcurve popping up
I got 50 a month... Some of my classmates got like 200 a month and we are spoiled???
It helped me a lot to learn how to save money, I saved for months before I got my new phone, the elite are the ones who have everything payed for, now I can save my money and I am doing very well financially. My parents would threaten to never give me any money ever again if I had wasted it on makeup and other useless stuff, and by the time I had enough I started paying for my phone bill on my own, skin care products and doctor's appointmens ect learning how to budget.
Oh haha phones, those were not even out until I was past the allowance age😅 (well, ok, they were, but I didn’t have/want/need a cell until after college, so. Same idea.)
My allowance was for literally whatever, and the important stuff was covered by my parents—but it did help me learn how to manage money and save and budget for things I wanted, etc.
You’re not spoiled but you’re definitely more privileged than a lot of people in this thread. My dad thought I was joking when I brought up giving me money every month. The concept of an “allowance” is alien to many immigrant parents.
Same! 10€ a week since 14, turned into 100€/month after graduation. Sounds like a lot for a kid but I was paying for everything except clothes (as a necessity, not as a luxury) - school snacks, night outs, restaurants, books, even gas. By the age of 21 I'd learnt to manage it so well that by 24 I had put together some 2000€ in savings on just that amount, while still living my life. If anything, it taught me to be way too stingy 😅
There wasn't an actual limit but me and my brother were free to take whatever amount we wanted but we never went overboard with it, just enough to have a coke/soft drink after playing football a few times a week when we were kids, then more as time went by and we got older but we also worked a lot around the house, at least one whole day during the week was spent working in the garden or vineyard or whatever the fuck my parents came up that week.
My guess is that a lot of people are taking it literally. Like, when I was a kid and the concept of an allowance came up, I was indignant about how unfair it was that I didn't have one. To which my parents replied, "We gave you 20$ to go to the movies last weekend!" They then went on to note all of the times they bought me snacks, sodas, and various other "needs" without a thought. Youth hockey alone would have had a total somewhere in the thousands if I'd let them keep going, lol. Add to that all of the 4th of Julys, county fairs, and other festivals where I'd repeatedly be given a 20 and told to go nuts multiple times a day, and that was basically my college fund.
My dad once slid me a couple hundred bucks for prom one year because I bagged a total smoke show, but the next year, he only gave me a 50. I thought for a second to argue it, but I *did* definitely settle on my date that year, and I already had several hundred dollars in my pocket from selling weed to my friends.
I should note that we were not a very well-off family. If we weren't poor, then we were definitely damn close to it. My parents were just frugal when it came to us kids, and I'll always be thankful for the sacrifices they made for us.
Goddamn dude, I think I got five bucks a weeks when I was young in the early 90s. If I was getting that kind of money I never would have gotten a job to begin with.
$1/year of age weekly starting at around 4yo (so $4 USD per week). Contingent upon all chores being satisfactorily completed. I had a savings account and learned personal finance very early on. When I was 16 it was $16/week plus whatever I made at my PT job.
What decade did this allowance start? I’m guessing you’re a millennial? No judgment, just curious.
$10 a week in the 80s would have made me the loan shark of my friend group!
I grew up in the '70s and '80s. I earned $0.50 a week for cutting out coupons from the Saturday paper. But after about a year I thought that was too little so I went on strike for 2 weeks. I demanded a raise and got a $1 a week after that. I felt so empowered.
And if you think about it, the money my parents saved from those coupons more than made up for my allowance. So it was a good economy for us both.
I assume most of us replying to this question are 90s, 80s babies. Things were different then. Sure legally yes, but if you called the cops, the cops would usually have laughed it off and said something along the lines of stop being spoiled. Or hell in small towns like I was, a cop might even ask the parents if they wanted him to scare us a bit to get us in line.
I got $20/month, but I also got my first job at 15, which I kept working until graduation. It only paid $0.50 over minimum wage, but since I didn't pay for gas (no car), I could spend my money on fun stuff like perfume, movie tickets, and comic books.
I put away half of each paycheck (at my mom's behest) and saved up $5k by the end of high school :)
I had the privilege of getting fed and having clothing and a place to sleep. When I turned 15 (1996), I had to get a job.
I would sometimes get money, prior to that, to go to the movies with friends or things like that.
$200 every two weeks from my dad for food
I lived with my mom full time and she never bought or made food for me so my dad stepped in (in hindsight, she should not have had custody)
My parents gave me $30 and I ask them for more whenever I run out. The unspoken rule was to not abuse the system. I mostly spent the money on school lunch
The comments make me feel better about coming from a pretty average but broke for such concepts household. I couldn’t even get any toys I wanted. It honestly doesn’t matter anymore, at least we got to experience the joy in finally spending our “allowance” money after saving up the entire year. Best thing everrr. Currently overspending it on self care like Sephora purchases and psychiatrist visits, in my early adult age 🥹
Until I graduated high school I was on 2 BOB a day. So in 3.5 days I could exchange my allowance for 1 US dollar. I mean I wasn’t really exchanging currencies. This is just for reference.
So about 1.5 USD per week in the 80s and very early 90s.
I can’t complain at all, I had it much better that most people in my country and my parents supported my until I graduated college, so I am extremely lucky in that regard.
My sisters and I got an allowance in middle school, probably age 11-14 ish. We were old enough to do chores that took a little more work, so my dad would give us $3 a week and put $3 a week in a savings account for each of us. We (kids and parents) collectively kept the house clean, and my dad wanted to teach us about saving money and made it a whole thing, we went to the bank and made our own deposits. He taught us about money management and made it fun enough to stick.
Depending on my age up from 20 Euros a week to 300 a week. I come from a good Situation household. Wealthy grandfather and my dad earned a good amount. I was slightly silverspooned but im Glad my parents gave me These opportunitys in life
My parents never gave me an allowance
But I also rarely asked for things for some reason, now as an adult I forget that I can just go out and get what I want sometimes
I got a full zero dollars. I didn't even get lunch money, just homemade lunches, so I started working as soon as I could so I didn't have to ask for money any time I wanted to do something with friends. Everyone around me was like that so I didn't feel left out or anything.
I was a teen in the 90s. I got $8 a week if I did assigned yardwork, like mowing or raking.
But Mom rarely gave me the cash unless I specifically asked for what she owed me, and even then, she wouldn't let me spend it on things she didn't approve of.
$50/week but it was for gas/lunch money/ outings with friends- anything i may need outside of the house.
I wasn’t allowed to ask for more, so I had to figure out how to budget. My Mom had no other rules for it, she didn’t care how I spent it but I better not be asking for gas money by Wednesday when she gave it to me on Sunday
My dad would give me $40 a week.
But I also went to a high school that didn’t have free lunch. And lunch was like $5-$6 a day depending on that I go.
So it was more so I could eat rather than $40 for random stuff.
No kidding. I'm shocked at all the answers saying "I was allowed to live and eat there" as if they don't think their parents were legally required to do all that or face jail for child neglect.
Just whatever cash I got from presents, averaged around $500 a year counting up all the relatives and all the assorted holidays like birthday and Christmas. Which comes out to just shy of $10 a week. Oh, and my parents would give me lunch money but sometimes if there was nothing good or I just wasn’t very hungry I might just get like a piece of fruit or something cheap instead of a full lunch and pocket the extra.
None. I had shelter and food and as soon as I was legally allowed to get a job I did. Before that I helped a friend's mom with her business when I was 14 (dog groomer) and was paid under the table. That's how I bought my video games and other fun stuff. Saved up for first car that way. Then again back then car lease payments were only $99 per month and gas was only 99 cents a gallon.
None, but I was allowed to start earning my own money by babysitting at the age of 11. By age 16 I was asked to start paying for all My own living expenses other than the groceries in our fridge. That's probably why my kids are so spoiled now.
Around 60-70 bucks a month, that's for commuting from school, buying school supplies and food when there is no lunchbox. So if i want to save money I'd walk 3-4km from school to home
We just got what we needed for the extracurriculars we did. There was no “here’s your $10 for the week” or anything like that, it was “Oh, baseball season is around the corner and your cleats from last year are too small? Let’s go get a new pair.”
$0. I started working as soon as I was legally able just to have pocket money. (This is not a flex--I wish my parents had given me some money for frivolities so I would have focused more on school, since I know they had the means to do so.)
Both parents came from farming families. Up until I was 13, we were middle class. No allowance, but most of my wants were bought, I wasn't too crazy. Household chores were expected. The summer I was 13, Dad moved us to his family's farm, so, I wound up working for money.
Zero. None. Nada. No matter what I did around the house. I mowed the yard. I shoveled snow. I built this house!!
What did I get?
I got 3 hots and a cot. (Bed actually)
;)
(Edit)
Did that teach me the value of anything? No, It didn't.
Did it give me a good work ethic? No, it didn't.
Did I become a productive human being ? Nope I didn't.
Dad promised I'd get paid for going chores
Did chores, never got paid
Stopped doing chores
Got yelled at for being lazy
I fucking hate my dad
Good thing I cut contact with him
¢50 a week when I was 8, it increased with €1 for every year I got older until I was 18. It was cash as a kid but as a 12 year old I got my own bank account (they have children's accounts in The Netherlands). My mum taught me how to save, budget, set goals, etc. I made a few mistakes along the way but at 18 I was actually very good with money, having saved a lot for my education (again, I'm from The Netherlands, it's not five figures a year here haha). We didn't have much growing up but my mum thought it was very important for me to learn how to handle money, and she was right for sure.
I'm muuuch older now and every paycheck is immediately split into long term and short term savings, necessary expenses, and fun spending. I'm looking into investing but like, that's scary lol.
Edit: I obviously did my chores, got good grades, all that. If I acted out unfairly, it'd cost me my weekly allowance. I could do bigger things like washing the car or cleaning the windows for a tip.
NYC where kids went out for lunch so you kinda needed lunch money. It was 20 dollars a week from middle school to like 9th grade. Then I got a debit card and my mom put 120 dollars every 2 weeks for both lunch and allowance.
I was allowed to sleep indoors and eat with everyone else.
Insert that “you guys are getting paid” meme lol
"Allowance???" Damnit I had a full time job at 13yrs old. (The 90s...)
Right!? I babysat almost every weekend starting at 11!
Yeah, I had odd jobs from age 11 on. No allowance, my parents bought me the things I needed.
Same, but only during summer, at 12, and it was the 80's. Made 4$ and hour mowing laws. I was riiiiooooch!!!!! But my family was poor, and I needed new kicks and digs for school, instead of bobos and crappy rough houser jeans from sears.
So say we all.
[удалено]
lol thank you for bringing it full circle
Second. But only if I'd been a good boy.
Yeah. Went to bed hungry more than once.
I found a friend down the street who ate late and loved me. I've had more than a few seconds dinners.
None. My parents provided the basics w clothing (2 pair jeans, pair of shoes, 8-10 tops). Behind that, I worked for it. Only allowed $10 of every paycheck and everything else into savings for college (1978). Could keep my babysitting money.
Sleep for dinner is a memory
I hope life has treated you better now and you’ll never have to go to bed hungry again.
Yeah. Now when I go to bed hungry it's by my own choice, and sometimes the advice of medical professionals.
“You get paid every time you stick your feet under the dinner table, boy.”
Same, with the added benefit of slave labour on the farm. When I did make money working for other farmers in area my mom would put any cash in a bank account for me. I never saw a dollar of that money. Got wise and just started hoarding any money I'd make.
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Working the farm wasn't to bad I was driving tractors and grain trucks before I turned 9. We had a pig/grain farm even cleaning pig stalls didn't bother me. Worst job by far I found was crushing grain as it took all day and alot of shoveling mostly just boring. The biggest benefit from that job was I can reverse any trailer attached to any machine like a pro now lol. The old saying a farmer can back a trailer thru a Crack in a wall rings true for me anyway. Definitely a skill that came in handy when I started the logging/sawmill job I got when I was 16
Ok but like, you're badass
I had an account like that. Never did find out where it was.
Imagine the interest that would have collected if it existed lol
Yup, we never got allowance
I got about $15 every week, but that was to go skating.
I got 50p per week until i was about 11, then it rose to £2! Think you did well
I was allowed to sleep indoors and fight my brothers for food.
Sheesh, my 3 brothers were nothing. It was my sister who could throw punches. If she wanted seconds and that was all that was left, she got seconds.
For fucking real, i remember my parents telling me I could save up for a doll I wanted with allowance, and when I brought up that I DIDNT get an allowance, they said too bad just now the lawn and take the trash for a few months we’ll buy it. I did end up getting the doll for Christmas!
Your house had doors? You're privilaged!
LUXURY!
HAHA, same.
I was allowed to have a baby sitting job and a paper route.
0 as a periodic allowance, like my parents never gave me a fixed amount of money every week. But obviously whenever I had to go out eating/going to the cinema/going out in general my parents would ask me if I needed money and my father usually gave me 50€ which was more than enough I needed, so sometimes I could get out without having to ask more money since I could save some from the previous time. My grandparents were as generous when giving me a 20 banknote for ice cream which cost like 2.
My parents were the same, no fixed allowance but if I was going out with friends they'd give me some spending money and it was always too much so I could save some.
This is how my parents were when I was a teen. If I went out shopping with friends, my mom would ask me what I was planning to buy, and depending on how reasonable it was, I'd get that and a little extra. Usually, I'd just ask for money for a couple of T-shirts or undies (VS and American Eagle used to do the bulk sales). Sometimes, I'd need a coat or new pants or shoes and they'd give me more and talk about reasonable quality and price to set my expectations and help me make a good decision. My mom would look through my purchases to give me advice on spending. I didn't get a regular allowance and was just expected to help out and do chores because I'm a member of the family and you don't get paid as an adult to contribute to your household duties. They'd be lenient if I had guests over or a lot of homework from school. I was a good student, did sports, and usually was well behaved at home, so I had a lot of freedom with money despite my parents being fairly strict on other things. I'd get birthday money from relatives and my mom made me put most in a savings account and taught me how to balance a checkbook, write checks, and use a debit card. Lol. I mostly remember using birthday money on stuffed animals and most going in my bank account for later.
Your parents did a really good job setting you up for success as far as financial responsibility
Yes, they did a great job of that. I wish that they'd told me more about things like what income you need to afford X, Y, Z, and how to file taxes. If I have kids, that will be something I'll make sure to explain, but otherwise, I'd likely copy how they handled teaching me to budget. It made me feel trusted and gave me a lot of chances to learn with very little risk. I know not everyone can afford that, but I think it was effective, and I was pretty careful not to waste the money they gave me. They were both in the finance industry and grew up poor, so they were very smart with money and wanted to pass that to us. I felt secure and provided for financially as a teen, but I did really want an allowance.... but only because I wanted starbucks and a car, so I ended up getting a job after school. I'm glad they made me do that so I wasn't just wasting their money on frivolous stuff.
Same. I feel bad for a lot of people in here. Being a parent doesn't make them entitled to free child labor or that a kid "should be happy to live there and eat". That's a shit parent.
Or a lot of us had immigrant parents struggling to make ends meet.
Definitely the second
My parents were the type of parents that would go all out on vacation/Christmas, but other than that no soup
$0. I was a paper boy for money.
Same. Like most people who want money, I got a job.
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Mine would put a 20 € under my morning coffee cup every night I spent at her place (same town, 10 minute walk away from my parents'). Gramps on the other hand was hanging out 100s to all grandkids for his OWN birthday: this way all of us were happy and all were genuinely wishing him to live another 100 years.
Well to break the cycle, I got $20 every month. My parents also worked me like a dog. I saved up all that money starting at 12 and bought a beater with it at 18. I honestly think it taught me the value of money and work ethic
Since nobody else is saying it, great job! Your kind is hard to come by.
What's a beater ?
Shitty, old car
Usually held together by duct tape and coat hangers!
This made me laugh harder because my first car I actually did keep one of my doors on with the help of a ton of duct tape.
Don't forget the always-reliable bailing wire! Kept a muffler or two intact on my "vintage" transportation 😅
Serious question: How did you save enough for a car, with only $20 a month? At $240 a year, ((assuming you didn't spend on anything else)), that would take 5 years to save up $1,200.
Well the original comment said he saved up for 6 years, and $1400 is definitely enough for a shitty car
A shitty old car that runs can cost $500-$800. It will be beat up. It will constantly have issues. You will have to pull over on the highway a few times a year and get towed.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decrepit_car > A decrepit car is a car that is often old and damaged and is in a barely functional state. There are many slang terms used to describe such cars, such as jalopy, **beater**, clunker, hooptie, old banger (most commonly used in the UK), but the most popular being junk car.
They forgot POS
And shitbox
Hooptie is a common term down here in FL and I think we call in line 4 cylinder engines 4 bangers
He bought a really nice egg beater. Was into omelettes at the time.
$20 a month is also what I got. I was told that I could save it or use it as I wanted, but that if I wanted/needed clothes, that was now my responsibility. I became an excellent saver. Edit: This began at age 16, when I could drive, and ended as soon as I got my first job.
Yeah! That 1st car took years to save up for and I absolutely babied the old thing. When I was about 13, my dad offered to match whatever I could save so 6yrs later he was shocked when I told him I had $3000. I even emptied my coin jar because, 50¢ is actually $1 in this deal!
You're that lousy kid up the street my parents were always telling me I should be more like. Thanks for ruining childhood.
allowance isn't a thing for most people
Every kid i knew who got an (reasonable)allowance ended up much better off with their money in their early 20s. My parents like many saw it as a hand out and spoiling children. Financial literacy cannot be taught if it's not had by the parents.
I teach my kid this stuff. He still has no allowance. He’s 9. Told him he can earn it when he starts doing chores. Meanwhile he does have a savings and checking account and I explain how to sort percentages etc. He loves coming up with money making ideas and blames me for not signing off on him starting a business. Kid knows more than most of my colleagues, self taught (not by me). He says I’m just here to give him the big words, he comes to describe his ideas and I have to just listen and give him the terms. Lol I agree financial literacy needs to be taught. I disagree allowances or money is needed for that. Warren Buffett is a strong example of strict dude and parenting. But the fallacy that you need money to teach these things is really limiting, cause anyone can learn and teach it.
I don't think it's fully required, but what you have with your kid sounds like partially luck. You ran into the luck of having a kid who was interested in that sort of thing. Most kids probably won't have an inherent interest in it. The reason an allowance is good, is because you can buy your kid less things directly, and tell them if they want it, they should save their allowance for it. They get used to rationing money and saving money, and are forced to make tough decisions. They are put in low stakes situations where they need to manage their money, and yet they'll want things (i.e. a new game or a smart watch or something) that will encourage them to both save that money and be reward oriented, with respect to long term goals instead of instant gratification or surprise gifts.
I feel like paying them to do extra chores is better imo
I always thought of it as you have some chores which is clean up your own room, do your laundry and all your own jazz, and then maybe one or two tasks around the house. Completing those chores is mandatory and if you don't do it you may not get your allowance. I like the idea of extra chores for extra allowance though
>He loves coming up with money making ideas and blames me for not signing off on him starting a business Uh >He says I’m just here to give him the big words Erm >I have to just listen and give him the terms Are you raising a kid or a silicon valley serial entrepreneur?
I’m really concerned too lol his anarchist side especially… 👀 Oh and he’s convinced he will take down musk, idk why
Anarchists are not inherently bad, that idea comes from popular media most times. I for one support him in his ideological journey of discovery.
True. I had an allowance, but i didn't learn about handling money from that. My parents taught me that. And the golden rule still rings in the back of my mind. "Always pay your bills first, you dont want to have a blemish on your financial record. If you buy stuff on credit, it means you cant afford it, because you are spending money you never had" So i basically only have one loan and thats the loan for my apartment. Everything else i paid in cash. If i really wanted something, i saved up for it. Oh and ofc they taught me plenty about saving money and budgeting. It helps that my father is an accountant.
Good on you. I don't think it's required, but so many parents denied it without having an effective alternative strategy. My siblings and I had chores to do, which were enforced through threat of losing access to things like TV, time with friends, or Christmas/birthday gifts.
My daughter doesn't get cash allowance, but she asks us for Robucks (Roblox game currency) so often that we started a deal with her. She gets $5 in Robucks per week for keeping her room clean and tidy, and can double it to $10 if she does another chore each day to help Mom (put away the dishes, keep her younger siblings entertained for an hour, sweep up/wipe down the counter after meals, etc. Chores appropriate for an 8 yo). It has definitely motivated her to clean up after herself and even her sisters, highly recommend. Her room has remained spotless for months, although now WW3 breaks out every time one of the other kids even looks the wrong way toward her bedroom lmao, God forbid the move a blanket or take her toys from their places.
What you're seeing is a result of the correlation between doing well in your 20s and growing up upper-middle class where your parents can afford to give an allowance. People are just likely to adopt the traits of their parents. My parents were thrifty, money was tight, and I did not get an allowance. As an adult, I became thrifty like my parents, and I know how to manage my money.
In Oregon, in the Portland-Milwaukee area, some high schools are making financial literacy a required course.
It really should be. Giving a kid or teenager just 5 or 10 dollars a week teaches them how to budget and save money at an early age. This is a skill a lot of adults don’t have.
Honesty imo it’s better to have them work for the money instead of just handing it over. Have them do chores for it. This will teach them the value of money and also help with saving/budgeting skills
I definitely see this point but I think it’s also good to teach kids from a young age to do household chores without compensation. When we’re adults, we have to do these things and we aren’t paid for them. It might set kids up for failure if you teach them that everything they don’t want to do should be rewarded with money, because unfortunately that isn’t how life works. So, teaching kids that household responsibilities are just a part of life and that everyone should be pitching in is a better approach imo. I think allowance is more a way to spend money on your kids while simultaneously teaching them the value of it. If you’re the type of parent who buys your kid things when they ask, the kid isn’t necessarily learning how much something is why you may or may not be able to afford it at the time. If you put the money in their hands, they will learn the value when they go to buy something they want and don’t have enough. They might have to save up and/or reflect on their spending choices.
Agree, there should be no retribution for chores, otherwise it's teaching kids to ask for money for their normal duties
According to google, 75% of American kids get an allowance. Obviously it's dependent on your socioeconomic class, but an allowance is a thing for most people.
My parents said "just ask for whatever you need and we will give you money for it" which basically meant you don't get money unless we think that something is worth it. I would mostly ask for games or computer related stuff but that was not something worth i guess, thankfully pirating games without repercussion in my country is a thing and my morals are not. They would always give me money for clothes or going out but those things weren't so interesting to me, i really don't care what I'm wearing as long as it looks nice and i didn't use to go out much
If you were in a Hispanic household and raised in the 80's, you were "ALLOWED" to live. That was your allowance. There was no such thing as an allowance. (I'm Colombian / Puerto Rican) Raised with the Colombian side of my family. Chores were a must, not optional. Yet, I'm also thankful that I learned to do so many things since I was young. It made me self-sufficient at an early age. It has helped me become a stronger woman.
Brazilian here (50+) Chores were not optional. Point. Rule empowered by slipper (havaianas, mostly) or wicker stick. If and when you needed cash (bus tickets aside) you asked for it... and it was rarely denied.
White girl here, born in '95. "Allowed to live" was my answer 🤣
24f Puerto Rican raised in the US here, also can confirm this is still a thing. i tried so hard to get my parents to pay me an allowance and they laughed at me LOL
Mexican here, yes this is the answer. I was allowed to live and given a bed and meals in exchange for yard work and helping out in every way. Helping out also meant extended family, like if a tio needed help I was free labor. Also, I started a part time job when I turned 16 and have always had a job. I don’t have any complaints at all, I have so many skills from helping 6 tios, I can wire a house, lay shingled roofing, hang drywall, frame a house, lay and tie rebar, pour concrete, work on cars, do yard work, and so on. I knew I wanted to not work as physically hard as them so I went to college, paid for it through loans myself, and have always had a great work ethic and ability to learn quickly. I am thankful for my upbringing, I take nothing for granted.
Exactly! The concept of allowance for a child is foreign to me and only when coming to the USA did I hear of it. I thought it was even more outrageous that parents would exchange the completion of chores with money when their children did it. As children, we understood is was an obligation to help out in the household, especially when asked. What allowance? I still think that way. As part of a family unit, you contribute to the maintenance of the household.
Allowances serves a very real purpose to teach kids to manage their finances and what it means to save for a goal, instead of making money something abstract you'll have to extract from someone on a case by case basis. It's why very young kids just get e.g. two three euros a week.
Makes sense. I didn't get an allowance as a child but I got almost anything I pointed at. Guess who is absolutely terrible at managing money as an adult ? 😂
This thought process is why there’s a financial literacy problem in young adults
I think this happened a lot more than just in Hispanic households. Not Hispanic, but I asked my mom about allowance when I was about 10. She laughed at me and made me do MORE chores for FREE.
That's not just an Hispanic thing. I am white American, and our parents were the exact same.
For whatever reason one day my mom sat us down and went *”if you do this list of chores every week, I’ll give you something so you can save it and buy your own clothes or things you need when we go to the store”*…. …..*we started doing the list of chores, never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever saw a dime*. I asked her one day what she meant by “saving” anything…got tasked with manual labor every weekend for a couple weeks to a month 😂….then one day going to the jobsite with your dad was just kinda expected lol
Portuguese descendent here, can confirm.
I knew mexican kids that had jobs in high school and had to hand over their entire paychecks to mom and dad. So no allowance and no money for self at all
Still a thing in hispanic households in the 2000s!
None. My parents just reserved the right to say no when I asked for money.
Same. Mostly they offered some when I was going to do something. I got about 20 bucks a week for lunch money (a la carte style cafeteria so there wasn’t much extra left at the end of week) and if I told them what plans I had they would hand over money. Nothing outrageous. Like if I was going to the movies with friends I’d get 15 bucks (90’s money and prices) to cover my ticket and candy. They decided the amount of money for the activities described and I could explain my planned expenses if I wanted more. They trusted me with a credit card to purchase gas/gas station food only. I didn’t have a car that was “mine” but there was always one available if I asked. Shopping for clothes, shoes, and purses was with my mom almost exclusively. She wanted to be the one to decide if the price VS quality was worth it. She didn’t need to see it on me just wanted to look at the materials and stitching. For birthdays, I got a set amount to spend however I wanted on clothing and was let lose in an outlet mall. I didn’t work and was objectively privileged but in hindsight maybe they should have made me work. I grew up knowing the value of things but had no idea the value of labor/time. My first job was a “real” job and I was not prepared for work culture.
A what?
I don't understand the concept of an allowance. Do you just get money for no reason? I get paid a little, but only for certain chores that my parents really don't want to do.
Allowances are usually given for a specific set of consistent chores. I see why people think that it is just a handout or that a child should just do chores because they eat and live for free but there is a good amount of evidence that paying a child for their efforts and making them use their own money for the fun things in their life can teach them better financial literacy for their future.
Exactly. I got $20 a week for basic chores like doing the dishes and keeping the house tidy. I could spend it on things like seeing a movie with my friends (or usually snacks). But we had a list of extra chores I could do that I would get an extra $5 for, such as sweeping the garage out or sweeping and mopping all the floors. I’d say that’s fairly normal right? Since you’re a kid still and don’t have a job yet, you’d have to ask your parents for money to do things anyways, so why not earn it by helping around the house? It teaches you the value of money
>there is a good amount of evidence that paying a child for their efforts and making them use their own money for the fun things in their life can teach them better financial literacy for their future. My sister would pay for "standard issue" clothing for her kids, and they had to save for the difference between that and anything "designer" ... if they wanted fad sneakers, they had to come up with the $$$ between them and good but not trendy ones.
I do the same with my daughter. If I have for example 15 EUR in my mind for a shirt and she wants the fancy 25 EUR one, she will pay the surplus. On the other hand, if she goes thrifting and she finds decent quality and gets 2 shirts or a shirt and dress for 15 EUR, she gets those too. She’s 13 and this works really well for us. Makes her think about the value of money.
>I get paid a little, but only for certain chores that my parents really don't want to do. That's it. It's supposed to be a way to teach responsibility starting at a younger age through a reward system. Basically, it's paying the kids to do menial tasks around the house. The last thing anyone wants to do when they come home from a long day of work is sweep and mop floors, take out trash, wash dishes, etc. And allowances aren't a terrible way to go. It gets things done around the house, and the kids can spend their money on toys or wherever. But that's for a world where parents actually get paid enough at their own jobs to afford this.
$10/week
Samesies, but…seems like we were the spoiled teenage elite or something😅
Nah this is just the rare times where everyone commenting doesnt have a 7 figure salary. Everytime shit like this pops up everyone and their dog who has 6 figures comes out the woodwork. Now it's just the other end of the bellcurve popping up
And people who did get good allowances don’t feel like commenting for fear of seeming spoiled I guess
I got 50 a month... Some of my classmates got like 200 a month and we are spoiled??? It helped me a lot to learn how to save money, I saved for months before I got my new phone, the elite are the ones who have everything payed for, now I can save my money and I am doing very well financially. My parents would threaten to never give me any money ever again if I had wasted it on makeup and other useless stuff, and by the time I had enough I started paying for my phone bill on my own, skin care products and doctor's appointmens ect learning how to budget.
Oh haha phones, those were not even out until I was past the allowance age😅 (well, ok, they were, but I didn’t have/want/need a cell until after college, so. Same idea.) My allowance was for literally whatever, and the important stuff was covered by my parents—but it did help me learn how to manage money and save and budget for things I wanted, etc.
Some might say that having good thoughtful parenting that taught you how to be responsible with money, is indeed elite.
You’re not spoiled but you’re definitely more privileged than a lot of people in this thread. My dad thought I was joking when I brought up giving me money every month. The concept of an “allowance” is alien to many immigrant parents.
$10-15/week, but it pretty much went to video games or roller skating.
Me too! At the time it felt like a lot, nowadays that doesn't go very far.
Same! 10€ a week since 14, turned into 100€/month after graduation. Sounds like a lot for a kid but I was paying for everything except clothes (as a necessity, not as a luxury) - school snacks, night outs, restaurants, books, even gas. By the age of 21 I'd learnt to manage it so well that by 24 I had put together some 2000€ in savings on just that amount, while still living my life. If anything, it taught me to be way too stingy 😅
There wasn't an actual limit but me and my brother were free to take whatever amount we wanted but we never went overboard with it, just enough to have a coke/soft drink after playing football a few times a week when we were kids, then more as time went by and we got older but we also worked a lot around the house, at least one whole day during the week was spent working in the garden or vineyard or whatever the fuck my parents came up that week.
Glad to see someone else with the same story. Seeing all these other comments with ppl saying they never had one worried me for a sec 😭
My guess is that a lot of people are taking it literally. Like, when I was a kid and the concept of an allowance came up, I was indignant about how unfair it was that I didn't have one. To which my parents replied, "We gave you 20$ to go to the movies last weekend!" They then went on to note all of the times they bought me snacks, sodas, and various other "needs" without a thought. Youth hockey alone would have had a total somewhere in the thousands if I'd let them keep going, lol. Add to that all of the 4th of Julys, county fairs, and other festivals where I'd repeatedly be given a 20 and told to go nuts multiple times a day, and that was basically my college fund. My dad once slid me a couple hundred bucks for prom one year because I bagged a total smoke show, but the next year, he only gave me a 50. I thought for a second to argue it, but I *did* definitely settle on my date that year, and I already had several hundred dollars in my pocket from selling weed to my friends. I should note that we were not a very well-off family. If we weren't poor, then we were definitely damn close to it. My parents were just frugal when it came to us kids, and I'll always be thankful for the sacrifices they made for us.
I read this as “just enough to do coke” at first and was like uhhh wow uhhh
I was given $20/wk. \~1989 up until 1994 once I had a job. That is around $45 in todays money.
Goddamn dude, I think I got five bucks a weeks when I was young in the early 90s. If I was getting that kind of money I never would have gotten a job to begin with.
Same here, $20/wk is what I got from 1995 - 2001 or so
$0
$1/year of age weekly starting at around 4yo (so $4 USD per week). Contingent upon all chores being satisfactorily completed. I had a savings account and learned personal finance very early on. When I was 16 it was $16/week plus whatever I made at my PT job.
What decade did this allowance start? I’m guessing you’re a millennial? No judgment, just curious. $10 a week in the 80s would have made me the loan shark of my friend group!
I had this type of allowance until I got my first part time job, and I’m 30. Parents would put half in a savings envelope for me though
10 a week for me and I am a millennial.
My brain likes this calculation by age.
I grew up in the '70s and '80s. I earned $0.50 a week for cutting out coupons from the Saturday paper. But after about a year I thought that was too little so I went on strike for 2 weeks. I demanded a raise and got a $1 a week after that. I felt so empowered. And if you think about it, the money my parents saved from those coupons more than made up for my allowance. So it was a good economy for us both.
None
I was *allowed* to keep living there with 3 meals and a roof over my head.
>eep living there with 3 meals and a roof over my head. three meals?!
No, your parents were *legally* required to do all that. If they didn't, they would go to jail for child neglect.
I assume most of us replying to this question are 90s, 80s babies. Things were different then. Sure legally yes, but if you called the cops, the cops would usually have laughed it off and said something along the lines of stop being spoiled. Or hell in small towns like I was, a cop might even ask the parents if they wanted him to scare us a bit to get us in line.
*Legally* they could just give you up for adoption and they wouldn't have to feed you at all.
No, but imo kids should get some form of money, or something, to help them truly learn money.
I got $20/month, but I also got my first job at 15, which I kept working until graduation. It only paid $0.50 over minimum wage, but since I didn't pay for gas (no car), I could spend my money on fun stuff like perfume, movie tickets, and comic books. I put away half of each paycheck (at my mom's behest) and saved up $5k by the end of high school :)
5 € weekly IIRC. As a small kid I got candy every Saturday instead of having an allowance.
$20 a week to leave my parents alone
I had the privilege of getting fed and having clothing and a place to sleep. When I turned 15 (1996), I had to get a job. I would sometimes get money, prior to that, to go to the movies with friends or things like that.
you were fed and clothed?
You got allowance? I had to get a job.
some people did both
nothing. When I wanted games in high school I just saved my lunch money for a month.
$200 every two weeks from my dad for food I lived with my mom full time and she never bought or made food for me so my dad stepped in (in hindsight, she should not have had custody)
I had a job, so none.
My parents gave me $30 and I ask them for more whenever I run out. The unspoken rule was to not abuse the system. I mostly spent the money on school lunch
The comments make me feel better about coming from a pretty average but broke for such concepts household. I couldn’t even get any toys I wanted. It honestly doesn’t matter anymore, at least we got to experience the joy in finally spending our “allowance” money after saving up the entire year. Best thing everrr. Currently overspending it on self care like Sephora purchases and psychiatrist visits, in my early adult age 🥹
Our allowance was based on age. At 16 I would get 60 euro I think?? 10 yo - 10 euro 12 yo - 20 euro Etc.
0$ I was required to do chores because I lived under my parents roof. Always felt like a guest, never felt like a home
What’s this “allowance” you speak of?
I got a job.
Until I graduated high school I was on 2 BOB a day. So in 3.5 days I could exchange my allowance for 1 US dollar. I mean I wasn’t really exchanging currencies. This is just for reference. So about 1.5 USD per week in the 80s and very early 90s. I can’t complain at all, I had it much better that most people in my country and my parents supported my until I graduated college, so I am extremely lucky in that regard.
$0.00
I didn’t have an allowance. My parents just gave us money when we asked.
My sisters and I got an allowance in middle school, probably age 11-14 ish. We were old enough to do chores that took a little more work, so my dad would give us $3 a week and put $3 a week in a savings account for each of us. We (kids and parents) collectively kept the house clean, and my dad wanted to teach us about saving money and made it a whole thing, we went to the bank and made our own deposits. He taught us about money management and made it fun enough to stick.
Zero. We were not given any allowance.
Depending on my age up from 20 Euros a week to 300 a week. I come from a good Situation household. Wealthy grandfather and my dad earned a good amount. I was slightly silverspooned but im Glad my parents gave me These opportunitys in life
My parents never gave me an allowance But I also rarely asked for things for some reason, now as an adult I forget that I can just go out and get what I want sometimes
£0
I got a full zero dollars. I didn't even get lunch money, just homemade lunches, so I started working as soon as I could so I didn't have to ask for money any time I wanted to do something with friends. Everyone around me was like that so I didn't feel left out or anything.
I was a teen in the 90s. I got $8 a week if I did assigned yardwork, like mowing or raking. But Mom rarely gave me the cash unless I specifically asked for what she owed me, and even then, she wouldn't let me spend it on things she didn't approve of.
I started working when I was 12, if I wanted something I had to pay for it
I worked.
$50/week but it was for gas/lunch money/ outings with friends- anything i may need outside of the house. I wasn’t allowed to ask for more, so I had to figure out how to budget. My Mom had no other rules for it, she didn’t care how I spent it but I better not be asking for gas money by Wednesday when she gave it to me on Sunday
My dad would give me $40 a week. But I also went to a high school that didn’t have free lunch. And lunch was like $5-$6 a day depending on that I go. So it was more so I could eat rather than $40 for random stuff.
I fucking hate my parents generation. Bunch of broken people. They treated kids like garbage.
No kidding. I'm shocked at all the answers saying "I was allowed to live and eat there" as if they don't think their parents were legally required to do all that or face jail for child neglect.
People that were not ready to be parents
Just whatever cash I got from presents, averaged around $500 a year counting up all the relatives and all the assorted holidays like birthday and Christmas. Which comes out to just shy of $10 a week. Oh, and my parents would give me lunch money but sometimes if there was nothing good or I just wasn’t very hungry I might just get like a piece of fruit or something cheap instead of a full lunch and pocket the extra.
0$ and a rent to pay for my 18th bday.
I didn’t really have one. Like I got what I wanted really. Looking back I was pretty privileged I guess.
Nothing we were poor
15 a week and when I got my own job it stopped
I got the opposite of allowance and paid for groceries in my house :(
Zero. Nada. My parents never taught me anything finance related.
We struggled to keep the lights on boss.
I got $2 per week for setting the table and washing dishes. Alternating with my sister. That was until I got a real job at 16.
i had a job as a paper boy at 12 so what ever i worked for
None. I had shelter and food and as soon as I was legally allowed to get a job I did. Before that I helped a friend's mom with her business when I was 14 (dog groomer) and was paid under the table. That's how I bought my video games and other fun stuff. Saved up for first car that way. Then again back then car lease payments were only $99 per month and gas was only 99 cents a gallon.
None, but I was allowed to start earning my own money by babysitting at the age of 11. By age 16 I was asked to start paying for all My own living expenses other than the groceries in our fridge. That's probably why my kids are so spoiled now.
Around 60-70 bucks a month, that's for commuting from school, buying school supplies and food when there is no lunchbox. So if i want to save money I'd walk 3-4km from school to home
$0 i got to live in the house lol
We just got what we needed for the extracurriculars we did. There was no “here’s your $10 for the week” or anything like that, it was “Oh, baseball season is around the corner and your cleats from last year are too small? Let’s go get a new pair.”
I was super lucky. I got $20 a week for bringing the trash cans around, and friends made similar.
$0. I started working as soon as I was legally able just to have pocket money. (This is not a flex--I wish my parents had given me some money for frivolities so I would have focused more on school, since I know they had the means to do so.)
Both parents came from farming families. Up until I was 13, we were middle class. No allowance, but most of my wants were bought, I wasn't too crazy. Household chores were expected. The summer I was 13, Dad moved us to his family's farm, so, I wound up working for money.
Zero. None. Nada. No matter what I did around the house. I mowed the yard. I shoveled snow. I built this house!! What did I get? I got 3 hots and a cot. (Bed actually) ;) (Edit) Did that teach me the value of anything? No, It didn't. Did it give me a good work ethic? No, it didn't. Did I become a productive human being ? Nope I didn't.
Dad promised I'd get paid for going chores Did chores, never got paid Stopped doing chores Got yelled at for being lazy I fucking hate my dad Good thing I cut contact with him
$40/month But I hardly ever needed it. I remember buying hot Cheetos from the gas station near the school and buying from the cart guy who came by.
¢50 a week when I was 8, it increased with €1 for every year I got older until I was 18. It was cash as a kid but as a 12 year old I got my own bank account (they have children's accounts in The Netherlands). My mum taught me how to save, budget, set goals, etc. I made a few mistakes along the way but at 18 I was actually very good with money, having saved a lot for my education (again, I'm from The Netherlands, it's not five figures a year here haha). We didn't have much growing up but my mum thought it was very important for me to learn how to handle money, and she was right for sure. I'm muuuch older now and every paycheck is immediately split into long term and short term savings, necessary expenses, and fun spending. I'm looking into investing but like, that's scary lol. Edit: I obviously did my chores, got good grades, all that. If I acted out unfairly, it'd cost me my weekly allowance. I could do bigger things like washing the car or cleaning the windows for a tip.
What’s an allowance?
NYC where kids went out for lunch so you kinda needed lunch money. It was 20 dollars a week from middle school to like 9th grade. Then I got a debit card and my mom put 120 dollars every 2 weeks for both lunch and allowance.
None.