How much pocket money should you give your child? What’s considered a reasonable amount in South Africa depending on age and responsibilities? And should pocket money be linked to chores done around the house? These moms gave their opinions.
How much pocket money should you give your child in South Africa?
I have a child in Grade R and he asks for tuck shop money so I give him R5 a day. No matter how much money I give my other child, who is in Grade 6, whether it’s R10 or R20, he brings it home and put it in his piggy bank. Sharon
My daughter is in Grade 2 and I give her R2 every day. But if she doesn’t finish what’s in her lunchbox then I don’t give her anything the next day. Hazel
My mother never used to give me money – instead, she bought everything for me, even once I finished school and was in varsity. I became too dependent on her. I’m almost 30 now, I still depend on her and I’m not good with money. If you don’t introduce a child to money and give them a chance to learn how to use or save it then they’ll always battle with finances. Amogelang
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I reward my kids for doing things around the house but if I have to ask more than once then sorry, the money train has left the station then they just have to do it. I don’t pay them for cleaning up their own messes, only for things like folding the laundry, loading the dishwasher and taking out the rubbish. Usually between R2 and R10 per job. Jaydene
R30 a week for my Grade 2 child. Itumeleng
My son is 8 and we don’t give him pocket money every month but we do ‘report money’. So he gets R50 for 50%, R60 for 60% etc. He has a money bank and puts it in there – what he wants to spend it on is up to him. Tashana
We work my three year old’s ‘allowance’ out according to what chores he does without being asked, like if he picks up all his toys or takes his dishes to the sink. We give him a coin, usually R1 or R2, for each task and he puts it in his savings jar. He doesn’t understand the value of money yet but it’s a way to teach him from an early age that good behaviour gets rewarded. Sharona
My son turns 13 next month and we didn’t give him pocket money until this year because we didn’t think he needed it. We pay for his school outings and save up for whatever he wants for Christmas or his birthday. Now he gets R200 a month, which I feel is more than enough. Letitia
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My 10 year old is in Grade 5 and gets R10 every Friday. On every other day of the week he gets a full lunchbox. Puseletso
My son gets R300 a month but he has a daily chart of chores to get through and if he doesn’t do them, I subtract whatever the value of the chore is (say R10) from that R300 and he gets whatever is left over. We’ve also taught him to divide his money into three – a third goes into savings, a third is for school things like bake sales, fun runs or tuckshop and the other third he can spend on whatever he wants. Henrietta
My son is 12 and we’ve offered him R20 a day if he does all his chores for that day. It has been two years and we haven’t had to give him any money yet! Chantell
My son is in Grade 3 and gets R200 a month for good behaviour. He saves half in his money tin. Bronwen
My kids started with R1 and now the one in Grade 5 gets R5, and in Grade 10 they get R10. Gugulethu
My son is 5 so he doesn’t get pocket money yet. From Grade 1 I will be giving him R2 a day just so that he becomes comfortable making decisions about money, what to buy and what to save. Sbahle
I think it’s reasonable to offer R100 a month in Grade 1, R200 in Grade 2, R1 200 in Grade 12. Carla
Our daughter will get pocket money of R50 per month starting when she turns 5. Half will have to go into savings and the other half she can spend. I don’t believe that pocket money should be earned from doing basic chores, those should just be standard family requirements. Michelle
I don’t offer pocket money, I pay per chore. Thandolwethu
My daughter is in Grade 11 and gets R50 a day but she has to buy her own food at school with that. Shushu
My oldest are 14 and 13. Every Saturday they go with daddy to the dump to throw away garden rubbish and they clean the courtyard. During the week they set and clear the dinner table. They get R200 per month but I pay for all their toiletries, clothes and airtime. Nadine
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Teach your kids to pick up their toys and help feed pets as soon as they start walking so it’s not a chore, it’s a habit. When they turn 4 it’s reasonable to trade real chores for pocket money or screen time. Alix
I write a chores list for my kids aged 8 and 6. They can make their beds in the mornings, pick up their toys and put dirty clothes in the laundry basket. For everything they do I give them a sticker on their sticker chart and I take away a sticker if they don’t do something. At the end of the month I give them R5 for every sticker they have. Mecyla
