HOW MUCH POCKET MONEY

[shane]

my daughter symone is nearly seven,and every day because its the summer holidays,she comes rushing in saying can i have! a pound for sweets for me and my friend, so ill give her a pound,next thing is the poke man comes round with his music playing its hot and all the kids are rushing in to there moms asking,"can i have a pound for a poke" i usually give in and give her it, but when this goes on every day, I'm going to be out a fortune before summers over SO!! should i give her pocket money? so she can decide what to spend it on, or should i just give her money when she wants something? HOW MUCH POCKET MONEY SHOULD A NEARLY SEVEN YEAR OLD GET A WEEK?? i haven't a clue

: i dint want to be stingy or too generous, she a great kid, very polite and does not get into trouble, she cleans her room etcetera and never cheeks me up,so I'm just in a quandary lol what would you do???? thanks as always :bgrin

 

[nootka]

Pound for a poke?

Ok, what gives...the ice cream man?

I am not sure what you can do other than to explain to her there is a set budget she should adhere to and she can make some choices. I know she isn't likely to have a lot of an attention span, but explaining it to her about choosing which things to purchase and which to pass up in favor of others may help her deal with it.

You could give her a little task to help "earn" some of it and then put it into a small can or jar so she can see it. Explain to her about saving vs. spending right here and now and just let her make the choices w/"her" money. When you decide to buy her something extra, explain to her you feel like treating her and you have some extra so that is just what you're doing and she still has her money, etc.?

Wish I had better advice, I do know it's hard not to buy them things sometimes when you want them to be happy and enjoy their childhood but it's not always necessary.

Liz

 

[chandab]

I guess how much depends a bit on your budget.

I know I had an allowance as a kid, but it's been so long, I can't remember how much it was (I don't think I had one when I was seven, if I did it was maybe a dollar a week, but that was almost 30 years ago, so there has been a bit of inflation since then).

Perhaps, if it's in the budget, like 5 pounds a week (a little more or less, $3-$7, depending on the budget). If she does extra chores that week, then maybe a little bonus, or something. And, if you decide to go with an allowance, don't give in and give more when she gives you those sad eyes over something she just has to have.

Good luck.

 

[Voodoo]

I have to admit that is a tough one. I never really had an allowance as a kid, but there was always a list of chores on the counter, ie.....

Sweep shop $.25

Clean horse stalls $.50 each stall

Sweep kitchen floor $.15

Now as kids our parents didn't expect perfection in the chores, but rather that we did have to work for your money. Now how much you decide to give for each chore depends upon your budget. The one thing I will say though is that I could still run to daddy (mom wouldn't give in) with those huge sad eyes and get what I wanted (considering it was small, candy bar, soda pop etc.....) I will say that I grew up with a great respect for money, how and what to spend on etc....., but dad was always there explaining things to my brother and I. At nine I had my own check book, was allowed to sign credit cards, pay my own entry fees at the rodeos and keep my winnings. I had a good savings account going by the time I was 13, bought and paid for my own truck at 16 and a trailer to go with it at 17. I have always been responisble with money, but I will say though that the "please daddy" eyes aren't gone at 23

: . So I guess there's a happy medium in there somewhere and it is just great pleasure for us kids to have a parent wrapped around our finger :bgrin . It sounds like your daughter is very well mannered and just knows you love her lots and will give in

: nothing wrong with that in my opinion.

 

[MyBarakah]

Hi!

Ok...... This one's right up my alley! lol! ha! I have 2 young boys, 6 & 9. I hear that stuff all the time about "can I have" "Can I have!"....... Either money or something!....... Drives me insane sometimes!

But....... I hardly have the extra cash! Sad to say..... at times I've had to borrow $5 for them!

They also know that I don't have the $$ to get them what they all want sometimes!

BUT...................

My mom, who lives a mile down the road, and money is NO object!! ARH!............. She will get them things that I can't...... which is good and BAD!!!!!!!!!!

I know they do not appriciate getting things like I did as a kid! As a kid the only time I ever got anything was at birthdays or christmas and then school clothes.......

I want these kids to have values and know what it means and takes by earning a dollar!

So I also purposely will not give in to thier little "I wants"........

And yes.... sometimes I will get them something (little)...........when they don't expect it!

Training horses is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier than raising kids! Holly Cow! Espeically being the ONLY parent! They see thier dad sometimes once or twice a week... sometimes not. But he's not a good influence.

But raising kids are hard! That's for sure! Especially with all the convience's of today! That bother's me!

 

[Marty]

I don't know how much a pound is but I know that a poke over here means something sexy and I guess sweets mean candy.

I've fed an army of kids for years so start baking and get creative.

Save yourself a lot of money and trouble and bake some cookies and brownies for her and her friends to come over and share. Take one day a week and devote it to making enough treats to last for a whole week.

Make prepared treats such as rice-krispy treats for the kids and make your own popcycles in the freezer too. They sell the little kits with the wooden sticks and it's simple to do. Jello Jigglers is fun too and so is watermelon if you have that there.

Get a sno-cone machine

Make pop corn

Then I would tell her that I will give her money for her pound poke only one day a week. The other days she has to eat her treats that you make for her and her friends.

Making home made ice cream is a pain but it's fun for all the kids to do

 

[KarenM]

:saludando: Hi Shane

My daughter has just turned seven and she gets $5.00 AUD Australia Dollars =2.04935 GBP United Kingdom Pounds a week $4 of that is banked into her savings account . If she makes her bed each morning she then gets 0.50 AUD Australia Dollars=0.204964 GBP United Kingdom Pounds

As for sweets or as we call then Lollies i must admit i do buy them for her.

Hope this helps

 

[strass]

I don't know how much a pound is but I know that a poke over here means something sexy

A pound for a poke? Now that's CHEAP!

Seriously now, there is a magic word that I learned to use with my son that has helped him to grow into a much better person than he ever could have without it. Via this magic word, he understands that good deeds will be rewarded...but not so quickly as bad deeds will be punished. I'm all for spoiling kids, but they have to learn that they can't have everything and that there are times when all must do without the things we want. Try the magic word...NO.

Making them work to earn treats, as some of the others have suggested, is what I call an excellent solution. It creates a value for what they want.

 

[Frankie]

I do think a treat every day is too much.

And, I do not think kids should have to "earn" everything given to them. Giving just to be giving teaches a lot as well.

But if you want to use the reward system,,,,,,,,,,if she keeps her room up all week, then she can look forward to her treat given on Friday for doing so.

 

[Ashley]

From what I can remember I was also raised as the if you want something you work for it.

The only time I got stuff was birthdays, and xmas.

I had no problem with that and it didnt effect me at a later date. I am still a very giving person, often told to much.

 

[as if by magic 2]

Symone can live on her show winnings !! Add them all up and divide it by 8 weeks of holidays don't minus the show entry, your time for getting them ready or the diesel !! It's money she's earned !

I love the poke man !! :lol:

 

[shane]

LOL, LILIAN, i dont think shed buy many pokes this year, maybe if she keeps stalking kelly as kelly is her hero

: ,she ll do better next year, lol and itll be pokes all round.... :bgrin it also doest help that weve got shops across the street and five doors down lol maybe i should move house...mmm, i never thought of that lol :bgrin

:

 

[strass]

I love the poke man !!

itll be pokes all round

I GIVE UP!!!

I'm not trying to be a S.A. I seriously do not know. As Marty said, to us simple American Country Folk a "poke" means something ENTIRELY different than I hope you mean it (especially if you've ever watched certain "western" films). In that context, this thread is way out of control and belongs on a forum nothing like this one.

I'm sure that's not what you mean. So, WHAT THE HECK IS A POKE? Is it something to do with ice cream as nootka asked?

 

[shane]

lmao :bgrin :aktion033: sorry...a poke is an ice cream, on a cone, over here we call it a poke, and the man travells round all the streets with music playing loudly, always childrens music, and he stops ,all the kids run up to his van, and buy there pokes, he i s called the POKE MAN LOL :bgrin

:

 

[rabbitsfizz]

OK if a "poke" means something completely different- what is a Cow POKE??????

Or was that rude originally too?

: :lol:

:

 

[strass]

Rab, Excellent question!

I, honestly, do not know the history of the term "Cow Poke". My guess would be that the Gents on cattle drives were called that by Saloon Girls. However, that is ONLY A GUESS.

I grew up close to Oklahoma State University (mascot is the Cowboys). We always chanted, “Go Pokes!†but also always snickered at the double meaning. Oddly, I’ve never really given much thought as to how Cowboys became known as Pokes. Since reading your question, I feel compelled to find out.

Meanwhile, thank you explaining the ice cream thing, Shane.

 

[sharon]

Now about you give her money at the beginning of the week, but only enough for her to buy candy or ice cream, but not both. Give her enough so that whichever she does buy, she will still have a little bit left over.

It will then be her decision on which one to buy. Then, if she really starts putting her mind to it, if she could give up her treats for one week, the next week, she'd have enough to buy both. And with the extra bit of change she has, as that adds up, she'll be working up to getting something more.

Then maybe she might see a toy or something she wants and she'll be learning how to give up some goodies in order to save up money for a toy that costs more than her goodies do.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Personally I would not give her any money for pokes- I would have ice cream in the freezer, and ice lollies and tell her for the money she can get one for, in the house she can get six or seven which would she rather have- gratis cornets in the house or one in the street??

It's hard but since she can also invite friends in for the same money, I think the poke man will have less trade in your area

:

By the way- I am the GRINCH of those bl**dy vans- I would take the wires from the bl**dy chimes and wrap them tightly round the poke mans neck!!!

You have NO idea how much I LOATHE their cheerful bl**dy tinkling of tunes that then stay trapped in my tiny brain, going round and round, all bl**dy day!!!!

For this reason I changed my cell phone ring tone to a simple, old fashioned "ring- ring" (even though I had to bribe a fifteen year old to do it for me!!!

: )

 

[shane]

lol funny enough i cant stand the rings either

: , we have about three of them competing in our area they sound like the "child catcher" lol out of bed knobs and broomsticks,lol

i have actually just yesterday bought a big box of ice pops,that are very cheap,so ill definately see a difference in my purse this week lol, she s a great kid and ive bought her a money box,so shes a bit enthusiastic about it already :aktion033: thanks for the input everyone :bgrin

 

[as if by magic 2]

Hadn't been catching up on this one !! Oh you lot NEARLY lowered the tone !! All we need is a poke-man now called RANDY ! Now that would really mean something different over here :bgrin

Linda, I'm lucky we live in the country. If I don't shop it's not here !! My kids would love to cross the street to the shops boy would I be giving out all the time ! I buy lollys in bulk ! the cheaper the better !

Now Kellee is an expert on ALL ice-creams ! You will have to get used to the fact that daughters are a little more draining on the economy ! :bgrin Show winnings whats that ? I haven't got any thru yet !