Works for Me Chore Chart

We started an allowance (or as we call it, a "commission") at the beginning of the school year. I made a picture chore chart for Jonah, and he earns his commission of $2.50 each week. The top chores or "family jobs" are things that he does for no money. These are things that are just part being a member of the family:

1. make bed




2. brush teeth (arguably not a chore, I know, but it is a struggle in our house, so we decided to add it for now)




3. feed dogs

These things are bare minimum. If he doesn't do them every day, he does not earn his commission. But if he does only these things, he also does not get a commission. The logic here is that there are plenty of things that Chris and I do around the house without getting paid, and J needs to contribute as well.

Then there are the "commission jobs:"

1. putting clean silverware away




2. wiping countertops




3. cleaning playroom (again, this is arguably a family job, but we decided it was a big enough task to earn $)

J gets checks for each time he does one of these commission jobs, and if he has reached 10 check marks- in addition to a daily mark for his family jobs- by Friday, he earns his commission.

Dave Ramsey recommends half of their age as an appropriate amount for their allowance, so we went with that. Plus, it makes the 10% increments easy. When he receives $2.50, a quarter goes in his tithe envelope, a quarter goes in his save jar, and $2 goes in his wallet. It has been interesting to find things that he can purchase with less than $2, but it is a good lesson in the value of $ as well. Also, we found out that you can purchase Happy Meal toys without the meal for $1.17. It's the little things.

This is my Works for Me Wednesday tip, so head on over to Rocks In My Dryer for more helpful tips.