My name is Roketa Dumas and I was a spoiled child. They say admission is the first step and I desperately didn’t/don’t want my children, especially my daughter, to be anything like I was in the realm of money. There were definitely things I had to do as a child in terms of cleaning before we could even think about leaving the house on Saturday morning, but I also got an allowance when I could have used some allowance alternatives.
To this day, I don’t know what an allowance is for … why are those given out? Is it a monetary pat on the back for being a kid, cleaning your room, and really, doing what you’re supposed to do, especially when you’re the one who made the mess in the first place?
Even though I got one as a child, I’m not about that allowance life as a parent … partly because I have too many adulting responsibilities to just be dishing out funds for existing, but also because I truly just don’t see the point in them. What are they teaching and where’s the true value in them? I’ve heard one too many GROWN individuals make a comment to the effect of, “They’re my parents, they’re supposed to give me money!” … come again? To me, being a parent means I’m supposed to love you unconditionally, provide for you, mold you into a decent human and contributing part of society, but I am under no obligation to just hand over a portion of my hard earned paycheck.
As my kids have grown older, I’ve found their wants have grown with them, so I have found allowance alternatives that work for them and me in the form of a job board.
What is this wonderful job board I speak of you ask?! There are things that simply make life easier, not just for me, but all of us in the family and those are things that make their way to the job board. It doesn’t include things that would fall into the “chore” category, like cleaning your room, washing your clothes, things of that nature … I’m not paying you to be responsible and do things that will make you an ideal roommate or partner later in life. What it does include are odd jobs, sometimes one-offs, but usually regular work that I could do myself, it’s just helpful if someone else does it.
Junior Sous Chef
Aside from being avid watchers of cooking shows featuring both youth and adults, cooking is really one of those skills I think everyone should have, so this is a great way to get the kids in the kitchen and get a jump on the week. I’m big on meal planning because I find it helps tremendously when it comes to budgeting as well as letting everyone know what to expect for dinner that night … if there’s one thing that drives me crazy, it’s the soundtrack of “What’s for dinner?” on repeat, from multiple people.
It’s the Junior Sous Chef’s job to look over the meal plan for the week and prepare all the make-ahead items … think chopping veggies, browning ground turkey, any meal prep that can be done ahead of time and cut down on the actual day of cooking. In our house, this task actually takes place twice a week because I prep Sunday to Wednesday on Saturday (errand running day) and prep for Thursday to Saturday on Wednesday (when the new grocery circulars come out).
Car Detail
There’s no hose and bucket in the driveway because I rent an apartment, but a car needs to get washed. The local Sam’s Xpress car wash is my go to and I love them because I can wash and vacuum my car for $6. When it needs a little extra TLC, or I don’t want to deal with vacuuming the inside myself, I post for car detailing. Simple things like vacuuming, Windex and Rain X the windows, dusting … the things that keep a car looking and smelling good.
Wash and Fold
Admittedly, I hate washing clothes and it’s not even the washing that’s the problem, it’s the folding. I have been known to wash a load or two, then leave it sitting in the dryer … or in a pile elsewhere … to wrinkle and multiply. I gave the kids the task of washing their own clothes to teach them how to wash, but also because I truly thought it would make me like washing better when the loads were smaller … I was mistaken. It’s not often, because I’ve gone to washing a load a day, but when I’m really, REALLY not in the mood, folding clothes has made its way to the job board.
Special Helper
This one definitely falls into the “one-off” category, but this past year I made reservations for Nathan’s birthday at a Charleston-based steakhouse that was opening in Charlotte. Unfortunately, I got an email in the afternoon telling me my reservation had been canceled and later realized the opening had been pushed back. Last minute improvisation led me to make a 3-course meal I knew he would love, but I didn’t want to do the usual passing of the dishes, so I created a waitstaff job that V not only accepted, she RAN with. She created menus, dressed in her version of a waitstaff outfit, even made sure to check on us ever so often to refill drinks and clear plates. She did fantastic and, naturally, her pay came in the form of a great tip.
Did your parents use allowance alternatives growing up or were you gifted money like I was? If you do give allowance, what is your allowance based on? What are some allowance alternatives you’ve come up with for your own kids? Jump in the comments and let me know!
