Housekeeping

[Eskander]

Having grown up children in full-time employment still living at parents' home. How much should they be expected to pay for their keep - say as a percentage of their take home pay?

I'd love your views

[Mistyeyeddreamer]

I'd say a quarter of their take-home pay. That's what my two still at home pay and I think it's quite fair.

Misty

[Beth]

I used to pay a quarter of what ever money I had
so if I was baby sitting, working or drawing benefit then my mum got a quarter of of it.

when I was working full time she had 20 qiud a week, but that was cough cough years ago!!! :lol:

I also had to pay for my calls of the phone bill, my dad would go through it with a highlighter pen! :lol: bless him!!!

[Red1]

I think throw all the bills in the pot, gas, electric, food, council tax etc.etc. split it between the amount living in the house. That way they may think about taking hour long showers and three hour phone calls.

;)

[Red1]

When I was living at home (in the shoe box in t' middle of road) they took it all and gave me some back when I needed it. :sad: :cry:

[Annabel]

i dont know the answer to that one, definitely make them pay for any phone bills...and some of their own shopping, e.g. toiletries...

my aunt has a son living at home and she used to get him to give her ALL his money and then she would give him it back as and when he needed something. He had debts and she was trying to help him pay them off...didnt last long im afraid!!! he soon got fed up asking mum for money all the time and her questioning his every move...which is fair enough considering he is 24 and has 2 kids!!!!!!!! :lol:

a quarter sounds like a good amount, still leaves them money to spend on themselves and also hopefully save up some...????

[Annabel]

:P :rolleyes:

red1 are you my cousin???????


:P :lol:

[Eskander]

Having asked others as well, I think a quarter of take home seems about right. I wouldn't want to split it evenly although I see Red1's point. It's just that I earn rather more than they do so I'm happy to pay a bigger share. Don't want to take loads, just give then a better feel for how much things cost.

All you views are much appreciated - I'm a bit of a softy, so I'll probably end up settling for about 20% :(

[muckshifter]

Having grown up children in full-time employment still living at parents' home. What! :o

Ask for the front door key and kick 'em out ... :o :D

Just kidding ... no really, I am, well I maybe ... :angel:

[sapphirelily10]

25% sounds fair enough Eskander! And share of 'phone bill, of course ;). Dunno where you live, but how much would they have to pay to rent a room in a shared house? Maybe it needs to be something near what they would have to pay if they lived independently....it'll prepare them for when they do, and is the biggest favour my mum did me!

Sapph :D

[Mistyeyeddreamer]

Dunno where you live, but how much would they have to pay to rent a room in a shared house?

My middle child (the drama queen) moved into a flat with a friend once. It cost us a fortune! She kept phoning up asking if we had any spare food because they were 'starving' and their money had run out! Much cheaper to keep 'em at home :P Oh, and I make them pay for their phone calls as well but most of the time they use their mobiles cos they get 'free' minutes :P

Misty

[mazza]

Hi Esk,

I would feel awful taking money off the kids if they only had a little job, I know it's daft and they should learn to pay their way, but I just would feel mean! So I'm soft too!

However, that is only if they were not taking the 'proverbial' of course, then I'd see myself getting them to give me an allowance just to prove a point. I would leave them alone if I could see that they were putting money away for education, car or home and knuckling down to their work in the meantime.

I would also probably take money off them if I thought they were a bit 'too comfortable' at home too - after all, don't want them to hide beneath my skirts forever!

I have thought about this too (in my case, it's well in the future though) and what I might do, since it seems to be accepted that older kids pay some sort of keep, is take the money and save it for them on the quiet. Then when they really move out, it could be put towards a deposit on a flat to rent or buy.

Mind you, by then I might be on skid row and actually need their money... :cry:

I never really though of how much is right - so this has been a very useful thread!

Mazza

[sapphirelily10]

I actually think that as soon as they're past school leaving age, and earning or on the dole, they should be paying something! That's what makes me think that the % idea is a good one, as opposed to what I originally thought...very fair! Otherwise when do you start introducing it, if you don't do it from the start?

Real life is a shock otherwise, and this really does help learn what budgeting is about, and that no one usually has loads of disposable income. I work with young people, and it's amazing how unprepared for the shock of the cost of living many of them are. Free board=doing someone no favours IMHO! ;)

Sapph :D

[Eskander]

Blimey, Mazza - that's about as close to my on view as you can get. I'm going to talk to my brood over the next few days and sort this out.

[sapphirelily10]

Mini-April is a very fortunate young woman, methinks!!! £20!! I was paying my mum £19 in 1984 :P ;) And I did my own washing :lol: Mind, she probably doesn't cause all the trouble I caused my mum :P

Sapph

[hollygolightly]

I didn't pay a thing. ;)

Finished college and off I went. Never looked back. Worked hard at home when I was there too (washing, ironing, cooking, chopping wood....) :rolleyes:

50% ;) :lol: