November 15, 2025 • 36 mins
We live in a near cashless world these days. Hardly anyone has anything further than a couple cards, or even just Apple Pay.
We all remember a time we'd get a gold coin for washing mum's car, or a couple notes for chopping wood, but those days seem to be gone.
How are parents going about pocket money without cash? Are we really giving our kids bank cards, and how young is too young?
And if money's not the right reward, are things a better deal for our children? Is it acceptable to fill up their gas tank in return for chores?
And going a bit deeper into this - what counts as a chore that should be compensated for, and what are the jobs they should be doing simply for being a part of the household?
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks, EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
The Cadman, Wired In, Edwater coming in and the good
Shipping Groups in Peril later than twenty Slate's widow to
say in the record the Fitzgerald and welcome back to
(00:43):
the Weekend Collective. I'm Tim Beverage. If you have just
joined us, well, welcome it. Welcome in and don't forget.
We've got the sports rap coming up shortly before six
with Kobe Mraty. We're looking ahead to the Abs versus England.
That's for the rugby obviously, but also the Silver Fans
against England Roses at six o'clock in the morning as well.
So there's a couple of reasons to get up. But
(01:03):
right now, so we're talking with Kobe's shortly before sex.
But right now this is the Parent Squad where we
cover all things parenting and we want you to join
us with your thoughts and experiences on eight hundred eighty
ten and eighty text nine two nine two. And actually
i'll introduce my guest now because we've got a little
PostScript to add. If you were listening to the One
Roof radio show, my guest was just sharing with us
(01:26):
something he does to get us to get property ready
for the market anyway, So I'll introduce him now if
you even get into that before we get into the
issue of talking about pocket money. Do you still give
your children pocket money or do you do these days?
Do you do a sort of bank transfer of a
few dollars or something? And do you pay them for chores.
We're going to get into that on eight hundred eighty
ten eighty or text nine two nine two. But joining
(01:48):
us is parenting expert John cow and gid A. John.
How are you going. I'm doing very well. I loved you.
Now tell us about It's just Nicole lewis probably driving
home listening to this as well. We were talking in
the previous hour about getting your house market ready. You
had a brilliant idea.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
What are the things we loved about the house that
we lived in was that all the kids played in
the street outside. But it did make it look like
a little bit of a bit of I don't know
what to make it look back, but a bit rough.
But during the during the open homes, we said, if
we don't see you on the street, you can come
and see us afterwards, we'll give you an ice cream.
So we bribed all the local kids of ice creams.
(02:23):
They get lost while the open home was on.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
So I wish you'd caught that is that is a
brilliant thing just to make, just to help the street
feel clean and quiet and peaceful. Yeah. Yeah, how many
kids turned up for the ice cream I can't remember now,
but it could have been a dozen. They were always
It was a lovely aspect of that street. There was
a real community in the street. Was for plowing it
but not something you wanted to use as a selling
(02:47):
point a point not. The other thing we did was
I renovated right throughout the house wallpapered and painted, and
the thought the house looked beautiful. And then after we
sold the.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Place, you drove drove past slowly as you do, you know,
and looking in through the windows and they were painting everything.
They covered her all over wallpaper, and everything looked fantastic.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
But purple, purple it was.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
There was all sorts of different colors, was it purple?
I think some of them were purple. Hey, this is
a long time ago, mate, this is a this is back.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
What when you were happy? When do you have Paisley
wallpaper actually, but I didn't have taste anyway. Nice to
see you. You keep it to me here, yeah, keeping well,
Hey the pocket what what did you used to do
with pocket money when you were well, I've got a
few ideas here, yep. Okay, that's why we got you.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
And by the way, there's lots and lots of right
ways of doing the good things with your kids, of
bringing up your kids.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Well. So I'm not saying that my idea is are
necessarily going to work for you or your kids, but
this worked well in our family. And that's just about
Is this about rewarding or helping them learn about money
or what was that all of the about? Okay, I
need to handle money? Is such a great way of
teaching character, of teaching you know, delayed rewards and things
(04:10):
so that they build up a bit of what's the
word I'm looking for financial? Financial? Just in the financial
areait and character as well. You know, if you if
you put off something now, you can have something more later.
That's the big rule. Gratification. That was the phrase I'm
looking for. Delayed gratification. Delayed gratify deferod sounds very posh.
(04:34):
Deferred gratification as opposed to our children is that the
delay gratification.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
So money is a fantastic tool for parenting. And I
had a couple of things. One is, we paid our
kids pocket money. Now, how much you pay your pocket
money depends on your budget and everything like this. And
they didn't have to do anything anything for that though.
It could be used as a holdover thing.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
So you could use it as a as a sanction
for bad behavior, could.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Be I don't remember if we ever did, but anyhow,
and that was just And people say, but the idea
of them getting money for.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Nothing, that's a terrible idea. And you know there's some
right wing capitalist and instinct in this which says, you know,
they should have to work for everything.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Hey, who pays you for looking after your kids? How
much are your kids paying you for all the lovely
nice things you're doing for them.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Well, I'm hoping that they'll become extremely successful people in
the money world a moment.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
At the moment, I bet that financially, you know, they're
a dead loss. They're not giving you anything, are they?
And so, but it's just part of being part of
a family. All that lovely stuff's going to stop later
on when they're no longer little and cute, but at
the moment they just get money just for being little
and cute.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Actually, I have come in a way and I'm not
as prepared for this hour in an obvious way, because
I've just realized we don't actually give our kids. We
don't give our kids pocket money. They get money into
a bank account, but they don't even know what's in it.
So we give them something different, isn't it so sitting
(06:07):
them up for later? Well? Yeah, and they get gifts
from family members. So at birthday rolls around and they'll
get a pressy card for God. When I was growing up,
we got ten dollars from Granny. We thought we were
the richest. Creasus, are you calling me posh and you're
pulling up Greek mythology or whatever. Actually it's actually a
(06:28):
line from Monty Python. I'm just guessing Creases as some
sort of Greek god with a lot of money. I
wish I could remember what the line is.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Well, it's good that you haven't come prepared today, because
that just means you can take on board all my
ideas and accept them totally. So look, that's just one
aspect of it. The pocket money thing, but there were
extra things they could do to earn extra money. Their
chores they did. We had ways of we could talk
about chores sometimes, but they had things they had to
do for their chores and they got their pocket money.
(07:04):
But they was extra things they could do. I mean,
washing the car, we'd pay for them for that, doing
the lawns that that wasn't one of their chores. But
if they did it where they paid extra. So there
was extra things they could do to earn extra money.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
I'm trying to remember. I'm trying to remember. We used
to get back in the day we lived in rot
and my parents built their house sat in Cowaha Point
and we had it was two sections. It was back,
you know, quite a while ago. But one of the
things because of the space we had was when we
got it, we didn't get a trailer of wood. We
literally got a truckload of wood. And it would you
(07:41):
see the truck back out the driveway. And it wasn't
just a little you know, it was a major delivery
and it was a big pile that you could literally
climb on top of and feel like you get the
king of the world.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
And I don't cords, didn't you what's a cord of wood.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
That's right, and we used to chop it and I'm
pretty sure I didn't get a cent for it. But
it was one of those jobs it was sort of
just doled out, but it was something you actually enjoyed.
You had the major sort of log which was where
you put each piece of timber and you were swinging
an axe for a couple of hours. Yeah, and I
(08:17):
don't think I got a scent for it. And I'm
wondering if that slightly outrageous.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
No, I know, because look, some of the best stuff
in life just comes out of love lead duty. I
was talking about all the lovely things you do for
your kids and no one pays you for them. You
do it out of love lead duty. And if your
kids learn that they have an obligation to their family
and that that comes with a duty that's based on
love and obligation, that's a lovely thing. But that's not
the end of a story. There is the extra things
(08:43):
you could do. I mean, on the orchard growing.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Up we had you grew up on an orchard, I did, Yeah,
And there were what did the orchard grow? Antis plums, pears, peaches,
Chinese gooseberries.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
That were called back then, pre pre kiwi fruit. Dad
was I think one of the first exporters of kiwi fruit.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Really.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Any there were chores that I did, but I could
earn extra by making boxes. So we had to make
packing cases, and so I got callous hands making cases.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
But so that's one that's an obvious one. That's an
obvious one because that sounds like a job that if
you weren't doing it, they would have to pay someone
to do it. Yeah, so, and you might have been
a cheap rot.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I think the number of times Dad probably got his
hands ripped by nails sticking out the side of the
case because they had fil straight. Probably he didn't make
it a particularly good deal for him. But anyhow, so
pocket money plus extra that you can earn it when
our kids hit thirteen, well, when our oldest hit thirteen,
we put him on a budget. We worked out how
much we would be spending on his clothes, his travel,
(09:52):
his recreation, and the presence that he had buy for
his friends, and we'd pay it to him. He was
responsible with the money that we gave him for all
his expenses apart from medical and educational. That would do
my head in as a cat. I know, of course
what did he do? He blew it, He went out
and bought it. But because it seemed like a huge
amount of money, we're now paying him. And of course
(10:14):
the first thing he did was go out and buy
a pair of shoes that I think he spent more
money on than I paid for my.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
First You literally gave him the cash. Yeah, well paid
into his bank account. Wow. But the thing is made
a few mistakes. He realized that if you spend it
on this, you haven't got it for that. Now that's
a big lesson for money about money. If you spend
it on this, you haven't got it for that. And
so if you're wanting to go out with your mates,
if you're wanting to buy a present, if you wanted
(10:39):
to go to the movies, you need some money left over.
And so he had to learn to did you know,
I can't remember how mamnch It worked so well with
our oldest. We put our younger ones on it even
before they hit thirteen, and they learned how to save
and budget after some tragic mistakes. The thing is you
have to hold the line and not be because they'd
be the one who made a poor decision, anas and
tears and Dad, I am, I really want to do this?
(11:03):
Did you ever crumble? Of course we did.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
We're softies really, But it works as well as it works,
you know. But the thing is they learned how to
budget and save because they're doing it at home. Home
has to be the laboratory where you learn how to
live life. Otherwise you'll hit university age go flatting. But
they'll give your credit cards and you'll go berserk, just
like I did because I had no idea about how
(11:28):
to handle money.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Because I can't remember who this was, and I wouldn't
be saying who it was anyway. But they were saying
that they didn't give their children money, but they expected
them to participate in various jobs around the house, but
that they got. They didn't get everything they wanted either,
but they would get They would just get provided for.
(11:49):
And the birthday presents were the things that sort of
gave them a bit of a judi extra extra judicial spending.
I was going to say, God, I don't know, wife,
I was thinking that given I can't say that expression,
but I mean they would very anti actually just giving
cash pocket money, but different philosophical approaches. You said, I
(12:12):
wonder if it is better to give them money which
they are responsible for, because then they learn it, because
otherwise they just think, oh, I just I get. They
don't work out what a dollar is worth.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
I remember someone saying being asked, you know what age
should you start giving your kids pocket money? And the
answer they give was when they don't want to eat it.
You know, they're not going to swallow the two dollars gorge,
you know, so that they learn the weight of money,
the value of money.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Of course, it's a little harder with a.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Cashless systems, which there are, by the way, lots of
great apps. You just have to do two seconds on
Google to find out that there is a string of
apps that you can use, some of them free to
help kids handle their pocket money and for you to
keep track of them. And by the way, when we
said we gave our kids pocket money, and and and
(13:02):
when we put them on the budget, we didn't step completely.
We would coach them. And also there were things they
weren't allowed to spend their money on, Like we came
home and there was a two liter bottle of coke
in the fridge of my son's name.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
As we go to the fridge and SWI you can't's
not you know, yeah, it's your money. Yeah, but you're still.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
You're still a kid, and you're not going to be
sitting there swigging two leaders a coke even if you're
didn't pay for it yourself, And so you're not abdicating
your responsibility as a parent. You're actually using it as
a coaching tool to help complete it. Be wise of
their money.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
When have your cause on this as to whether you
know what you're what you do with pocket money? Is
it right to give kids pocket money at what age
and what sort of responsibility? But what do you expect
them to do for it? As John said, and I
think it's right if you give kids pocket money, you
work out it's just something where every now and again
they might well. Of the food thing's actually an interesting
one because I still remember what my guilty treat was
(14:00):
was there wasn't just a single packet of cheesels. I
would buy a giant packet of twisties or cheesels and
eat the whole lot. That orange coloring dangerous. That's what
it did to the president. That that's Derito's But we
won't know how what your rules would be on pocket money,
(14:21):
but also what X what tasks should be compensated for?
What do you think? You know what? You're part of
the household. We ask you to do a job. You
know you're not going to want for anything, But this
is part of the whole deal, because I've actually got
a slight Is it a dilemma, Yes, it is a dilemma.
So my car is filthy and my daughter has one
(14:44):
of my daughters has offered to clean it, and I've
said that I would pay, and she says, she actually
said to me, you don't need to pay me, Dad,
I'll enjoy cleaning it because she likes restoring order to things.
And I feel that because the other one would definitely
want to be paid. And I don't know what to
do because she said so I I'm thinking what I'll
(15:06):
do is I'll say, okay, well if you're going to
do it, and then we needed it properly regardless, and
then when she does do it, I will still give
her something without contra You could say that was a
lovely kind thing you did for that. I She'll probably
just say I don't want any money, Dad, I just
want a new iPhone. I mean house ten dollars. Hey,
(15:26):
when it comes to the big purchases like that, I've
got some tips on that. Oh good you are rocking
and rolling today anyway, as always John Cown, By the way,
we want to know what your approach to pocket money is.
Do you give kids pocket money? And how much should
you give them these days? I mean, obviously it depends
if you if you win lotto tomorrow, would you give
them tonight? Is tonight? Sorry? Tonight, I'll find we'll find
(15:51):
one hundred thousand a week. You know what a whittle
that fifty? Goodness, you know what, you probably wouldn't even
notice anyway. Look, I eight hundred and eighty ten eighty.
What stance do you take for pocket money? What did
you get when you were a kid? Actually? And what
were the rules around it? Because there are a lot
of parents who I don't know who might not have
(16:11):
worked out what they do. In fact, I've got a
thirteen and a fourteen year old and I still don't
really know what our policy is. But we just try
and do nice things as a family, and they do
lots of activities that they like to do, and maybe
I'm wondering whether we should actually be telling them what
they're actually what that's costing. Sometimes. Actually, just before we
go to the break, John, you know how you said
(16:31):
for your eldest and then subsequent children, you gave them
a budget to spend on you, and that was at
once they's blown the money, they're blown it. I'd be
worried about working out what a child costs because I
would we'd work it out by going through all my
bank statements, and I'd be thinking, I guess we could
do it. What a frightening backside with low income. And
(16:55):
we did this not because we were rich, but because
we were wanting to be careful of our money. And
it made you know, so we knew how much we
were going to be spending and so we thought they
can spend it as well. Okay, we want your calls
and texts. So eight hundred eighty ten eighty text nine
to nine two pocket money, yes or no? And what
jobs should you pay your kids for? Eight hundred and
(17:16):
eighty ten eighty It is twenty four past five News talks.
He'd be news Talk, zaid be. We're talking about pocket
money and teaching you. We're talking about teaching kids financial responsibility.
What's John, what is the purpose of pocket money. Is
it about teaching kids how to handle money or is
it just you're just giving your kids something so they
can decide. Ah, No, you know what I mean. I
(17:38):
wonder whether whether it needs to be a big lesson
or you just give them.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
You can use it as a teaching tool. Of course,
you can use it as a sign of neglect too.
You don't care what they're eating, you don't care where
they're doing or what they're doing with it. But pocket
money can be when you're a coaching tool. And I
was just I remember the idea of them having to
buy certain things with their own money. I remember being
in the chemist shop and my little girl coming up
(18:03):
to me and she had some spark.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Little girl cosmetics and things. Dad, Can I have that?
And I went, yes, you can have that, and she
sort of recognized the sort of look on my face
meaning yes, you you know you can do it, but
it's you out of your own money. And she looked
at it and she thought, nah, I don't want it
after all, and she took it and put it away.
And that's the thing, you know, rather than just saying Dad, Dad, Dad,
(18:28):
can you have that? Can I have this? You're thinking
you know I've got this much money, I could have this,
but no, maybe I could buy something better. Hey, now
somebody sent to text saying, Tim, we used to do
this is slightly different thing. There's money in the community.
I think Tim, we used to do Bob a job
and all the money went to our school. John will know. Lol.
I don't know why the lol is that he's probably
(18:49):
assuming because of your age. This is something for the job. Yeah,
that used to be something the Scouts would do. But
I can remember our school had had a week where
you were given half a day off or something to
go and do jobs to fundraise for the skill involved
shillings as well.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Yes, the tenth of July nineteen sixty seven we used pound,
shillings and pence. A shilling was about ten cents, wasn't it.
A shilling became ten cents, so when twelve pennies it
was twelve pennies. Two shillings was a florin, two and
a half shillings was a half crown. It's all quite logical.
Five shillings was a crown, one pound one pound, one
(19:28):
shillings was a guinea, and it's all very logical.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
One key, I mean one pound weigh. I mean, do
someone makes so much sense to this? It does. I
don't know how there'll be a reason why it didn't
make sense. I guess one The text to here says
that just for we got our first caller when our
youngest son started work. He asked us how much we
wanted for board. Nothing. He was shocked until I told
(19:56):
him he could pay the power bill. Next night, my
wife and I were in bed reading when sudden light
went off. You don't need that lights on. That's very funny.
I know.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Two two mates of mine were twins, and one of
them less school to go working and started paying board
at home, and the one that was still at school
had to start paying board as well, and he was spitting.
He says, I'm the only school kid that has to
pay board. When they hit twenty one, the parents gave
them all the money back and with interest in me
putting it in a home saving account.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
So I know what the emotion would have been after that.
It's like I really have I don't know, okay, eighty
pocket money? Mark?
Speaker 4 (20:42):
Hello, Hey, good, how's it going?
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Man? Good? Thanks? Hey you hey?
Speaker 4 (20:47):
I just your gifts that I can't remember his name,
John John Good on you. I was brought up in
a similar way. I had a small allowance but also
opportunity to earn a few extra dollars by doing the
lawns or whatever jobs that Dad couldn't be bothered doing.
And also at called I couldn't give enough money, so
I had a paper run to start with, and then
(21:08):
I did the milk run, and also used to work
in a pie shop before school, so I had plenty
money coming in, which I enjoyed. And another thing which
I don't think it's been mentioned yet, but my father
was a fairly hard man and he bought me a
bike and I broke it. I broke the forks on it.
I was pretty hard on on gear when I was
a kid, and he fixed it for me so I
(21:29):
could still ride to school and back. And I think
it was about about ninety dollars in about nineteen eighty
eighty four.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Or something, quite a lot of money in that it.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Was quite a bit, and he actually said that I
was going to be paying for it to get fixed,
so he actually paid, but I had to pay him back.
So we had a little notebook and we wrote down
every time I gave him some money from my earnings
or my pocket money or whatever. He would write down
and cross it off, and now you've got this much outstanding.
And he made sure that I paid every couple of
(21:59):
weeks or so. And I thought it was pretty, you know,
pretty hard on me at the time, but now I
look back on it, and it actually taught me quite
quite a couple of good lessons. Really, the actually three
good lessons. The first one was that if you, if you,
if you, if you can, you can pay something back
in small amounts and just keep keep track of it,
pretty much like a mortgage actually, and I ended up
(22:19):
having a mortgage and paying that off. And also it's
sort of taught me to save in a way as well,
because that you're putting that money away, it's it's really
you don't really notice it, but it actually does a
cheaper purpose in the end. And also the third thing was,
which is a bit of a sideline, was that I
was quite hard on gear when I was a kid.
But it also taught me to appreciate my things and
(22:41):
really look after them so I didn't have to pay
to get them fixed. So yeah, it was a hard lesson,
but it did teach me a lot.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
So hard on gear. Just sounds like you rode the
hell out of that bike over jumps and all sorts
of things and it just gave out.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Yeah, it's interesting that you've that you're that you're wise
enough to reflect on those things and recognize that, yeah,
you did pick up a few things from that approach
to pocket money and and money. So yeah, and I
reckon also having heard that you did all those jobs
as a kid, I bet that's sort of followed you
all through life, and I reckon that you probably money
(23:14):
probably hasn't been a painful issue for you, Ladder in life.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
I've had a multi millionaire, but only because really I've
been a hard worker and that's been one of my
main one of my main focuses in life, really, and
I probably was always like that, even before dad ted
Dad started taking me left listeners.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
You know, how to make your kids millionaires? Which was
the best paying job? The pie the pie shop, the
milk run or the paper run.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
The milk run was by far the best, I think
if I remember Creeckly, that was ten dollars a night,
and the paper run was not worth so I think
it was like three hundred and fifty seven papers or something.
For about a dollar sixty.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Was a sop run in the eighties? Was this in
the eighties, Yes, this is in the eighties.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
Yeah, yep, yep, all in the eighties.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
Yet And did do you to get grapefruit juice that
you could drink?
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Yes, yes, that's right. Yet sometimes I had cream w
once or twice A had green but I found that
made my stomach to the other. But I was going
to say something, I oh, yes, that's right. I probably
shouldn't be saying this on the radio, but.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Well, I say for radio, or am I going to
have to dune for you? No?
Speaker 4 (24:20):
No, no, it's not it's not it's not it's not
bad or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
It's just.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
It was ten dollars a night, and I always just
took the ten dollars a night. But I know at
least one other person on the Milkrome that took that
took these ten dollars a night in pay. But they
also took ten dollars out of them out of the cash,
you know, because it all cash. And I never did that,
you know. And I've never been a cheat either. So
you've got to be honest in life, because if you're
not good, you'll get nowhere.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
That's good. That's a good point mark. Actually, that would
be a really bad habit to start off with, as
in the milk run, as pilfering the tokens I mean,
or the coins or whatever. The reason I was curious
because my memory was I I never did a milk run,
but but I thought about it because I thought it'd
be a good way of getting fit. But it just didn't.
(25:05):
I couldn't get the job, I don't think, because where
we lived there were some quite steep hills and the
boys used to do that milk run. I used to think, God,
you're going to get stronger in that, because that's a
lot of milk and that pushing, I mean that literally
run with their tray whatever, their trolley loaded to the
gunwales with milk, and I thought, God, they must be
as strong as a bloominox, those kids. I just think
(25:26):
he was doing a paper run in the morning, and sorry,
paper run in the morning and a milk run at night.
When did he ever sleep?
Speaker 3 (25:36):
But it's interesting how that discipline around money that he
learned earlier meant that money wasn't a painful thing later on.
I tend to think that if parents indulge their kids
where they don't have to think much about money and
anything to be solved just by a swipe of a card.
Money then later on in life becomes a painful issue
in they're battling against debt and that's a visible way
(25:58):
to go through life.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Tell me about it. My parents always here's another text,
and my parents always made us pay for everything, any
school trip, necessities, et cetera. We didn't know at the time,
but they were putting everything in a savings account that
we were given when we finished unit. When we finished university,
they wanted me to pay for my own car, but
they also knew at sixteen I wouldn't be able to
afford a trustworthy car, so they matched whatever I had
(26:20):
and saved up. I meant it meant I worked really hard,
but they also helped out.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
Funny enough, Yeah, I was just going to say, this
is something we did with our kids. We said, if
you're wanting a bigger purchase, you saved the first thirty dollars,
and then after that we'll match what you save dollar
for a dollar. So that means if it was a
one hundred dollar thing, you only ended up subsidizing. I
can't do the mass now about thirty five dollars, whereas
(26:46):
otherwise you probably it sounds very generous, but otherwise you
would have been paying out the whole thing yourself. Anyway,
it worked brilliantly until my son wanted to go flying.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I had the flag lessons. I've raised the first fifty
grand grands fortunately course of ted flights, but even so,
oh and he stopped at that point. Yeah, yeah, but
he was eighty thirteen. It's amazing you could learn flying
before you can learn to drive. Wow, he wouldn't have
been allowed to go solo either. Identity I don't know.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
I think, I don't know. He never got to that stage.
But it's fairly odd sitting at the air strip watching
your boy flying off in the Cessna at the controls.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
And did you go dollar a dollar on that? I
went dollar a dollar after the first thirty dollars, oh yeah,
But normally for most of the expenses like phones and
music and stuff like that, it sounds generous, but natural fact,
they learned to do a lot of savings. It's funny
that that text came about the buying the car, because
literally last night I've been having a bit of a
(27:48):
stress about family finances looking long term, and I literally
woke up last night about four o'clock, and you know
when your mind is not disciplined enough to stop certain
negative thoughts cropping on. And because my fourteen year old's
not there yet, but all of a sudden, I thought,
it's under a year or two away from when she's
going to want you to get her driver's license. And
then on then I've never even factored this into our spending,
(28:11):
that she might need to get a car. But of
course she can't just get a bomb. She's going to
get something safe. And I just went through and before
I know it, I thought, I don't know. I didn't
really sleep until from then on that's being apparent. I guess. Look,
we'll come back with some more calls and text In
just a moment. We're talking about the rules and you know,
the pros and cons of pocket money and paying for jobs.
(28:35):
Eight one hundred and eighty ten eighty. It is twenty
two minutes to six with John Cown and Tim Beverage,
Yes News Talk as zed B. My guest is John Cown.
We're talking about, well, in this cashless world, the rules
around we'ven't really touched on the cashless world. Actually we're
just talking about pocket money and chores and what she
should pay for. But let's take some more calls, shall we. Evon?
Speaker 5 (28:52):
Hello ah, Hello, hello John. I have a wee story
in that listening to the other callers, and that I've
gone into town, gone into town with my daughter, she
was possibly three years old, with my mum, and we've
gone into this shoe store just to have a long round. Anyway,
(29:16):
my daughter had spotted the sweep heir of shoes that
she really liked, and rather than you know, asked me,
she went straight to the top. She said, Oh, Nana,
she said, I like these shoes. And then Nana says
to I haven't got any money, and she said, you've
got a check book. You know, someone so little, you.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Know, to think of it as a three year old.
That's I switched on yes and bye bye, okay, good to.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
You know, having a check acout or credit count or
something for someone like myself with not all that many
internal boundaries and things.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
You know, I used to look at a checkbook and
I must have money. I still got checks in the checkbook,
and and you know, I probably only had a credit
card for a week before I was up to a limit.
It was a terrible thing because I really had lovely
indulgent parents and so yeah, actually, I've just remembered an
indulgence that my family did with me, so I got
There was a time when on I got into origami
(30:23):
for a while, you know, folding paper into different things.
And I used to sell it to my parents and
I think maybe to my older brothers, and I used
to ask for ten cents for this, and they used
to indulge me. And I actually wish that they hadn't.
I wish they had said, no, no, Tom, there's no
market for this. Find something else. Maybe I would have
lent to bake bread instead or something. But that's one
(30:46):
of the weird confessions I've heard from someone. Actually, that's
quite that you were a serial arigamistic. Yes, the thing
is I used to watch it on TV, and I
used to get so frustrated that the guy who did
it on TV was so much better than I could
ever create. You tried doing birds and all sorts of things.
It was like paint by numbers. But yeah, orangami, what
(31:08):
a weird thing. And I think I used to charge
twenty cents for the really complicated.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
It is interesting though, what kids will do for money.
I actually developed for it. Used to do photography as
a high schooler, and I used to make quite a
lot of money doing photography. And the only thing is
doing photography itself is so expensive. In fact, heroin is
probably a cheaper hobby that photography. But well, these days
I think it's I think it's quite good actually, when
(31:36):
kids have some art or something that they can actually
turn to turn to coin.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
I've got a text here. I'm not sure to identify
the textra or not. Yeah, it's my producer, Tire said.
I would sell my This is even worse than orangami.
I would sell my sister air guitars and evaporated water
when we were young, And she even mentioned it in
her speech at my wedding. An you can have the
(32:00):
eir guitar that's actually evaporated water. It's very clever. Tells
me that someone did a very good job of miming
the ear guitar, so it really felt like something tangible.
He would you like my ear guitar, and so you'd
mind playing it. She would always play guitar, and she
was jealous, and her sister was jealous so she's like,
you know, here you go, you can have my ear guitar.
(32:22):
And I guess that is the ultimate. It's amazing that
Tyre hasn't turned out to be more of a charlatan
than that suggest. Well, anyway, another one here your chat,
somebody's asking something about the one roof show. I might
ask that answer that once we've concluded. Dear John and Tim,
(32:46):
I used to go golf balling. Well, I guess that
means you go and find golf balls somebody sliced off
the side of the road. You wander around the golf
course just looking for golf balls, and also sell pine
cones and mum's freezer's used to buy models, used to
buy models with the proceeds that's from Ray.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Y know, some people go trudging through you through the
water traps retrieving balls, and I know some clubs have
policies about who's allowed to and who's not allowed to
do that.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
But no, I guess that could be. You know, you
get a good bucket of balls for people to use,
the practice balls. You know, do you know what your
your your children's children do with regards to pocket money
and things like that or too young for that? At
the moment you would. No, I don't know. I don't know,
because I was going to say, how young is too
young for a bank card? And I will our kids
(33:35):
don't have a bank card, you know, But there's apps,
pocket money apps. Do a Google on pocket money apps
for kids, and they they are sort of like a
simulated experience of bank cards and things, so they can
keep track of money. They can see it. It's sort
of tokenized, and so they do they can still learn
about money without it being too mathematical. Yeah, in fact,
(33:57):
it's something I probably because I actually I'm not sure
if I was going to give our kids you'd give
them a debit card. Yes, not a credit card, credit
card attached to your account, but it can be painful, goodn'tess?
Speaker 3 (34:07):
No, they can have one from fairly young because it's
probably safer for them to carry than cash.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
But yeah, excellent. If they have to do purchases bus
tickets and stuff, that's great, it's great. We've been fun
to chat about the stuff, actually, John, And now I've
got to throw you the curveball question as to who
you've got coming up on your your show later, which
is Real Life tomorrow night, Tomorrow Night.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
Yes, it's it's John Duffy from a Consumer, the CEO
of Consumer. So he's been an interesting guy. He's had
a lifetime of interesting roles in different organizations, but he's
been seeing you of Consumer for I think about since
twenty twenty, and so he'll be interesting to talk about
himself and also.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Quite an amazing key we organization. Isn't it been? And
it's changed form obviously it used to be the magazine
and everything, and then now it's all online and things
like that. But I must say it's not it's something
I keep my I can't let my subscription laps because
I know that I'm going to want to check out something.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
I should sort of restart again. It might help me
overcome my eleven PM purchases on Eli Express.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
I don't think consumer review stuff on Eli Express. That's
an addiction. I probably need to be a dealt to.
You should have been given more or less pocket money
when you're in I'm not sure that don't know.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
But look, when I win that at lotto, it's not
gonna matter.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Have you got a ticket? Yees? Gosh, I'll tell you
what it's. I just hope it's not just one person. Oh,
I hope the love is spread around even if I'm one,
And if I'm one of the ones, I don't mind
if one person gets it, if it's made, but if
anyone else gets it, there's got to be at least
ten winners. It's I sometimes wonder how much brain power
has been wasted this week with people fantasizing about what
(35:52):
they do with that much money.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
It must just suck thousands of mental hours out of
the economy of people sitting there at their desks peering
into space.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
I'm not going to check my ticket to I think
I'm going to delay checking out. Delayed the gratification anyway,
delayed gratification. There we go. That's where then the rule,
but deferred gratification, so we put it. Hey, great to
see you, John, Thanks so much. It's always fun coming in.
The Sports Rat with Kabe Marati is next to This
is News Talks eleven minutes to six.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
For more from the weekend collective, listen live to News
Talks he'd be weekends from three pm, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks, EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
The Cadman, Wired In, Edwater coming in and the good
Shipping Groups in Peril later than twenty Slate's widow to
say in the record the Fitzgerald and welcome back to
(00:43):
the Weekend Collective. I'm Tim Beverage. If you have just
joined us, well, welcome it. Welcome in and don't forget.
We've got the sports rap coming up shortly before six
with Kobe Mraty. We're looking ahead to the Abs versus England.
That's for the rugby obviously, but also the Silver Fans
against England Roses at six o'clock in the morning as well.
So there's a couple of reasons to get up. But
(01:03):
right now, so we're talking with Kobe's shortly before sex.
But right now this is the Parent Squad where we
cover all things parenting and we want you to join
us with your thoughts and experiences on eight hundred eighty
ten and eighty text nine two nine two. And actually
i'll introduce my guest now because we've got a little
PostScript to add. If you were listening to the One
Roof radio show, my guest was just sharing with us
(01:26):
something he does to get us to get property ready
for the market anyway, So I'll introduce him now if
you even get into that before we get into the
issue of talking about pocket money. Do you still give
your children pocket money or do you do these days?
Do you do a sort of bank transfer of a
few dollars or something? And do you pay them for chores.
We're going to get into that on eight hundred eighty
ten eighty or text nine two nine two. But joining
(01:48):
us is parenting expert John cow and gid A. John.
How are you going. I'm doing very well. I loved you.
Now tell us about It's just Nicole lewis probably driving
home listening to this as well. We were talking in
the previous hour about getting your house market ready. You
had a brilliant idea.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
What are the things we loved about the house that
we lived in was that all the kids played in
the street outside. But it did make it look like
a little bit of a bit of I don't know
what to make it look back, but a bit rough.
But during the during the open homes, we said, if
we don't see you on the street, you can come
and see us afterwards, we'll give you an ice cream.
So we bribed all the local kids of ice creams.
(02:23):
They get lost while the open home was on.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
So I wish you'd caught that is that is a
brilliant thing just to make, just to help the street
feel clean and quiet and peaceful. Yeah. Yeah, how many
kids turned up for the ice cream I can't remember now,
but it could have been a dozen. They were always
It was a lovely aspect of that street. There was
a real community in the street. Was for plowing it
but not something you wanted to use as a selling
(02:47):
point a point not. The other thing we did was
I renovated right throughout the house wallpapered and painted, and
the thought the house looked beautiful. And then after we
sold the.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Place, you drove drove past slowly as you do, you know,
and looking in through the windows and they were painting everything.
They covered her all over wallpaper, and everything looked fantastic.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
But purple, purple it was.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
There was all sorts of different colors, was it purple?
I think some of them were purple. Hey, this is
a long time ago, mate, this is a this is back.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
What when you were happy? When do you have Paisley
wallpaper actually, but I didn't have taste anyway. Nice to
see you. You keep it to me here, yeah, keeping well,
Hey the pocket what what did you used to do
with pocket money when you were well, I've got a
few ideas here, yep. Okay, that's why we got you.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
And by the way, there's lots and lots of right
ways of doing the good things with your kids, of
bringing up your kids.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Well. So I'm not saying that my idea is are
necessarily going to work for you or your kids, but
this worked well in our family. And that's just about
Is this about rewarding or helping them learn about money
or what was that all of the about? Okay, I
need to handle money? Is such a great way of
teaching character, of teaching you know, delayed rewards and things
(04:10):
so that they build up a bit of what's the
word I'm looking for financial? Financial? Just in the financial
areait and character as well. You know, if you if
you put off something now, you can have something more later.
That's the big rule. Gratification. That was the phrase I'm
looking for. Delayed gratification. Delayed gratify deferod sounds very posh.
(04:34):
Deferred gratification as opposed to our children is that the
delay gratification.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
So money is a fantastic tool for parenting. And I
had a couple of things. One is, we paid our
kids pocket money. Now, how much you pay your pocket
money depends on your budget and everything like this. And
they didn't have to do anything anything for that though.
It could be used as a holdover thing.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
So you could use it as a as a sanction
for bad behavior, could.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Be I don't remember if we ever did, but anyhow,
and that was just And people say, but the idea
of them getting money for.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
Nothing, that's a terrible idea. And you know there's some
right wing capitalist and instinct in this which says, you know,
they should have to work for everything.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Hey, who pays you for looking after your kids? How
much are your kids paying you for all the lovely
nice things you're doing for them.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Well, I'm hoping that they'll become extremely successful people in
the money world a moment.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
At the moment, I bet that financially, you know, they're
a dead loss. They're not giving you anything, are they?
And so, but it's just part of being part of
a family. All that lovely stuff's going to stop later
on when they're no longer little and cute, but at
the moment they just get money just for being little
and cute.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Actually, I have come in a way and I'm not
as prepared for this hour in an obvious way, because
I've just realized we don't actually give our kids. We
don't give our kids pocket money. They get money into
a bank account, but they don't even know what's in it.
So we give them something different, isn't it so sitting
(06:07):
them up for later? Well? Yeah, and they get gifts
from family members. So at birthday rolls around and they'll
get a pressy card for God. When I was growing up,
we got ten dollars from Granny. We thought we were
the richest. Creasus, are you calling me posh and you're
pulling up Greek mythology or whatever. Actually it's actually a
(06:28):
line from Monty Python. I'm just guessing Creases as some
sort of Greek god with a lot of money. I
wish I could remember what the line is.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Well, it's good that you haven't come prepared today, because
that just means you can take on board all my
ideas and accept them totally. So look, that's just one
aspect of it. The pocket money thing, but there were
extra things they could do to earn extra money. Their
chores they did. We had ways of we could talk
about chores sometimes, but they had things they had to
do for their chores and they got their pocket money.
(07:04):
But they was extra things they could do. I mean,
washing the car, we'd pay for them for that, doing
the lawns that that wasn't one of their chores. But
if they did it where they paid extra. So there
was extra things they could do to earn extra money.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
I'm trying to remember. I'm trying to remember. We used
to get back in the day we lived in rot
and my parents built their house sat in Cowaha Point
and we had it was two sections. It was back,
you know, quite a while ago. But one of the
things because of the space we had was when we
got it, we didn't get a trailer of wood. We
literally got a truckload of wood. And it would you
(07:41):
see the truck back out the driveway. And it wasn't
just a little you know, it was a major delivery
and it was a big pile that you could literally
climb on top of and feel like you get the
king of the world.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
And I don't cords, didn't you what's a cord of wood.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
That's right, and we used to chop it and I'm
pretty sure I didn't get a cent for it. But
it was one of those jobs it was sort of
just doled out, but it was something you actually enjoyed.
You had the major sort of log which was where
you put each piece of timber and you were swinging
an axe for a couple of hours. Yeah, and I
(08:17):
don't think I got a scent for it. And I'm
wondering if that slightly outrageous.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
No, I know, because look, some of the best stuff
in life just comes out of love lead duty. I
was talking about all the lovely things you do for
your kids and no one pays you for them. You
do it out of love lead duty. And if your
kids learn that they have an obligation to their family
and that that comes with a duty that's based on
love and obligation, that's a lovely thing. But that's not
the end of a story. There is the extra things
(08:43):
you could do. I mean, on the orchard growing.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Up we had you grew up on an orchard, I did, Yeah,
And there were what did the orchard grow? Antis plums, pears, peaches,
Chinese gooseberries.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
That were called back then, pre pre kiwi fruit. Dad
was I think one of the first exporters of kiwi fruit.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Really.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Any there were chores that I did, but I could
earn extra by making boxes. So we had to make
packing cases, and so I got callous hands making cases.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
But so that's one that's an obvious one. That's an
obvious one because that sounds like a job that if
you weren't doing it, they would have to pay someone
to do it. Yeah, so, and you might have been
a cheap rot.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
I think the number of times Dad probably got his
hands ripped by nails sticking out the side of the
case because they had fil straight. Probably he didn't make
it a particularly good deal for him. But anyhow, so
pocket money plus extra that you can earn it when
our kids hit thirteen, well, when our oldest hit thirteen,
we put him on a budget. We worked out how
much we would be spending on his clothes, his travel,
(09:52):
his recreation, and the presence that he had buy for
his friends, and we'd pay it to him. He was
responsible with the money that we gave him for all
his expenses apart from medical and educational. That would do
my head in as a cat. I know, of course
what did he do? He blew it, He went out
and bought it. But because it seemed like a huge
amount of money, we're now paying him. And of course
(10:14):
the first thing he did was go out and buy
a pair of shoes that I think he spent more
money on than I paid for my.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
First You literally gave him the cash. Yeah, well paid
into his bank account. Wow. But the thing is made
a few mistakes. He realized that if you spend it
on this, you haven't got it for that. Now that's
a big lesson for money about money. If you spend
it on this, you haven't got it for that. And
so if you're wanting to go out with your mates,
if you're wanting to buy a present, if you wanted
(10:39):
to go to the movies, you need some money left over.
And so he had to learn to did you know,
I can't remember how mamnch It worked so well with
our oldest. We put our younger ones on it even
before they hit thirteen, and they learned how to save
and budget after some tragic mistakes. The thing is you
have to hold the line and not be because they'd
be the one who made a poor decision, anas and
tears and Dad, I am, I really want to do this?
(11:03):
Did you ever crumble? Of course we did.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
We're softies really, But it works as well as it works,
you know. But the thing is they learned how to
budget and save because they're doing it at home. Home
has to be the laboratory where you learn how to
live life. Otherwise you'll hit university age go flatting. But
they'll give your credit cards and you'll go berserk, just
like I did because I had no idea about how
(11:28):
to handle money.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
Because I can't remember who this was, and I wouldn't
be saying who it was anyway. But they were saying
that they didn't give their children money, but they expected
them to participate in various jobs around the house, but
that they got. They didn't get everything they wanted either,
but they would get They would just get provided for.
(11:49):
And the birthday presents were the things that sort of
gave them a bit of a judi extra extra judicial spending.
I was going to say, God, I don't know, wife,
I was thinking that given I can't say that expression,
but I mean they would very anti actually just giving
cash pocket money, but different philosophical approaches. You said, I
(12:12):
wonder if it is better to give them money which
they are responsible for, because then they learn it, because
otherwise they just think, oh, I just I get. They
don't work out what a dollar is worth.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
I remember someone saying being asked, you know what age
should you start giving your kids pocket money? And the
answer they give was when they don't want to eat it.
You know, they're not going to swallow the two dollars gorge,
you know, so that they learn the weight of money,
the value of money.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Of course, it's a little harder with a.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
Cashless systems, which there are, by the way, lots of
great apps. You just have to do two seconds on
Google to find out that there is a string of
apps that you can use, some of them free to
help kids handle their pocket money and for you to
keep track of them. And by the way, when we
said we gave our kids pocket money, and and and
(13:02):
when we put them on the budget, we didn't step completely.
We would coach them. And also there were things they
weren't allowed to spend their money on, Like we came
home and there was a two liter bottle of coke
in the fridge of my son's name.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
As we go to the fridge and SWI you can't's
not you know, yeah, it's your money. Yeah, but you're still.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
You're still a kid, and you're not going to be
sitting there swigging two leaders a coke even if you're
didn't pay for it yourself, And so you're not abdicating
your responsibility as a parent. You're actually using it as
a coaching tool to help complete it. Be wise of
their money.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
When have your cause on this as to whether you
know what you're what you do with pocket money? Is
it right to give kids pocket money at what age
and what sort of responsibility? But what do you expect
them to do for it? As John said, and I
think it's right if you give kids pocket money, you
work out it's just something where every now and again
they might well. Of the food thing's actually an interesting
one because I still remember what my guilty treat was
(14:00):
was there wasn't just a single packet of cheesels. I
would buy a giant packet of twisties or cheesels and
eat the whole lot. That orange coloring dangerous. That's what
it did to the president. That that's Derito's But we
won't know how what your rules would be on pocket money,
(14:21):
but also what X what tasks should be compensated for?
What do you think? You know what? You're part of
the household. We ask you to do a job. You
know you're not going to want for anything, But this
is part of the whole deal, because I've actually got
a slight Is it a dilemma, Yes, it is a dilemma.
So my car is filthy and my daughter has one
(14:44):
of my daughters has offered to clean it, and I've
said that I would pay, and she says, she actually
said to me, you don't need to pay me, Dad,
I'll enjoy cleaning it because she likes restoring order to things.
And I feel that because the other one would definitely
want to be paid. And I don't know what to
do because she said so I I'm thinking what I'll
(15:06):
do is I'll say, okay, well if you're going to
do it, and then we needed it properly regardless, and
then when she does do it, I will still give
her something without contra You could say that was a
lovely kind thing you did for that. I She'll probably
just say I don't want any money, Dad, I just
want a new iPhone. I mean house ten dollars. Hey,
(15:26):
when it comes to the big purchases like that, I've
got some tips on that. Oh good you are rocking
and rolling today anyway, as always John Cown, By the way,
we want to know what your approach to pocket money is.
Do you give kids pocket money? And how much should
you give them these days? I mean, obviously it depends
if you if you win lotto tomorrow, would you give
them tonight? Is tonight? Sorry? Tonight, I'll find we'll find
(15:51):
one hundred thousand a week. You know what a whittle
that fifty? Goodness, you know what, you probably wouldn't even
notice anyway. Look, I eight hundred and eighty ten eighty.
What stance do you take for pocket money? What did
you get when you were a kid? Actually? And what
were the rules around it? Because there are a lot
of parents who I don't know who might not have
(16:11):
worked out what they do. In fact, I've got a
thirteen and a fourteen year old and I still don't
really know what our policy is. But we just try
and do nice things as a family, and they do
lots of activities that they like to do, and maybe
I'm wondering whether we should actually be telling them what
they're actually what that's costing. Sometimes. Actually, just before we
go to the break, John, you know how you said
(16:31):
for your eldest and then subsequent children, you gave them
a budget to spend on you, and that was at
once they's blown the money, they're blown it. I'd be
worried about working out what a child costs because I
would we'd work it out by going through all my
bank statements, and I'd be thinking, I guess we could
do it. What a frightening backside with low income. And
(16:55):
we did this not because we were rich, but because
we were wanting to be careful of our money. And
it made you know, so we knew how much we
were going to be spending and so we thought they
can spend it as well. Okay, we want your calls
and texts. So eight hundred eighty ten eighty text nine
to nine two pocket money, yes or no? And what
jobs should you pay your kids for? Eight hundred and
(17:16):
eighty ten eighty It is twenty four past five News talks.
He'd be news Talk, zaid be. We're talking about pocket
money and teaching you. We're talking about teaching kids financial responsibility.
What's John, what is the purpose of pocket money. Is
it about teaching kids how to handle money or is
it just you're just giving your kids something so they
can decide. Ah, No, you know what I mean. I
(17:38):
wonder whether whether it needs to be a big lesson
or you just give them.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
You can use it as a teaching tool. Of course,
you can use it as a sign of neglect too.
You don't care what they're eating, you don't care where
they're doing or what they're doing with it. But pocket
money can be when you're a coaching tool. And I
was just I remember the idea of them having to
buy certain things with their own money. I remember being
in the chemist shop and my little girl coming up
(18:03):
to me and she had some spark.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Little girl cosmetics and things. Dad, Can I have that?
And I went, yes, you can have that, and she
sort of recognized the sort of look on my face
meaning yes, you you know you can do it, but
it's you out of your own money. And she looked
at it and she thought, nah, I don't want it
after all, and she took it and put it away.
And that's the thing, you know, rather than just saying Dad, Dad, Dad,
(18:28):
can you have that? Can I have this? You're thinking
you know I've got this much money, I could have this,
but no, maybe I could buy something better. Hey, now
somebody sent to text saying, Tim, we used to do
this is slightly different thing. There's money in the community.
I think Tim, we used to do Bob a job
and all the money went to our school. John will know. Lol.
I don't know why the lol is that he's probably
(18:49):
assuming because of your age. This is something for the job. Yeah,
that used to be something the Scouts would do. But
I can remember our school had had a week where
you were given half a day off or something to
go and do jobs to fundraise for the skill involved
shillings as well.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Yes, the tenth of July nineteen sixty seven we used pound,
shillings and pence. A shilling was about ten cents, wasn't it.
A shilling became ten cents, so when twelve pennies it
was twelve pennies. Two shillings was a florin, two and
a half shillings was a half crown. It's all quite logical.
Five shillings was a crown, one pound one pound, one
(19:28):
shillings was a guinea, and it's all very logical.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
One key, I mean one pound weigh. I mean, do
someone makes so much sense to this? It does. I
don't know how there'll be a reason why it didn't
make sense. I guess one The text to here says
that just for we got our first caller when our
youngest son started work. He asked us how much we
wanted for board. Nothing. He was shocked until I told
(19:56):
him he could pay the power bill. Next night, my
wife and I were in bed reading when sudden light
went off. You don't need that lights on. That's very funny.
I know.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Two two mates of mine were twins, and one of
them less school to go working and started paying board
at home, and the one that was still at school
had to start paying board as well, and he was spitting.
He says, I'm the only school kid that has to
pay board. When they hit twenty one, the parents gave
them all the money back and with interest in me
putting it in a home saving account.
Speaker 2 (20:32):
So I know what the emotion would have been after that.
It's like I really have I don't know, okay, eighty
pocket money? Mark?
Speaker 4 (20:42):
Hello, Hey, good, how's it going?
Speaker 2 (20:44):
Man? Good? Thanks? Hey you hey?
Speaker 4 (20:47):
I just your gifts that I can't remember his name,
John John Good on you. I was brought up in
a similar way. I had a small allowance but also
opportunity to earn a few extra dollars by doing the
lawns or whatever jobs that Dad couldn't be bothered doing.
And also at called I couldn't give enough money, so
I had a paper run to start with, and then
(21:08):
I did the milk run, and also used to work
in a pie shop before school, so I had plenty
money coming in, which I enjoyed. And another thing which
I don't think it's been mentioned yet, but my father
was a fairly hard man and he bought me a
bike and I broke it. I broke the forks on it.
I was pretty hard on on gear when I was
a kid, and he fixed it for me so I
(21:29):
could still ride to school and back. And I think
it was about about ninety dollars in about nineteen eighty
eighty four.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Or something, quite a lot of money in that it.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Was quite a bit, and he actually said that I
was going to be paying for it to get fixed,
so he actually paid, but I had to pay him back.
So we had a little notebook and we wrote down
every time I gave him some money from my earnings
or my pocket money or whatever. He would write down
and cross it off, and now you've got this much outstanding.
And he made sure that I paid every couple of
(21:59):
weeks or so. And I thought it was pretty, you know,
pretty hard on me at the time, but now I
look back on it, and it actually taught me quite
quite a couple of good lessons. Really, the actually three
good lessons. The first one was that if you, if you,
if you, if you can, you can pay something back
in small amounts and just keep keep track of it,
pretty much like a mortgage actually, and I ended up
(22:19):
having a mortgage and paying that off. And also it's
sort of taught me to save in a way as well,
because that you're putting that money away, it's it's really
you don't really notice it, but it actually does a
cheaper purpose in the end. And also the third thing was,
which is a bit of a sideline, was that I
was quite hard on gear when I was a kid.
But it also taught me to appreciate my things and
(22:41):
really look after them so I didn't have to pay
to get them fixed. So yeah, it was a hard lesson,
but it did teach me a lot.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
So hard on gear. Just sounds like you rode the
hell out of that bike over jumps and all sorts
of things and it just gave out.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Yeah, it's interesting that you've that you're that you're wise
enough to reflect on those things and recognize that, yeah,
you did pick up a few things from that approach
to pocket money and and money. So yeah, and I
reckon also having heard that you did all those jobs
as a kid, I bet that's sort of followed you
all through life, and I reckon that you probably money
(23:14):
probably hasn't been a painful issue for you, Ladder in life.
Speaker 4 (23:18):
I've had a multi millionaire, but only because really I've
been a hard worker and that's been one of my
main one of my main focuses in life, really, and
I probably was always like that, even before dad ted
Dad started taking me left listeners.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
You know, how to make your kids millionaires? Which was
the best paying job? The pie the pie shop, the
milk run or the paper run.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
The milk run was by far the best, I think
if I remember Creeckly, that was ten dollars a night,
and the paper run was not worth so I think
it was like three hundred and fifty seven papers or something.
For about a dollar sixty.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Was a sop run in the eighties? Was this in
the eighties, Yes, this is in the eighties.
Speaker 4 (23:58):
Yeah, yep, yep, all in the eighties.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
Yet And did do you to get grapefruit juice that
you could drink?
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Yes, yes, that's right. Yet sometimes I had cream w
once or twice A had green but I found that
made my stomach to the other. But I was going
to say something, I oh, yes, that's right. I probably
shouldn't be saying this on the radio, but.
Speaker 2 (24:16):
Well, I say for radio, or am I going to
have to dune for you? No?
Speaker 4 (24:20):
No, no, it's not it's not it's not it's not
bad or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
It's just.
Speaker 4 (24:25):
It was ten dollars a night, and I always just
took the ten dollars a night. But I know at
least one other person on the Milkrome that took that
took these ten dollars a night in pay. But they
also took ten dollars out of them out of the cash,
you know, because it all cash. And I never did that,
you know. And I've never been a cheat either. So
you've got to be honest in life, because if you're
not good, you'll get nowhere.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
That's good. That's a good point mark. Actually, that would
be a really bad habit to start off with, as
in the milk run, as pilfering the tokens I mean,
or the coins or whatever. The reason I was curious
because my memory was I I never did a milk run,
but but I thought about it because I thought it'd
be a good way of getting fit. But it just didn't.
(25:05):
I couldn't get the job, I don't think, because where
we lived there were some quite steep hills and the
boys used to do that milk run. I used to think, God,
you're going to get stronger in that, because that's a
lot of milk and that pushing, I mean that literally
run with their tray whatever, their trolley loaded to the
gunwales with milk, and I thought, God, they must be
as strong as a bloominox, those kids. I just think
(25:26):
he was doing a paper run in the morning, and sorry,
paper run in the morning and a milk run at night.
When did he ever sleep?
Speaker 3 (25:36):
But it's interesting how that discipline around money that he
learned earlier meant that money wasn't a painful thing later on.
I tend to think that if parents indulge their kids
where they don't have to think much about money and
anything to be solved just by a swipe of a card.
Money then later on in life becomes a painful issue
in they're battling against debt and that's a visible way
(25:58):
to go through life.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Tell me about it. My parents always here's another text,
and my parents always made us pay for everything, any
school trip, necessities, et cetera. We didn't know at the time,
but they were putting everything in a savings account that
we were given when we finished unit. When we finished university,
they wanted me to pay for my own car, but
they also knew at sixteen I wouldn't be able to
afford a trustworthy car, so they matched whatever I had
(26:20):
and saved up. I meant it meant I worked really hard,
but they also helped out.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
Funny enough, Yeah, I was just going to say, this
is something we did with our kids. We said, if
you're wanting a bigger purchase, you saved the first thirty dollars,
and then after that we'll match what you save dollar
for a dollar. So that means if it was a
one hundred dollar thing, you only ended up subsidizing. I
can't do the mass now about thirty five dollars, whereas
(26:46):
otherwise you probably it sounds very generous, but otherwise you
would have been paying out the whole thing yourself. Anyway,
it worked brilliantly until my son wanted to go flying.
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I had the flag lessons. I've raised the first fifty
grand grands fortunately course of ted flights, but even so,
oh and he stopped at that point. Yeah, yeah, but
he was eighty thirteen. It's amazing you could learn flying
before you can learn to drive. Wow, he wouldn't have
been allowed to go solo either. Identity I don't know.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
I think, I don't know. He never got to that stage.
But it's fairly odd sitting at the air strip watching
your boy flying off in the Cessna at the controls.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
And did you go dollar a dollar on that? I
went dollar a dollar after the first thirty dollars, oh yeah,
But normally for most of the expenses like phones and
music and stuff like that, it sounds generous, but natural fact,
they learned to do a lot of savings. It's funny
that that text came about the buying the car, because
literally last night I've been having a bit of a
(27:48):
stress about family finances looking long term, and I literally
woke up last night about four o'clock, and you know
when your mind is not disciplined enough to stop certain
negative thoughts cropping on. And because my fourteen year old's
not there yet, but all of a sudden, I thought,
it's under a year or two away from when she's
going to want you to get her driver's license. And
then on then I've never even factored this into our spending,
(28:11):
that she might need to get a car. But of
course she can't just get a bomb. She's going to
get something safe. And I just went through and before
I know it, I thought, I don't know. I didn't
really sleep until from then on that's being apparent. I guess. Look,
we'll come back with some more calls and text In
just a moment. We're talking about the rules and you know,
the pros and cons of pocket money and paying for jobs.
(28:35):
Eight one hundred and eighty ten eighty. It is twenty
two minutes to six with John Cown and Tim Beverage,
Yes News Talk as zed B. My guest is John Cown.
We're talking about, well, in this cashless world, the rules
around we'ven't really touched on the cashless world. Actually we're
just talking about pocket money and chores and what she
should pay for. But let's take some more calls, shall we. Evon?
Speaker 5 (28:52):
Hello ah, Hello, hello John. I have a wee story
in that listening to the other callers, and that I've
gone into town, gone into town with my daughter, she
was possibly three years old, with my mum, and we've
gone into this shoe store just to have a long round. Anyway,
(29:16):
my daughter had spotted the sweep heir of shoes that
she really liked, and rather than you know, asked me,
she went straight to the top. She said, Oh, Nana,
she said, I like these shoes. And then Nana says
to I haven't got any money, and she said, you've
got a check book. You know, someone so little, you.
Speaker 2 (29:40):
Know, to think of it as a three year old.
That's I switched on yes and bye bye, okay, good to.
Speaker 3 (29:53):
You know, having a check acout or credit count or
something for someone like myself with not all that many
internal boundaries and things.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
You know, I used to look at a checkbook and
I must have money. I still got checks in the checkbook,
and and you know, I probably only had a credit
card for a week before I was up to a limit.
It was a terrible thing because I really had lovely
indulgent parents and so yeah, actually, I've just remembered an
indulgence that my family did with me, so I got
There was a time when on I got into origami
(30:23):
for a while, you know, folding paper into different things.
And I used to sell it to my parents and
I think maybe to my older brothers, and I used
to ask for ten cents for this, and they used
to indulge me. And I actually wish that they hadn't.
I wish they had said, no, no, Tom, there's no
market for this. Find something else. Maybe I would have
lent to bake bread instead or something. But that's one
(30:46):
of the weird confessions I've heard from someone. Actually, that's
quite that you were a serial arigamistic. Yes, the thing
is I used to watch it on TV, and I
used to get so frustrated that the guy who did
it on TV was so much better than I could
ever create. You tried doing birds and all sorts of things.
It was like paint by numbers. But yeah, orangami, what
(31:08):
a weird thing. And I think I used to charge
twenty cents for the really complicated.
Speaker 3 (31:14):
It is interesting though, what kids will do for money.
I actually developed for it. Used to do photography as
a high schooler, and I used to make quite a
lot of money doing photography. And the only thing is
doing photography itself is so expensive. In fact, heroin is
probably a cheaper hobby that photography. But well, these days
I think it's I think it's quite good actually, when
(31:36):
kids have some art or something that they can actually
turn to turn to coin.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
I've got a text here. I'm not sure to identify
the textra or not. Yeah, it's my producer, Tire said.
I would sell my This is even worse than orangami.
I would sell my sister air guitars and evaporated water
when we were young, And she even mentioned it in
her speech at my wedding. An you can have the
(32:00):
eir guitar that's actually evaporated water. It's very clever. Tells
me that someone did a very good job of miming
the ear guitar, so it really felt like something tangible.
He would you like my ear guitar, and so you'd
mind playing it. She would always play guitar, and she
was jealous, and her sister was jealous so she's like,
you know, here you go, you can have my ear guitar.
(32:22):
And I guess that is the ultimate. It's amazing that
Tyre hasn't turned out to be more of a charlatan
than that suggest. Well, anyway, another one here your chat,
somebody's asking something about the one roof show. I might
ask that answer that once we've concluded. Dear John and Tim,
(32:46):
I used to go golf balling. Well, I guess that
means you go and find golf balls somebody sliced off
the side of the road. You wander around the golf
course just looking for golf balls, and also sell pine
cones and mum's freezer's used to buy models, used to
buy models with the proceeds that's from Ray.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
Y know, some people go trudging through you through the
water traps retrieving balls, and I know some clubs have
policies about who's allowed to and who's not allowed to
do that.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
But no, I guess that could be. You know, you
get a good bucket of balls for people to use,
the practice balls. You know, do you know what your
your your children's children do with regards to pocket money
and things like that or too young for that? At
the moment you would. No, I don't know. I don't know,
because I was going to say, how young is too
young for a bank card? And I will our kids
(33:35):
don't have a bank card, you know, But there's apps,
pocket money apps. Do a Google on pocket money apps
for kids, and they they are sort of like a
simulated experience of bank cards and things, so they can
keep track of money. They can see it. It's sort
of tokenized, and so they do they can still learn
about money without it being too mathematical. Yeah, in fact,
(33:57):
it's something I probably because I actually I'm not sure
if I was going to give our kids you'd give
them a debit card. Yes, not a credit card, credit
card attached to your account, but it can be painful, goodn'tess?
Speaker 3 (34:07):
No, they can have one from fairly young because it's
probably safer for them to carry than cash.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
But yeah, excellent. If they have to do purchases bus
tickets and stuff, that's great, it's great. We've been fun
to chat about the stuff, actually, John, And now I've
got to throw you the curveball question as to who
you've got coming up on your your show later, which
is Real Life tomorrow night, Tomorrow Night.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
Yes, it's it's John Duffy from a Consumer, the CEO
of Consumer. So he's been an interesting guy. He's had
a lifetime of interesting roles in different organizations, but he's
been seeing you of Consumer for I think about since
twenty twenty, and so he'll be interesting to talk about
himself and also.
Speaker 2 (34:51):
Quite an amazing key we organization. Isn't it been? And
it's changed form obviously it used to be the magazine
and everything, and then now it's all online and things
like that. But I must say it's not it's something
I keep my I can't let my subscription laps because
I know that I'm going to want to check out something.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
I should sort of restart again. It might help me
overcome my eleven PM purchases on Eli Express.
Speaker 2 (35:14):
I don't think consumer review stuff on Eli Express. That's
an addiction. I probably need to be a dealt to.
You should have been given more or less pocket money
when you're in I'm not sure that don't know.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
But look, when I win that at lotto, it's not
gonna matter.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Have you got a ticket? Yees? Gosh, I'll tell you
what it's. I just hope it's not just one person. Oh,
I hope the love is spread around even if I'm one,
And if I'm one of the ones, I don't mind
if one person gets it, if it's made, but if
anyone else gets it, there's got to be at least
ten winners. It's I sometimes wonder how much brain power
has been wasted this week with people fantasizing about what
(35:52):
they do with that much money.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
It must just suck thousands of mental hours out of
the economy of people sitting there at their desks peering
into space.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
I'm not going to check my ticket to I think
I'm going to delay checking out. Delayed the gratification anyway,
delayed gratification. There we go. That's where then the rule,
but deferred gratification, so we put it. Hey, great to
see you, John, Thanks so much. It's always fun coming in.
The Sports Rat with Kabe Marati is next to This
is News Talks eleven minutes to six.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
For more from the weekend collective, listen live to News
Talks he'd be weekends from three pm, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
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