£50 a month!

My DD (single parent now, 2 children) is on Universal credit and has just lost £87 a month.

Our twin grandchildren get half of that. £3 a week from their parents which goes into their bank accounts and the same for us in cash.

My first reaction was that yes, that is a lot!

Then I realised that it's not much more than £10 per week, and that really doesn't buy much at all these days.

Plus, I doubt if Saturday jobs are anywhere as easy to come by for that age group nowadays as opposed to when we were all teenagers.

I think I would at least be requiring my children to 'earn' their pocket money by doing tasks though!

Yes, you're out of touch!

£50 per month is around £12 a week - the price of a cinema ticket and a soft drink.

It depends on what they are expected to use it for. Do they pay their own entrance fees to swimming/sports etc? Do they buy their own snacks, magazines etc? Are they expected to save a percentage?

About right me thinks.

I've never been in favour of children being paid for jobs around the house. My attitude was that it was all our home and we should all keep it nice for ourselves without expecting payment.
Pocket money was for treats and for learning to budget, without strings.

It depends on what it has to cover. If it’s just for entertainment, eg cinema trips, burgers at McD’s etc, then it’s generous. If it has to cover eg bus fares, school stationery, shoes and clothes, then it’s not over generous.

Yes you are here is a link to child employment law in the UK too

£1 in the 1950s? is worth £35 today.
I would say your very much out of touch.

I agree , Ilovecheese. We gave our children pocket money based on their age, but not ever tied to chores. Chores are just part of living in a house and keeping it tidy.

I think we have our children money every second week which made them learn to budget a bit, but by around 14 they did find part time jobs. I can't quite remember when we stopped giving pocket money. It wasn't a large amount, also about the price of a movie and snack.

Not all of us had Saturday jobs back in the 50’s.

My Saturday job in a greengrocer’s, 8.30-5.00 in 1969 paid £1 for the day, 10 shillings for weekdays in the school holidays.

I think £50:is not a lot at all really

I don’t even give myself such an allowance! How do parents manage?

My oldest granddaughter had jobs throughout her teens and during her time at university. After graduation, she took on bar work until she got a job that matched her qualifications - she is now almost 30 and has never been out of work. The younger ones have all - but one - earned money through their teens - chip shop, kitchen work and paper rounds. I'm really proud of all of them.
When I was a kid, my parents gave us 2d for each year, so at 8 I had 1/4d.

MerylStreep

£1 in the 1950s? is worth £35 today.
I would say your very much out of touch.

I got 2s 6d in the 1950s.
And another 2s 6d from a great-uncle if we visited him (and the promise of more when he 'came up on the Pools).

2s 6d a week (10s per month) is about £14 per month now I think

annodomini

My oldest granddaughter had jobs throughout her teens and during her time at university. After graduation, she took on bar work until she got a job that matched her qualifications - she is now almost 30 and has never been out of work. The younger ones have all - but one - earned money through their teens - chip shop, kitchen work and paper rounds. I'm really proud of all of them.
When I was a kid, my parents gave us 2d for each year, so at 8 I had 1/4d.

Mine did that too.

Sounds a lot to me, tbh. I must be out of touch. Are Saturday jobs really that hard to come by? My mum sent me out to look for one when I was fifteen and I got one in Millets (remember them?) and later in Woolworths where I earned 13/6d for the day.

£50 a month seems quite a lot but it depends what they are expected to pay for.

I don't know how parents manage nowadays, I couldn't have given my child £50 per month. Both of my kids took packed lunches to school and I had to eke out whatever I'd bought, sometimes one of them would have to have the ''crust' for their sandwich.

I was at Sainsbury's the other day and lots of older school children came in and bought sandwiches, sweets and drinks - must have cost at least £5.

Should have said I earned 13/9d at Woolworths, not 13/6d. That extra 3d meant a lot!

Way too much in my opinion

My Mum didn't have any spare cash, and I never asked my Dad. I worked in a transport cafe when I was 14, fifty years ago now! I can't remember what I earned but I managed to buy a new top or skirt every week from a shop in Kingston, sometimes a single record. I still remember the feel of the men tickling my palm with their money, making faces when I said one or two sausages, argh. Used to go home smelling of lard.

If they are mid-teens are they supposed to buy some of their own clothes from that money, apart from the basics and school uniforms?