# Daily Allowance



## Damaged Goods (May 3, 2020)

Five cents a day.  Of course, parents also covered the Saturday matinee and a new baseball glove when the old one was falling apart.

But for that daily nickel I would choose five hard pretzels or a pack of five baseball (or football) cards with bubble gum.  I often craved a sour pickled onion that was the size of a tennis ball but they were six cents.   So the trick was to forgo the pretzels or cards for a day and save the nickel and thus have enough for five days of onions.


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## Aunt Bea (May 3, 2020)

No allowance when I was little but we were always given two or three dollars if we went to a field day, carnival, etc...

When we were old enough to walk along the side of the road we used to pick up bottles 2 cents for single-serve and 5 cents for quarts.

In junior and senior high school we each got five dollars a week to cover school lunches and pocket money.


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## Damaged Goods (May 3, 2020)

Aunt Bea said:


> In junior and senior high school we each got five dollars a week to cover school lunches and pocket money.



You were given a sense of responsibility (school lunches) along with "pocket money," but if I were given the $5, it would have all gone to "pocket money" for frivolous things and the school lunches be damned.

Yeah, there were some well-to-do kids who'd get much more than $5 but they were expected to take care of hair cuts, even clothes.  If that were me, it would all have been "pocket money."


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## Aunt Bea (May 3, 2020)

Damaged Goods said:


> You were given a sense of responsibility (school lunches) along with "pocket money," but if I were given the $5, it would have all gone to "pocket money" for frivolous things and the school lunches be damned.
> 
> Yeah, there were some well-to-do kids who'd get much more than $5 but they were expected to take care of hair cuts, even clothes.  If that were me, it would all have been "pocket money."


I was a good money manager but truth be told more of it went for cigarettes than lunch.


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## jujube (May 3, 2020)

I never got an allowance.  My parents were as generous with money as they could be, but I did have to go ask for it and got told "no" more often than I liked (but probably as often as I "needed").


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## Lee (May 3, 2020)

No allowance here either. I would pick up pop bottles to cash in.


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## Pinky (May 3, 2020)

Lee said:


> No allowance here either. I would pick up pop bottles to cash in.


That's what we did too. My older sister, in her last couple of years of high school, made summer money by strawberry picking and shrimp peeling, so she had lunch money. Occasionally, I would get 10 cents or a quarter for lunch milk or a bag of chips.


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## hollydolly (May 3, 2020)

*No allowance here either....  aside from when I was in one of the 3 foster homes..

 they gave us pocket money , doled out to us on a Saturday morning , we had to line up in age ..oldest first to last... I was 9 and then 10  so I got 9 pennies.....the children who were 12 got 1 shilling...the younger ones got 5 or 6 old  pennies.. ...then the ''aunties' would take us to the cinema, on Saturday mornings to see the a film, mainly the Beatles.. obvs they wanted to see them.. and we youngsters would just immediately spend out pocket money on sweets.. 

My parents never gave us pocket money...they were horrified the one  time I asked.. . When I pointed out my friends got pocket money for doing the dishes..and I already did that every night for 6 people, and many more chores...I was told that was my rent for being allowed to live there. *


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## JaniceM (May 3, 2020)

I never received an allowance when I was growing up, and none of the other kids I knew did, either.


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## Yo-Yo (May 3, 2020)

I never got an allowance. I was just expected to keep my room clean and help my mom with everything. My younger brother though did get an allowance though because he did things like mowing the lawn and fix it projects when Dad was busy.


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## Aunt Marg (May 3, 2020)

I started getting an allowance in my later single digits, the result of my mom making an executive decision in the home to share a portion of the Family Allowance monies families received every month for every child. I remember it wasn't much, but I was thrilled over it, and I recall my mom telling me, you're going to have to save  most of it, because that will be your money to buy school clothes for yourself, if you spend it all, I won't be able to help you.

I was a mature kid, and I knew there was no-nonsense about what mom said, and between the allowance I got and the babysitting money I saved, I always had enough to outfit myself with something nice and something new at the start of each school year.


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## fmdog44 (May 3, 2020)

I got an allowance and I think it started when I was maybe 7, not sure but it was a dime and got up to 30 cents. I worked in a store when I was 9 for 35 cents per hour. My dad tried to teach me how to budget money and I never blew my money as did a lot of my friends. I recall having a savings booklet when I was a teen.


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## Aunt Marg (May 3, 2020)

fmdog44 said:


> I got an allowance and I think it started when I was maybe 7, not sure but it was a dime and got up to 30 cents. I worked in a store when I was 9 for 35 cents per hour. My dad tried to teach me how to budget money and I never blew my money as did a lot of my friends. I recall having a savings booklet when I was a teen.


I always had a savings account, too. It's a good thing.


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## Sassycakes (May 8, 2020)

*My Dad didn't call it an allowance, but every Sunday Morning he would put $10.00 in my bedroom and $10.00 for my Sister. He said he wanted us to get whatever we wanted with it. Even when I went to a dance with a neighborhood boy my Dad gave me money to call home if the boy annoyed me.*


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## peppermint (May 8, 2020)

I never had an allowance when I was growing up...It didn't really matter....But sometimes I would ask my Mom if I can go to the candy store
after school....She gave me 5 cents....Licorice was cheap...We also came home for lunch....My Mom didn't have the money for the lunch room
in school.......Sometimes she would pick us up for lunch....if it was raining...Sometimes she would call the lunch room to have me and cousin
to have lunch....Mom would pick us up after school and I went into the lunchroom to pay our lunch...

When I went to High School, my parents were doing better, so I did get lunch money....Dad brought us to school....But we always told him to leave us out before we were near the school... 
....My Dad was a painter....He had the ladders on top of the car, I was embarrassed....How silly was that....
When we were in the last year in High School....My cousin's Dad gave her the car so we could drive to school alone.

..I was the driver, cause I was 5 months older then my cousin....
She had to wait to drive in the summer...


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## MarciKS (May 8, 2020)

I got an allowance but, honestly, it's been so long ago, I don't remember how much it was.


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## In The Sticks (May 8, 2020)

My 25¢ allowance stopped when I got a paper route.


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## Gaer (May 8, 2020)

50 cents a week. Somehow they were always silver dollars, so I guess it was a dollar every two weeks.  Saturday matinee and a MilkyWay candy bar.
I'd save up to buy a jar of green olives !!??!!??  The silver dollars were SO HEAVY to lug around in my jeans pockets.


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## In The Sticks (May 8, 2020)

Gaer said:


> 50 cents a week. Somehow they were always silver dollars, so I guess it was a dollar every two weeks.  Saturday matinee and a MilkyWay candy bar.
> I'd save up to buy a jar of green olives !!??!!??  The silver dollars were SO HEAVY to lug around in my jeans pockets.


When I was a kid in the early 60s, we would vacation at Ocean City, MD.  There was all the old-time boardwalk stuff, including the arcade called Marty's Playland.  He had every kind of machine a kid could shove a coin into.

My mother would save up dimes and roll them all year long so we got $5 to spend there.  This was in the 60s.  Mercury head dimes.  Tons of them.  Brand new.  Fifty to a roll.  Shoved into damned machines.  Makes me sick just to think about it.

Regarding your green olives...I was gonna start a thread asking people what childhood food dislikes they moved beyond, but changed my mind.  Green olives is about the only thing I still will not eat unless they are a small component of another dish.  I've had a couple of friends in my adult years who would open a jar and eat them like M&Ms.  I could not watch.  Still can't.


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## Gaer (May 8, 2020)

In The Sticks said:


> When I was a kid in the early 60s, we would vacation at Ocean City, MD.  There was all the old-time boardwalk stuff, including the arcade called Marty's Playland.  He had every kind of machine a kid could shove a coin into.
> 
> My mother would save up dimes and roll them all year long so we got $5 to spend there.  This was in the 60s.  Mercury head dimes.  Tons of them.  Brand new.  Fifty to a roll.  Shoved into damned machines.  Makes me sick just to think about it.
> 
> Regarding your green olives...I was gonna start a thread asking people what childhood food dislikes they moved beyond, but changed my mind.  Green olives is about the only thing I still will not eat unless they are a small component of another dish.  I've had a couple of friends in my adult years who would open a jar and eat them like M&Ms.  I could not watch.  Still can't.


Yes, On the way home from school, the other kids would stop at the little store on the way home and buy candy but I would buy green olives, eat all the olives and drink all the olive juice.  Weird, Huh!


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## Gary O' (May 8, 2020)

hollydolly said:


> My parents never gave us pocket money...they were horrified the one time I asked.. . When I pointed out my friends got pocket money for doing the dishes..and I already did that every night for 6 people, and many more chores...I was told that was my rent for being allowed to live there.


Yup
My dad would become quite sarcastic and facetious; 

'Dad, Bob and Billy are getting 25 cents a week
They call it allowance' 

'So, is 25 cents gonna be enough?'

'Well, yeah, I think so
A tube of BBs is 10 cents
3 in one oil isn't much more'n that
So, yeah'

'Well, OK
So, $5 a week sounds pretty good, right?'

(heart.....palpitations)
'Uh, YEAH!!!!'

'Done
Let's see now.....what do you pay for your room?
Oh, and food, how much are you kickin' in for that?'

Back to road side beer bottles at one penny each
...and fir cones in spring when green....at a dollar a tote sack full
And pickin' beans with Grampa and Gramma out on Sauvie island

Allowance?

For us, *allowance* was being allowed to live there

Until my little brother came along 
Little turd
He even got my boots when I left for awhile


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## In The Sticks (May 8, 2020)

Gaer said:


> Yes, On the way home from school, the other kids would stop at the little store on the way home and buy candy but I would buy green olives, eat all the olives and drink all the olive juice.  Weird, Huh!


 **shudder**


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## In The Sticks (May 8, 2020)

Gary O' said:


> Yup
> My dad would become quite sarcastic and facetious;
> 
> 'Dad, Bob and Billy are getting 25 cents a week
> ...


I forgot about picking up bottles to make money.  I used to pull my wagon around and fill it up, cleaning out the ones that were REAL muddy.

I never did understand how adults could literally just throw money out the window like that.


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## fuzzybuddy (May 10, 2020)

Let's see. My parents were going to fork over money every week, just because I was their kid.  *Whaaaa Ha Ha, whaaa ha ha, wha..........*


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## Fyrefox (May 14, 2020)

My father started me off with an allowance of 25 cents biweekly as a young boy thinking that it would teach me how to manage money.  Of course, you could actually _buy _things with a quarter back then, with candy bars going for five cents.  After frittering away a few quarters, I once scraped together seven dollars by saving, and thought that I had amassed a fortune...


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## JaniceM (May 14, 2020)

fuzzybuddy said:


> Let's see. My parents were going to fork over money every week, just because I was their kid.  *Whaaaa Ha Ha, whaaa ha ha, wha..........*


If I'd ever brought up the subject, mine probably would've said "We already give you an 'allowance'-  we 'allow' you to live here."


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## fmdog44 (Sep 16, 2020)

*Allowances for children[edit]*
Parents often give their children an allowance (British English: *pocket money*) for their miscellaneous personal spending, and also to teach them money management at an early age.[1][2] The parenting expert Sidonie Gruenberg popularized this concept in 1912.

Usually young children get "gift" allowances. For some parents, when children are old enough to start doing chores, an allowance becomes "exchange" money. Later, as the child grows older, some parents give children projects they can choose or ignore, and this type of allowance can be called "entrepreneurial."
*A 2019 study by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants found the average allowance paid to U.S. children was $30 per week.[3]*

WOW! Inflation $30/week. I got 10 cents/week in 1956. If your stock was 10 cents/share 65 years ago and $30/share today would you be happy?


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## tbeltrans (Sep 16, 2020)

I got 25 cents a week because my parents always said that this is what the Kennedy kids got (Kennedy was president at the time).  For that, I mowed the lawn on Saturdays (it rarely rained in Los Angeles except in Feb-April), did dishes, and took out the trash.  No work, no pay other than punishment.

Tony


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## 911 (Sep 16, 2020)

I was always a tightwad. At least, that’s what my friends called me. I didn’t date much because that cost too much. A girl invited me to go to a dance with her when I was in the 11th grade. I thanked her, but told her I was broke. She offered to pay and that made me feel bad (guilty).

I relented and took her and paid for the evening. The next day, my dad asked me if I had a good time. I told him not really. Then he asked me how much I spent because he said, “I know you have it down to the penny. That’s why you didn’t have a good time.” He then said, “You better get over being a cheapskate.”


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## macgeek (Sep 16, 2020)

no allowance here. mom did give me 20 bucks on fridays to go to the arcade and play video games and pinball machines. oh and foosball.


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## Knight (Sep 16, 2020)

It wasn't until later in life I found out we were poor. I thought delivering papers at an early age with my older brother was normal. No money for us that was handed over to my mother. At age 8 I lucked out & got a job at a local mom & pop grocery store stocking shelves & bagging groceries, my money was handed over to my mother. That lasted for a few years until I was big enough to mow lawns to make more money. I got to keep some but most went to my mother. In high school the ne D I [distributive education]program allowed for 1/2 day school the rest working at a job. Started making more than my father so I helped with buying clothes for my younger brothers & food. Of course buying my cars, car insurance & maintenance. 

When I came home after Navy boot camp my mother explained to me that the money I gave her all those years bought food & clothes for our family. My Dad was legally blind but refused to feel sorry for himself & found a job he could do. Didn't make a big wage as I found out in my teen years. 

Looking back maybe that was that catalyst for the successes I've had during my life. When my sons were teens I bought their 1st. cars but made them help get ready by brake replacement and every other repair needed before they drove their cars. They were also responsible for insurance, ongoing maintenance. End result responsible adults working at jobs needed during this pandemic.


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## oldman (Sep 17, 2020)

While growing up, I had always felt guilty about money. I was a very fortunate child and then adult. I was one of those kids people talked about with being born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Enough said about this subject.


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## Phoenix (Sep 18, 2020)

No allowance.  My parents could not afford to give me any.  My second husband had the same silver spoon as oldman.  It was a disservice to him.


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