Secondary School Pocket Money

[VitoRelax]

Maybe the amount varies from school to school bcos the canteen in some schools may be more ex than some other schools.

[Way2GO]

VitoRelax:

Maybe the amount varies from school to school bcos the canteen in some schools may be more ex than some other schools.

fren how much u give ur kids
Mine says his friends are getting ard $50 thereabouts per week
I neither want to deprive nor indulge him
Just want him to hv enough to eat comfortably with some leftover to save.

[kiasimom]

Many many years ago, my mom gave me $5 per day for pocket money when I was in secondary school.

That doesn’t include my bus fares.

So if we are talking about inflation, I do feel some parents are under giving the pocket
Money.

By the way, do the parents here give the allowance daily, weekly or monthly?

[cindylauper]

kiasimom:

Many many years ago, my mom gave me $5 per day for pocket money when I was in secondary school.

That doesn't include my bus fares.

So if we are talking about inflation, I do feel some parents are under giving the pocket
Money.

By the way, do the parents here give the allowance daily, weekly or monthly?

I understand most food at canteen cost between $1.20 to $2.50. With addition of drinks, break time will be cost about $2 and lunch is $3. So one week I give her $30.00. For small stationery items like pen and correction tape she uses her pocket money to buy them at the bookshop. E-z link card is topped up by me.

Not every child will ask parent for more pocket money, I used to give her too little, thinking she will ask if not enough. In the end I found out she has been choosing the cheaper foods in the canteen. So poor thing. Now, I make sure pocket money is enough by asking my friends who have children.

[small]

I gave my DD $30 every week exluding ezlink card top-up, she is in Sec 1 this year.


I think $25/week will be enough for food and drinks, (average food price is $2.2 and drink is about $1), the additional $5/week will be her extra allowance in case she need to buy some small small things.

[justsay]

cindylauper:

I understand most food at canteen cost between $1.20 to $2.50. With addition of drinks, break time will be cost about $2 and lunch is $3. So one week I give her $30.00. For small stationery items like pen and correction tape she uses her pocket money to buy them at the bookshop. E-z link card is topped up by me.

Not every child will ask parent for more pocket money, I used to give her too little, thinking she will ask if not enough. In the end I found out she has been choosing the cheaper foods in the canteen. So poor thing. Now, I make sure pocket money is enough by asking my friends who have children.

My elder girl's school, average price is around $1.60. I observed this second one's school is around $2.20. So Vitrorelax is right. We cant use the same standard for different schools.

As for insufficient pocketmoney, my elder girl (last year Sec 4) shared with me that some of her classmates were getting miserable pocket money. Not all parents can afford to give that much, there are still many poorer ones around. So what happen is that those who have more pocket money will chip in some to help once a while, especially when they go Mac or KFC otherwise the poor kids can only watch while their friends eat.
I also heard of kids who always ask others to buy them drinks and did not return the money, it became a habit later.
My friend's son resort to absent from CCA or supplementary classes and go distributing pamphlet to get more pocket money. Of course my friend wont know about such thing until someone saw her son. :shock:
I'm not saying we should indulge our children. Giving them what they need is important.
Enough or not is very subjective, each parent will have to assess and judge. :celebrate:

[VitoRelax]

Way2GO:

VitoRelax:

Maybe the amount varies from school to school bcos the canteen in some schools may be more ex than some other schools.

fren how much u give ur kids
Mine says his friends are getting ard $50 thereabouts per week
I neither want to deprive nor indulge him
Just want him to hv enough to eat comfortably with some leftover to save.

I dunno yet bcos this is the first time my girl in Sec 1, still watching & monitoring what others do. I suppose I will have to find out the cost food in her canteen.

But in Pri school, her canteen food is only 50 cents, she brought her own drinks. So, I gave her only $1.20 per day. But if she stays back, then I add another $1.20 for every day that she stays back.

But I guess the food in Sec 1 will cost much more. Is it bcos MOE does not subsidize canteen rental for Sec school ?

I know in Pri school, the rental are either free or pay negligible amount.

P/s But I think your $50 per week is spoiling market leh ... Can go restaurant to eat liao leh at that rate ...

[ooptimizer]

I give $5 per day, so far they haven’t complain.

[Way2GO]

VitoRelax:

P/s But I think your $50 per week is spoiling market leh ... Can go restaurant to eat liao leh at that rate ...

No.. he mentioned what his friends were getting but I haven't decided on this amount yet.
A bit then.
I gave him $30 for his 3 days orientation.
Said he was very hungry during orientation.
By 2nd day, he already spent $28 on food
including dinner in school with his kakis.
He seems to eat more these days.
Growing spurts I guess..
I bought mee siam for $2 at school canteen on registration day.
He said a plate of noodles at the school cafe costs $3 (student price).
If I use this as a yardstick, he needs ~ $3 - $4 for recess,
ditto for lunch and more if he stays back for CCA.
He would probably hv to stay back a couple of days in school for CCA
and another afternoon at MOELC.
so in all, $50 / week doesn't seem excessive.

From young, I hv always encourage him to save
some of his pocket money.
He pays for his own mobile phone usage.
He sometimes used his pocket $ to buy some tit bits
for his younger bro now n then
Nowadays he and his bro are contributing to buy
cat food for some strays they adopted as pets.
Don't think he has much left to save now.

[verykiasu2010]

carebear:

Looks like i kena ketok by my DS (Sec 1).

He gets $5 per day (excluding ez link card, stationery), $2 for every tuition session (he has tuition in eng, math and science).
That means he gets $31 per week.
He saves most of it!

Then my DD who is in P5 i have to give her $5 per day cos she agreed to do higher chinese, also $2 for every tuition session.

That's why now i have to pack food to work for lunch.

wah, how can monetise every thing one ?