Watching a discussion on TV while drinking my breakfast smoothie. I never got an allowance, but was expected to do chores and help out. Was jealous of others that got one, but maybe I'm better for it now.
I got one. Taught me how to earn money and the value of it. I also give my children the opportunity to earn an allowance. my .02
My allowance was a roof over my head, meals in my belly, and clothes on my back. When I went to Grandma's house, she'd pay me to do yard work. I learned the value of money and the hard work it took to earn it.
The only "allowance" I got growing up was I was allowed to live when I screwed up....LOL. Actually, I was in the same boat as far as those who pulled the chores for the roof over my head, etc. That being said, I have to say that there were many things I received that made growing up a memorable pleasure, it was a different time with different values. Looking back, I am happy to have grown up back in those times...............
My allowance was based on a chore list with different chores being worth different amounts. Only got paid if we did it before asked-- they typically didn't ask til after supper. Most of my money came from hauling wood to feed the Blaze King that my brother has now. Don't think I got an allowance when we were still using the Ashley.
What age did you become employed? My allowance ended at 13 when I started receiving a real pay check.
Not sure. It was so long ago. Ha ha. Did babysitting and odd jobs until I could legally work. I was joking because most parents I know have their kids in 10 zillion activities. They aren't even home that much.
When I grew up and knew kids that got allowances, it was just money they rec'd and did nothing for it. (well off kids) I had an at home mom but I still had things/chores I had to do. I still never got an allowance. I was working part time at age 14 and full time by 18. My kids never got one and they followed in our footsteps, working part time jobs and volunteering here and there. They do get treated well when they do something to deserve it. (ie: report cards or volunteering)
Allowance, no, I did get the belt across my backside if I did or said anything they didn't like. I used to earn money plucking turkey's at my aunt's farm when I was seven, I earned money cutting grass, shoveling snow etc for neighbors. I picked vegetables during the summer for a canning company. I finally got enough money to buy a bicycle when I was 13. Then I worked after school, was able to earn enough for some new clothes. When I joined the military I was finally able to get away. I never asked anybody for anything. Never expected anything either.
I got a small allowance if I did my chores, but only if they were completed before the required finish time. If I was late, I still had to do them but didn't get any money. I had to save part of it and could spend the rest. Grandma paid better, but I still had to work for it. I started mowing her grass at age 9 and kept it up until she passed away when I was 19. The pay stayed the same all along ($5 for 1/3 acre), but in the later years it was more about helping her out than for the money. My daughter gets a small allowance for getting her jobs done (room cleaned, load dishwasher, little things like that). She knows we ask twice to finish, and if we have to ask the third time, then it still needs to get done with no compensation. We toss in a bit extra for good grades on report cards, but I want to make sure she knows that hard work equals greater rewards.
No paper route for me but I remember helping the farmer down the road with of couple of my buds 'throwing' hay bales up on the truck. We made very little but were happy when we got it.
I got $1/wk and later on it I think was up to $3 or 5. This would have been in the 90s. Slave labor fine and dandy but with a bit of allowance I could go buy candy, magazines, toys, bike parts, etc. Starting working at 12 or 13 for farmers... and odd jobs for neighbors/parent's friends, etc. At 15 I started a steady job (youngest age for Maine... the whole child labor laws I guess). While thorugh high school I worked 30-40hrs a week.
I grew up on the back of a hay wagon allowance was the roof over the head.I drive by a hay field and the smell brings back some memmories that money can't buy sure do miss it.
I got an allowance in the 8 to 14 or so age range. It was $2.50 a week if I remember and there was a list of chores to do, one of them was mowing the 2 acres of lawn (took about 3 hours). I would save that up and use it to buy a new toy I wanted or something for my bike or whatever. This was around 1985ish. By contrast a lot of my rich friends parent just bought them whatever they wanted whenever. Having to work and save up and wait for things was a good lesson.
I was one of 5 kids, and we did get an allowance, although I don't think it was more than $1 /wk (late 60's)...we had chores to do, but being in the suburbs it was more like picking up dog chit! I had a paper route at 12 and delivered 7 days a week for about $8 /wk (1969) and at 14 got a real job pumping gas. I went to school to be a radio announcer in 1977 and made $2.50/hr!!!
I was quite young when I began receiving an allowance. It was on my 10th birthday. I started what might be called working around age 6. I couldn't do much before that because of polio. So getting started working around the home and farm was a gradual thing. Started by cleaning out ashes from stoves and keeping my mother's stock for the wood cook stove. Then soon I was given the task of making sure wood was on the back porch every night. Then stacking wood. Then splitting wood, which I sort of taught myself to do. The next chore I believe was feeding calves after school. Then feeding calves and steers along with the heifers. I'll never forget my first year for putting up hay and then straw. Not sure why but I always loved it. And, of course, on the farm the chores just always became bigger and more numerous. At age 12 I went to work for a neighbor and earned a whopping $3.00 per week. Man, I was rolling in money then!