What Took Me So Long?!

Allowances are a thing of the past in the Davis home.
You may be thinking Uh Oh! What happened?  Naughty kids? 

Quite the contrary! 

I have great kids and I have clean floors too!!  

Are we saving money?  Well, probably not.  But we are saving ourselves from headaches and unnecessary battles within the home. 

It's called "Commission"...and it works! 

As Steve is off on a work week this week I am here at home racking my brain on different issues that have come up.  One of which falls in the allowance and chore category.  What we have been doing is not working! 

 This idea of a commission is taken from well-known financial advisor, Dave Ramsey.  Instead of giving our girls an allowance "for no good reason", explains my 13 year old, we give them a slot of time every day for a Job Opportunity of their choice...if they choose.  They are constantly asking when they can get a job because they enjoy spending their own money.  Now they are constantly asking when they can do a "Job" in our home.  Why have I NOT thought of this before!!!

Now, mind you, the earnings for each job are, for the most part, in twenty five cent increments; and, by the way, the girls named the price!  So it is definitely affordable.  And it is definitely the girls who make the choice of how much they earn.  I made "Commission Log" sheets for logging in every time they do a job and how much is owed to them, and by the end of the week they turn in the logs calculated (good math practice), mom and dad check them and make sure they have been added up correctly, and then pay them on Saturdays. 

Note:  Once the job has been completed Steve or I will check their work to make sure it has been completed by our standards and if it has not then a "training time"will occur.  In essence, they get to do it over until they get it right...with a dose of grace, of course.

The girls want a real job, and we will teach them a bit about what it's like to have one! :)

You might be wondering Where does good ól free responsibility as a family member come in?  And I have just the answer for you because I asked the same question myself. 

Everyone in the house has a personal space (ie. bedroom and bathroom if they have their own).  We have labeled this their Personal Space Responsibility in which takes priority over Job Opportunities.  If their Personal Space has not been dealt with then the T.V. and computer privileges are off.  In turn, there is a shared space which typically includes a family/living room, kitchen, dining, yard, and vehicle.  These create a variety of opportunities to earn some pocket change.  I also have bonus jobs...if they so desire to earn a little more. 

In closing, I may not have saved a few dollars by not giving my daughters allowance (or maybe I have...we'll see), but I am in the process of teaching my beautiful pre/teenagers responsible habits and good financial choices for later in life (like a few years!).  The benefits:

    Less whining!
    Less fighting!
    More cheerfulness!
    Better attitudes!
  and a....
    A MUCH CLEANER HOME!!!

      Enjoying My Kup...
                                Cindy