How Much to Give for Primary School Allowance?
This is the question many parents face when their children start school. How do we decide how much to give? Would it be too little? Or too much? Would my child go hungry?
Here’s a quick guide to help you decide on the amount.
Step 1: Identify what your kids can spend on
First up, decide what you allow your kids to buy in school. At 7 years old, the canteen and bookstore looks like a Huge Mega Mall to your child. Especially when there’s now spending power given to him. Imagine endless chocolate cookies, or loads of soft drinks, and if you have a girl, a full variety of cute stationery!
For our kids, the rule was simple, the pocket money for school can only be spent on FOOD. No shopping in the Bookstore. if they need something from there, just tell me, I will give you the money for that specific item. This sounds extreme, but I’ve known grown women who go wild at the stationery dept!
With regards to FOOD, I’m also specific. No Snacks and No Drinks. Only proper food like Rice or Noodles.
You see, i didn’t spend their entire pre-school years restricting their Wang Wang biscuits and Candies and Chips only to have them eat it in wild abandonment in school! So the no snack rule is an easy one to set. My kids don’t buy drinks in school, cos they already brought their water bottle with them. Water is really perfectly fine!
As for proper food like Rice or Noodles only is so they don’t buy side dishes like Chicken Wings and Fishballs for recess. Cos if they do that, I know they’ll be hungry real soon! (my kids are BIG carb eaters)
My kids all have savings from their pocket money. And I do not restrict how they want to spend their savings. So far, they have bought Christmas gifts, Birthday gifts for each other. And once in a blue moon, they help me pay the Gas Man when he comes, cos I forgot to set aside money for that.
Step 2: Visit the School Canteen
This is important. Once you’ve identified what your kids can spend on, go check out their Canteen to note the prices. Just like the big real world outside, eating at the hawker center vs a Food Court vs a Food Republic and vs a Restaurant means different things for the pocket.
I’ve learnt that Nicole’s and Nathan’s school canteen prices start at $0.80 for a kids size serving of Chicken Rice, while Nadine’s school’s Chicken Rice start at $1.30!!!! So naturally, Nadine has a higher allowance, simply to give her enough to buy food for recess.
At the Canteen, look at what possible food your child would order. I was strict, i didn’t give them a chance to order Chicken Chop (the priciest item). After a while, the child knows that some dishes gives him more savings, while some has none. And they also know, at all times, they can’t afford the Chicken Chop. (I believe they need to know that there’s a limit to your money. I don’t think giving them enough for the most expensive item in the canteen teaches them about reality!)
Aside: At P5, Nicole can finally order Chicken Chop as she has weekly allowance now. And I think she has learnt the value of money, such that she won’t be eating that daily.
Step 3: Give reserve cash for emergencies
As my kids go home straight after school, there’s no window for any big emergency, except to call me. So I give them each two 10-cents coins to be kept separately from their allowance. (usually just a small coin pouch in the school bag) They all know how to use the public phone. Possibly this point doesn’t work for those whose kids have a mobile phone… my kids don’t own one!
Step 4: Do the Math
From Step 2, I calculate from the usual Noodle/Rice dish, and add an extra 10 cents for P1, 20 cents for P2, 30 cents for P3 etc. (for SAVINGS) and I work backwards to find out their 10% tithe amount for church, and include that in the allowance.
The kids only know how much to tithe, I don’t tell them expected savings amount, not even a guide. But there’s enough to have a little bit leftover every day. Everything is worked out in a cool method that we have been using since 2012. Here’s how I handle their pocket money.
On days when they have to stay late and have lunch in school, I give Lunch money. This is totally separate from the daily allowance.
Step 5: How old is your child and how responsible is he?
My kids get daily allowances since they went Primary 1. This year, Nicole is in Primary 5, and we decided to try her with weekly allowance. After doing the Math to finalise the amount, I multiply it by 5 and that’s her weekly allowance amount! She has proven to be responsible, kept to the rules and given faithfully every Sunday and was prudent in her savings. Thus, faithful in little things, she gets more!
That’s how we work out our allowance amount for our kids. How do you do it for yours?
Thanks for sharing these simple steps! Will definitely keep them in mind when the time comes for Vera to start Primary school, and that’s where they experience those “real world” decision-makings. I like that your kids stay away from snacks and soft drinks – we share the same thoughts! 🙂 Hopefully, it stays this way, especially with the other adults in the family.
our school recommends giving $2/day so we’re sticking to that for now. I checked out our school canteen food prices during orientation and it seems reasonable 🙂 but most days Lil Pumpkin wants me to pack food for her anyway haha.. but we still give her money just in case she wants to grab a snack or drink.
Ai @ Sakura Haruka
Very beneficial blog post for parents with school going children. My market rate for last year was $2. But canteen food prices increased this year… so got to review pocket money all over again.
Very helpful, as I’m starting to prepare my K2 boy for primary school next year. It’s actually quite a big step for them, isn’t it? And, I suppose, for us too. These rules you have highlighted are going to help me think through how to set up our own system, and I love the medicinal box idea for organising the allowance money! Thanks for sharing.
WAH You know? I used to LIE about buying stationaries over food! Well, never knew how my mom found out about it *duh* but ya.. dangerous place to thread. How do you know if they really bought proper staple foods btw?
After visiting your post on how to allocate pocket money yesterday, this is another useful post i can keep in mind!
I think a good tip is to actually visit the canteen & then give the child just enough for the most expensive item. That is really clever! I must remember that in 4 years’ time, haha!
What a timely post for me. So far, I’ve been giving S a dollar for the first week but am planning to pack recess for her from next week, so will likely stick to that amount.
I asked my kids to check out the average prices of the food that they will eat in the canteen before giving out the pocket money for the week. Rule was no buying of drinks and stationery (unless emergency). For my older boy it gets more challenging as he needed more for transportation.
Hm, my son is in P2 and he doesn’t have picket money yet – he packs his own recess – but he does have some emergency money!