Childhood Allowances

I did, but I can't for the life of me remember how much. I can tell you it wasn't much, that much is a fact. I also remember occasionally giving back my allowance to my mom, because I felt so sorry for her and dad being as broke as they were.

My money (for the most part) came by way of babysitting. I didn't make much when I first started, .25¢ an hour, but by the time I quite babysitting I was making .50¢ an hour with an occasional bonus every now and then, and because I had a rash of babysitting jobs, I was able to save for the little things I wanted.

Even bought myself a brand new 10-speed bike one winter!
 
Phoenix said:
I actually don't see this as a bad thing.:)
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It definitely had it's pluses in the department of a child actually appreciating what they were given, that's for sure.

Another plus side to it... when a child had to work for whatever it was that they wanted, they were more apt to take care of it when it came out of their own pocket.
 
My mother gave us $5.00/week during the school year from age 12 until graduation from high school to cover the cost of school lunches and incidentals.

I supplemented that with odd jobs and always seemed to have plenty of money to do the things that were important to me.

This is a topic that I wonder about for today's young folks. How much pocket money is enough to enjoy life but not quite enough to get into serious trouble.
 
My parents couldn't afford to give us a weekly allowance. However, I would occasionally be given a few dollars to go to a movie with a friend. $5 paid for
a ticket and 2-way bus fair. I eventually did some baby-sitting, at $1 per hour. Later, I moved onto part-time work in a department store, pricing items for the same $1 per hour. This was in the 60's.
 
My parents weren't poor exactly, but they had very strict ideas about what was needful and what wasn't. We lived in the nicest house of anyone I knew, but I was the worst dressed girl in the school with only two outfits to alternate. We always had great meals and money for school lunches, but allowances? No way.

I've been watching old home movies of Christmas morning on Youtube (so sweet and nostalgic) Boy those kids got a lot more than we ever did. but it stands to reason if you had a movie camera in the 1950's you were probably pretty well off.
 
Della said:
My parents weren't poor exactly, but they had very strict ideas about what was needful and what wasn't. We lived in the nicest house of anyone I knew, but I was the worst dressed girl in the school with only two outfits to alternate. We always had great meals and money for school lunches, but allowances? No way.

I've been watching old home movies of Christmas morning on Youtube (so sweet and nostalgic) Boy those kids got a lot more than we ever did. but it stands to reason if you had a movie camera in the 1950's you were probably pretty well off.
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You and Aunt Bea, were so lucky with getting lunch money.

I remember pizza day in elementary school and how the mouthwatering aroma of fresh baked pizza wafted out from the cafeteria and all through the hallways prior to lunch. We ate in the school gymnasium, and seeing all of the kids standing in line for pizza while I chewed on my cold mock chicken loaf sandwich was a flop.
 
No allowance for me. Took my lunch every day, either a chipped ham sandwich or cream cheese and jelly. Occasionally peanut butter. And an apple. Hated cafeteria food.
 
No, I never got an allowance. All I ever got was birthday and Xmas money. My mom never knew how old I was. I was somewhere between 10-15. UNTIL my 16th birthday. At 16, you could get a part time job. This birthday, she could remember. By 3 PM on my 16th birthday, I got my first part time job working at Ames Dept. Store. I could keep all the money I made, but I also had to buy my own clothes, school stuff. I got fed and a room.
 
When it came to allowances with my own children, I had them do little things, not really contingent on them taking the garbage out, or helping with the supper dishes, etc, etc, just that attaching small little jobs to a handful of change or a $1 or $2 bill, gave meaning and purpose behind earning ones allowance.

It didn't fall from the sky or come about through the snapping of ones fingers, they actually had to earn it, they had to do a little something for it. I like to think it helps build character.
 
Aunt Marg said:
When it came to allowances with my own children, I had them do little things, not really contingent on them taking the garbage out, or helping with the supper dishes, etc, etc, just that attaching small little jobs to a handful of change or a $1 or $2 bill, gave meaning and purpose behind earning ones allowance.

It didn't fall from the sky or come about through the snapping of ones fingers, they actually had to earn it, they had to do a little something for it. I like to think it helps build character.
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I did the same with my 3.
Nowadays I pay my Granddaughters $5 a week to jump into my son's recliner the minute he gets up. Revenge is sweet. 😁
 
I can remember being given a quarter ($ .25) as my first allowance biweekly. Back then, you could get candy bars for a nickel, so I thought that I was well off!
 
I dont recall actually receiving the small allowance. I only remember when they took it away for punishment.
That was every week for some petty thing.
 

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