Children get £12.74 a week in pocket money.

A recent poll has shown that children get an average of £12.74 a week in pocket money.

Pocket money is always a tricky one – amounts are bound to vary from family to family, as we all have different ideas of what pocket money means. Some children get a set amount each week, some children can earn extra top ups by doing jobs around the house and garden. There will always be some children who receive more than others.

But £12 a week seems rather a lot to me. We are talking in excess of £600 a year, per child. I have 3 children – that would mean more than £1800 a year if we dished out £12 a week. On top of all the other things that parents pay out for on a daily basis – school dinners, trips, after school clubs and childcare – can we really afford to be adding £12 a week to that sum? I know I can’t.

My children are still small. I appreciate that as they get older, the current rate of £1 a week may not be enough. I am happy to reconsider as they grow. I am also happy to dish out extra money here and there for helping around the house – having someone wash the car or hover for me is well worth an extra 50p.

So what do you think? Is £12.74 a week a realistic sum for us to be handing to our children, or are we giving in to pressure from our children, or trying to ‘match up’ to other families? If your child receives a similar amount of pocket money, what do they spend it on?