Why do I get just £1 pocket money a week?
August 31, 2013 10:29 AM Subscribe
Robert Peston answers a question from a disappointed six-year old. (As picture)
Guardian: how much pocket money some parents give their children.
Some figures (n.b. survey commissioned by bank).
Telegraph: How much pocket money should children get?
More than half of UK adults receive pocket money from their grandparents until at least the age of 30 (n.b. survey commissioned by discount website).
Guardian: how much pocket money some parents give their children.
Some figures (n.b. survey commissioned by bank).
Telegraph: How much pocket money should children get?
More than half of UK adults receive pocket money from their grandparents until at least the age of 30 (n.b. survey commissioned by discount website).
Initially thinking this was Robert Preston, I had rather hoped the answer would be a lot more charming, and perhaps musical.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 10:39 AM on August 31, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 10:39 AM on August 31, 2013 [6 favorites]
Who exploits resources
Extracting rent from you
Make a trillion pounds
But only give you one or two
The Man can!
posted by infinitewindow at 10:45 AM on August 31, 2013 [8 favorites]
Extracting rent from you
Make a trillion pounds
But only give you one or two
The Man can!
posted by infinitewindow at 10:45 AM on August 31, 2013 [8 favorites]
Much as this is a nice illustration of the various types of (routes to) socialism, I can't help but thinking the comparison of welfare to a six-year-old's pocket money kind of glosses over the issue of need.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:17 AM on August 31, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by Sys Rq at 11:17 AM on August 31, 2013 [7 favorites]
Initially thinking this was Robert Preston, I had rather hoped the answer would be a lot more charming, and perhaps musical.
I was thinking the same and I was sure the answer was going to be that it was trouble with a capital T, which rhymes with P and that stands for "pocket money".
posted by DU at 11:28 AM on August 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
I was thinking the same and I was sure the answer was going to be that it was trouble with a capital T, which rhymes with P and that stands for "pocket money".
posted by DU at 11:28 AM on August 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
Bwithh, I really want to read that story! I googled to find the name but wasn't successful.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:40 AM on August 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 11:40 AM on August 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
Honestly, I was hoping he would go further with his six-year-olds multiverse story.
posted by chrominance at 12:07 PM on August 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by chrominance at 12:07 PM on August 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
We set an allowance of 1$ per year of life per week, so it would now be $10 a week. If we ever remembered to give it to him, or he remembered to ask... He never seems to need cash, so we usually forget until he sees some new Lego thing he can't live without, and I buy it and we call the last quarter of allowance even.
posted by dejah420 at 12:08 PM on August 31, 2013
posted by dejah420 at 12:08 PM on August 31, 2013
Pocket money and an allowance were always a mystical notion to me that seemed to exist only in places like The Cosby Show and Growing Pains.
posted by Brocktoon at 12:35 PM on August 31, 2013 [10 favorites]
posted by Brocktoon at 12:35 PM on August 31, 2013 [10 favorites]
Guardian: how much pocket money some parents give their children.
Parts of this article are weird because they're about childcare costs not pocket money (if nursery fees are pocket money then my kid is almost earning as much as me), but the second to last part (Maria, 53), sweet jesus. "In hindsight, I think I spoiled him". No shit.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:50 PM on August 31, 2013
Parts of this article are weird because they're about childcare costs not pocket money (if nursery fees are pocket money then my kid is almost earning as much as me), but the second to last part (Maria, 53), sweet jesus. "In hindsight, I think I spoiled him". No shit.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:50 PM on August 31, 2013
You could scream and scream till they give in and give you more pocket money
You could also scream and scream and write all your screams down in a book along with watered-down apologies about why your business journalism organization didn't sound any alarms about the global financial crisis even though you totally knew it was all coming, have your book printed with a picture of you on the cover and your name in giant letters, and have your organization promote your book alongside all of its other now-admittedly-inadequate business reporting. That's the sort of screaming for pocket money you do when you're a grown-up umbrella, y'see.
(Disclaimer: I haven't read that book, maybe it's actually brilliant.)
posted by XMLicious at 1:05 PM on August 31, 2013 [4 favorites]
Around here we consider the money we put in our kids to be a loan. When they hit 18 we're going to present them with a bill fir expenses incurred plus interest.
posted by happyroach at 1:31 PM on August 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by happyroach at 1:31 PM on August 31, 2013 [1 favorite]
Hey kids, pay me £10 and I'll tell you how to double your pocket money instantly. e-mail for details: you@cantrustme.com ;)
posted by Drew Glass at 2:06 PM on August 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Drew Glass at 2:06 PM on August 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
Reading that article.... 1,300 pound buggy? Does it fly?
posted by corb at 3:05 PM on August 31, 2013
posted by corb at 3:05 PM on August 31, 2013
Also "child benefit payments"? What is that? Is it supposed to be held for the children?
posted by corb at 3:06 PM on August 31, 2013
posted by corb at 3:06 PM on August 31, 2013
The wikipedia says it's also called "children's allowance". I meant, is it expected this money will be given to the children directly?
posted by corb at 4:10 PM on August 31, 2013
posted by corb at 4:10 PM on August 31, 2013
Corb, no, it's meant to assist with general daily family living expenses.
posted by goshling at 4:35 PM on August 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by goshling at 4:35 PM on August 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
Well in that case, the ex and the kid who think she's "Stealing" because she used the money, for you know, actual living expenses, can just go take a long walk off a short pier.
posted by corb at 4:40 PM on August 31, 2013
posted by corb at 4:40 PM on August 31, 2013
Much as this is a nice illustration of the various types of (routes to) socialism, I can't help but thinking the comparison of welfare to a six-year-old's pocket money kind of glosses over the issue of need.
Clearly you have never heard a six year old whine about how badly they neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed thaaaaaaaaaaaat toooyyyyyyyyy, Mooooooooooommmmmm.
posted by looli at 7:47 PM on August 31, 2013
Clearly you have never heard a six year old whine about how badly they neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed thaaaaaaaaaaaat toooyyyyyyyyy, Mooooooooooommmmmm.
posted by looli at 7:47 PM on August 31, 2013
I do the same dollar per week based on age as dejah420. I also forget a lot, too. I just recently got my kid a little pocket notebook to work as a ledger and told her she needs to keep track. We are now several weeks behind but she is SO LAZY and so apparently unmotivated by cash, that she'd rather forego $50 than write down five sets of numbers. Fine by me. She's got a Sunday noon deadline after which she forfeits and the money is mine all mine. And that's fair because I have all the money and all the power.
posted by looli at 7:52 PM on August 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by looli at 7:52 PM on August 31, 2013 [2 favorites]
Doesn't the government set the children's allowance rate?
"Why is my allowance only one dollar a week?"
"Because Obama. That's why"
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:55 PM on August 31, 2013
"Why is my allowance only one dollar a week?"
"Because Obama. That's why"
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:55 PM on August 31, 2013
More than half of UK adults receive pocket money from their grandparents until at least the age of 30 (n.b. survey commissioned by discount website).
I know it's almost certainly a study from the Institute of Made-Up Numbers, but... really?
posted by Mezentian at 12:34 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
I know it's almost certainly a study from the Institute of Made-Up Numbers, but... really?
posted by Mezentian at 12:34 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
I know it's almost certainly a study from the Institute of Made-Up Numbers, but... really?
My grandparents would slip me a fiver from time to time - individually, on the sly, both saying 'Don't tell your Nan/Grandad!" - well into my 20s, and it was really hard to get them to stop. My Nan started doing it again when the dementia kicked in (to me, and anyone else she suspected might be her grandchild!)
This is definitely a standard thing in the UK, to the point that people joke about it, the way they might joke about grandparents sending cheesy kid's birthday cards - strictly football or princess themed according to gender! - to 30-something grandchildren.
posted by jack_mo at 3:16 AM on September 1, 2013
My grandparents would slip me a fiver from time to time - individually, on the sly, both saying 'Don't tell your Nan/Grandad!" - well into my 20s, and it was really hard to get them to stop. My Nan started doing it again when the dementia kicked in (to me, and anyone else she suspected might be her grandchild!)
This is definitely a standard thing in the UK, to the point that people joke about it, the way they might joke about grandparents sending cheesy kid's birthday cards - strictly football or princess themed according to gender! - to 30-something grandchildren.
posted by jack_mo at 3:16 AM on September 1, 2013
My grandparents would slip me a fiver from time to time - individually, on the sly, both saying 'Don't tell your Nan/Grandad!"
Interesting. I'm from an essentially British family ("it ain't cooked if it ain't grey"), and I lost all of my grandparents early on, but if this is a thing I wonder why it didn't survive into the colonies, and why it started in the first place, and how far back it goes. My gut would be it being reaction to the Depression, but that is my standard amswer.
posted by Mezentian at 3:42 AM on September 1, 2013
Interesting. I'm from an essentially British family ("it ain't cooked if it ain't grey"), and I lost all of my grandparents early on, but if this is a thing I wonder why it didn't survive into the colonies, and why it started in the first place, and how far back it goes. My gut would be it being reaction to the Depression, but that is my standard amswer.
posted by Mezentian at 3:42 AM on September 1, 2013
You could scream and scream till they give in and give you more pocket money
Peston makes a good point -- I could scream, you could scream -- but if we all scream together, my oh my.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 5:18 AM on September 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
Peston makes a good point -- I could scream, you could scream -- but if we all scream together, my oh my.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 5:18 AM on September 1, 2013 [2 favorites]
That's almost perfectly eponysterical.
posted by Grangousier at 5:20 AM on September 1, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Grangousier at 5:20 AM on September 1, 2013 [3 favorites]
What is this "allowance" you speak of? Is it motivation for chores? In the Lineofsight household, my sister and I were expected to do chores. Without any compensation beyond "three meals". Any wad of money I got was entirely unplanned, contingent on holidays, birthdays, family gatherings, and parental bonus checks.
When I told my friends this they gaped at me like I was a barbarian. One of them was given 50 dollars a week... at age 12!
posted by lineofsight at 6:38 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
When I told my friends this they gaped at me like I was a barbarian. One of them was given 50 dollars a week... at age 12!
posted by lineofsight at 6:38 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
What is this "allowance" you speak of? Is it motivation for chores? In the Lineofsight household, my sister and I were expected to do chores. Without any compensation beyond "three meals". Any wad of money I got was entirely unplanned, contingent on holidays, birthdays, family gatherings, and parental bonus checks.
In my family it was early lessons on budgeting, setting priorities and the value of a dollar. I was given a very minimal allowance starting in elementary school and it helped my acquire the fairly responsible attitudes I still have about saving money today. I still remember the time when I was about 7 and I wanted a $30ish glow in the dark knock-off Lego set and saved my $1/week allowance for months until I had the money to buy it. Every time I had the opportunity to buy a candy bar or pack of stickers or small toy, my parents asked me if I wanted it more than the Legos. I learned pretty fast that I was much happier saving my money for things I really wanted than on junk food I'd eat in 5 minutes or stupid stuff that would break after a day and I've carried those lessons into adulthood.
Receiving an allowance on a schedule meant that I could make a specific, long term savings plan and calculate the exact week when I would have saved enough to get the Lego set or video game I was pining for. This made saving seem realistic-if I had been waiting for the next time my parents randomly decided to give me some cash I don't think I would have believed the people who told me that saving money for "big" things was possible or worthwhile.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 9:22 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
In my family it was early lessons on budgeting, setting priorities and the value of a dollar. I was given a very minimal allowance starting in elementary school and it helped my acquire the fairly responsible attitudes I still have about saving money today. I still remember the time when I was about 7 and I wanted a $30ish glow in the dark knock-off Lego set and saved my $1/week allowance for months until I had the money to buy it. Every time I had the opportunity to buy a candy bar or pack of stickers or small toy, my parents asked me if I wanted it more than the Legos. I learned pretty fast that I was much happier saving my money for things I really wanted than on junk food I'd eat in 5 minutes or stupid stuff that would break after a day and I've carried those lessons into adulthood.
Receiving an allowance on a schedule meant that I could make a specific, long term savings plan and calculate the exact week when I would have saved enough to get the Lego set or video game I was pining for. This made saving seem realistic-if I had been waiting for the next time my parents randomly decided to give me some cash I don't think I would have believed the people who told me that saving money for "big" things was possible or worthwhile.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 9:22 AM on September 1, 2013 [1 favorite]
A pound a week? Nice.
I got no allowance, no payment for chores completed. Further, I was expected to contribute to the household of anything I earned, from the first babysitting gig I got at 12 through to the fast food jobs at 16 until I left the house. My guardian/aunt barely knew how to budget money, didn't have a check book and was too poorly paid with two kids to house, clothe and feed to manage to save anything. I recall her mostly crying when the bills came in.
I'm rather shocked, really, that I have any sense of how to take care of myself as an adult after such a major lack of modeling.
posted by droplet at 10:55 AM on September 1, 2013
I got no allowance, no payment for chores completed. Further, I was expected to contribute to the household of anything I earned, from the first babysitting gig I got at 12 through to the fast food jobs at 16 until I left the house. My guardian/aunt barely knew how to budget money, didn't have a check book and was too poorly paid with two kids to house, clothe and feed to manage to save anything. I recall her mostly crying when the bills came in.
I'm rather shocked, really, that I have any sense of how to take care of myself as an adult after such a major lack of modeling.
posted by droplet at 10:55 AM on September 1, 2013
There seems to be a little confusion between some terms used. Childrens allowance is a government benefit. I'm not up on the details for the UK but in Sweden all families receive it (not means tested) and its about $150 a month. Pocket money is what Americans call "allowance", money provided by parents or perhaps grandparents on a weekly or monthly basis either conditionally or unconditionally.
Growing up in Ireland in the eighties it was I think it was a pretty new concept and there was no particular standardisation. I got pocket money sometimes, but generally the only time I heard of it was when I was being told that some action or inaction had cost me my pocket money. As younger kids it was generally a teaching tool, many of us were required to earn in our "pay" by doing our chores or to show simple accounts of funds in and out, or to save a certain amount of each payment. By our teens some people were getting their "childrens allowance" as pocket money, but were expected to take all their non-essential purchases out of it, including clothes (other than underwear, school clothes, winter coats etc).
A "couple of coppers for an ice-cream" might be pressed into your hand on the sly by aunties and grand-uncles and so on when visiting. The couple of coppers may well have been a fiver, but it was always called that.
posted by Iteki at 11:44 AM on September 1, 2013
Growing up in Ireland in the eighties it was I think it was a pretty new concept and there was no particular standardisation. I got pocket money sometimes, but generally the only time I heard of it was when I was being told that some action or inaction had cost me my pocket money. As younger kids it was generally a teaching tool, many of us were required to earn in our "pay" by doing our chores or to show simple accounts of funds in and out, or to save a certain amount of each payment. By our teens some people were getting their "childrens allowance" as pocket money, but were expected to take all their non-essential purchases out of it, including clothes (other than underwear, school clothes, winter coats etc).
A "couple of coppers for an ice-cream" might be pressed into your hand on the sly by aunties and grand-uncles and so on when visiting. The couple of coppers may well have been a fiver, but it was always called that.
posted by Iteki at 11:44 AM on September 1, 2013
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posted by markkraft at 10:32 AM on August 31, 2013 [6 favorites]