D.C. Area Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
QOTD - Wednesday
Feb. 22: On this day in 1879, Frank Woolworth opened the first "Five Cent Store? in Utica, N.Y.
I loved these stores as a kid because even with little cash I could find some fun treasures. In particular, I remember I could walk to our local McCrory's and would go back for new colors of embroidery thread every week for months (to make friendship bracelets, of course).
On average, how much spending money did you have as a kid (let?s say each week), and what did you spend it on?
Bonus question: What do you spend your ?fun money? on now?
TTC since Mar. 2010; 6 IUIs 2011 = 2 CPs; BFP (conceived naturally) 12/9/11; m/c 1/7/11
Re: QOTD - Wednesday
I think my allowance was $5. Usually I saved it. Why? Because I wanted to buy a car, lol. (And, I did 100% pay for my first car when I was 16!) When I did spend it, it was usually on candy.
Now I still save it. LOL. I most often spend it on HH with friends, Starbucks, magazines & plants.
I can't remember having an allowance, but I'd usually get some birthday money and/or my grandparents would give us a roll of quarters on holidays and special occasions, for report cards, etc. So I might've spent $2-5 a week on average. Besides crafty stuff at McCrory's, I usually blew my money pretty soon after I got it on candy, soda, and Teen Beat, BOP, and Mad magazines.
Nowadays I'll be somewhat money-conscious in agreeing to dinners/happy hours with friends, but will think nothing of buying coffee, books, and magazines whenever I want, which I'm sure adds up.
That's really impressive! Go you!
I didn't get an allowance or spending money. My family didn't have enough money for any extras.
I started a business when I was about 8 and I sold homemade dog treats around my neighborhood. This usually brought in about $20 a week. I put half in the bank, and spent the other half on clothes or cds.
I had a $2/week allowance until I was 10 and I spent every dime of it on candy. I think it went up to $5 til I was 14 and actually got an after school job at a video store. Every dime of that $$ went to make up and clothes.
I get most of my "fun money" now from quarterly bonuses, expense report reimbursements (yes, technically this $$ was mine in the first place, but that was weeks ago!) and birthday/holiday $$. I spend most of it on stuff for the house - decorating, painting, new furniture, etc. I LOVE getting new stuff for the house, while DH doesn't understand why we "need" new stuff (we don't, I just "want" new stuff) - so its a treat for me. Things like happy hours, dining out, clothes and all that are already factored into the budget - so I don't feel bad when I splurge on the house - maybe throw in a day at the spa here and there
That's hard. The amount went up as we got older. But I know it started at a $1 and eventually went up to $20.
I would usually spend it on walking to the local convenience store where i would get a Sprite and a 4 pack of Russell Stover candy.
DH and I just started fun money with the new year, before we kind of just bought something when we wanted it. I've been spending most of it on running gear.
Off to the beach
DS 7/18/2010
Handy 2.0 Due Early August
2011/2012 Races
12/17/2011 Christmas Caper 10K
2/11/2012 Have a Heart 5K
3/17/2012 DC RNR Half Marathon
4/22/2012 10M Parkway Classic
10/28/2012 Marine Corps Marathon
I don't remember consistently getting an allowance but I do remember having set chores so there was probably a nominal amount given to us (lots of kids + not a lot of money = not a lot of extras). I babysat a lot when I was in high school and then worked at K-Mart (oy), and spent all of that cash on clothes, records (yes, vinyl LPs -- at Sam Goody's!), and my phone bill. My BF was in college in GA and even thought my mother worked for AT&T, and we had a phone in every damned room of the house, I had to pay my LD calls -- I can still remember the envelope of cash I'd hand over every month. I think I was supposed to be saving the money for college, but I did not -- and paid that horrible price when I went away.
ETA - I totes forgot to add what do I spend my cash on now -- dining out (FAR TOO MUCH on this), entertainment (hello trip to Tampa to see Mr. Springsteen next month), and clothes/shoes. Sadly, not much to savings. I am bad at that.
"What is a week-end?"
I feel like I must have grown up Amish, because I don't think I had an allowance and I can't remember anything specific I would spend money on (prior to having a car and a way to get around and spend it anyway). I usually had money from babysitting or odd jobs but we didn't live in walking distance of anything and my mom was pretty anti-mall.
These days, most of my fun money goes towards photography gear but I still probably spend more than I should on clothes, make up, HHs and whatnot.
I never got spending money as a kid, my parents could barely make the house payment - so there really wasn't any room for "fun money". If I got money for my birthday or something, I usually bought board games or books.
These days fun money goes to random things like clothes, hair appointments, dinner/drinks with friends, etc.
We make the rockin' world go 'round.
There were a lot of years I didn't have a formal allowance - my parents would give me $$ for specific things or outings. (Funny story - I worked in my dad's store for years for free, and when I went to college he started sending me a monthly paycheck of back pay at minimum wage so I could have spending money.)
I might have gotten a few dollars per week. When I was in 6th grade I would have spent some on candy and saved some. As I got older, it probably went to sodas, the occasional Taco Bell run, and snacks. I'm pretty sure I learned to save most of the time since my parents didn't have a lot for extras. Now, I usually spend money on lunches out and the occasional weekend coffee outing. (Does postage for books I swap through the mail count?) I never got in the habit of buying lots of stuff.
I never got an allowance. I did start babysitting quite early, and babysat a lot. I also started working summer jobs every year when I was 14. I mostly saved all my money. If I spent it on anything, it was clothes, but that was not terribly often. The vast majority of it was saved for college, and used for things like books and a computer I bought myself before my first year.
I still tend to be much more of a saver than a spender, but fun money is spent on race fees, going out to eat occasionally, and clothes and makeup from time to time.
I got an allowance. I know at one point is was $1, and at another point is was $5 and on up, but I don't remember when it went up. Once I was a teenager, I also got a clothing allowance (which in retrospect was incredibly generous). I spend my allowance on snacks, records, books and fun stuff like that.
I also worked for my dad for minimum wage starting at age 11 or so, and that money went for extras - I paid for half of my 8th grade trip to Florida, and for part of my 11th grade trip to NYC.
I got a job at 16 (fast food and then a drugstore), and saved some and spent some. The money I saved paid for my first computer and printer for college, which was $1500. I spent most of my work money on concerts and concert t-shirts, though. I went to SO many shows when I was in high school. Of course, back then, you could get a lawn seat at Merriweather for $10 and a concert tee cost $15.
Now my fun money is spent on clothes, makeup, spa stuff, and quilting supplies. And iTunes and apps.
I think my allowance was $0.25, then eventually $1, and I think the most it ever was was $5. My parents didn't let me have an actual job during the school year (school was my job), but I was allowed to teach flute lessons to a few kids after school. I do fondly remember getting nachos at Glory Days with my friends after every home football game though.
DH and I don't have fun money "allowances" but my special treats are going out to lunch maybe twice a month, the occasional HH, and buying crafty material or baking supplies.
Scout
Chocolate Blog!
The earliest I remember was getting $10 every time I mowed our lawn (which was actually a good deal cause the yard was tiny). I don't remember the particulars but if I put a certain amount of it into savings, my parents would match it. I think it was up to a $5 match.
Because of this I didn't really have a ton to spend - usually candy or small clothing items.
I never got money as a kid aside from "special" things like birthdays, holidays or the tooth fairy.
Now I spend my "fun" money on cosmeticy stuff (I just bought a Clarisonic) and house stuff lately. Oh, and quilting stuff. I splurged and got a bigger cutting mat this weekend when they were 50% + 10% off at Joann's.
Stand up for something you believe in.
I don't know that I got an allowance, at least not regularly. I did earn money babysitting and working at a summer camp, and I spent it on clothes, going out with friends, all that exciting stuff.
When I would go to Maine to stay with my grandparents for a few weeks in the summer, my parents would give us like $20 for the whole trip and we would walk into town every day to buy penny candy. We made it last the whole time :-)
Now my fun money gets spent on clothes, food and wine, pampering myself (pedis, haircuts, makeup sometimes), books and music, and . . . stuff for DS. Really not that much different than in high school except the wine :-)
TTC #2: BFP 12/17/11, m/c 1/7/12 and D&C 1/12/12
baby blog/cooking blog
My allowance was $5 a week, and I typically spent it on candy.
Now, my fun money goes to eating out - which is kind of like the more adult version of candy. So clearly not much has changed.
I never got an allowance, but I shoveled snow during the winter with my brother when we were in elementary school, and I started babysitting at a pretty young age (I was a "mother's helper" at age 9 or 10'ish...). I then started "real" babysitting at 12, which I did many, many (too many) hours per week. I got my first "real" job at age 15, for 10 hours a week. In high school, I worked that part time job, plus a 16 hour/week part time job.
I was a little miser, and saved every penny. Starting around age 9-10, it wasn't unusual for me to have between $100-300 socked away in my dresser drawer.... in addition to what I had in my credit union account.
I spent the money either at the mall or on art/craft supplies. My first "big" purchase ever was at age 12 - I bought a bike from the bike shop for $250. It was teal, and I thought it was soooo beautiful. My Mom was like "are you sure?" And my aunt, who happened to be shopping with us, was like "where the heck did she get $250?" LOL.
Now, I totally suck with money, and don't really save much. LOL. Our "fun" money includes a lot of budget categories (including groceries, diapers, and other 'not fun' stuff...) - so, it's hard to gauge what I spend the "fun" money on. I'd say most of it probably goes towards food and eating out.
I can't remember specific amounts - I'm sure I got like $1 when I was a little kid and I probably never got more than $5 a week. I probably spent it on candy and toys and books. By about 7th or 8th grade, I was babysitting a lot. I saved a lot of the babysitting money for a car. The rest I probably continued to spend on hanging out with friends and books. When I turned 16, my sis and I went in together to buy a car. She was only 14, but the understanding was that we'd share it when she got old enough and she'd keep it when I went off to college. I also got a separate clothing allowance, which was really a pretty generous amount - as an adult, I don't spend that much on clothes per year - I just wish I could!
The fun money that's just mine gets spend on haircuts & color, makeup, clothes, books. Right now I'm saving it for a plane ticket to do a summer trip where my college girlfriends are all getting together at one friend's house. The fun money I share with DH mostly gets spent on eating out and the occasional movie or concert.
I didn't spend a lot of money as a kid. I didn't get an allowance, but my parents gave me money when I needed it. Reflecting back, I realize that makes me sound like a spoiled brat (I'm an only child). I was always a saver though, so I'd save money from special occasions for something bigger... I'm blanking on anything specific- just the usual clothes, purses, books, gifts for others, CDs, etc.
"Fun money" now is spent on the occasional lunch or dinner out, Starbucks maybe once or twice a month, mani-pedi once or twice per year, wine, and cultural stuff, like museum entrance fees. I'm still a saver, and pretty frugal.
Planning Bio
I didn't get any spending money. When we immigrated to US, I was 13. I got a babysitting job our 1st summer here, $100/week for 50hours of work. I gave $80 of that to my parents to help pay the bills and saved the other $20. I have always been a saver and not a spender.
I don't really have "fun money" and don't really buy a lot of stuff. I like to travel (and did a lot pre-kids) but I don't spend money on what I consider frivolous things.
I didn't get an allowance as a child. If I wanted something, I asked for it and my parents bought it for me or gave me the money for it. Most of the time I asked for money to get books
DH and I don't have a set "fun money" pot...again, if we want something, we buy it. Most of my "fun" purchases are clothes, shoes, handbags, or books.
i don't think i got an allowance . . . i was given maybe $4-5 on half days for pizza and candy with friends. i was babysitting by the time i was 11 or 12, so i was earning my own money. which generally went to candy, clothes, and make up.
the main difference between "fun money" now is that is goes to wine, photo or craft supplies/classes, clothes/shoes, and make up. and even wine can be considered out of "our budget" since we both partake
I don't think I really had an allowance as a kid...my parents were kind of inconsistent about it. So most of my spending money was from birthdays and the Tooth Fairy. When I was in high school I also had summer jobs. I can't even remember what I spent money on...I'm guessing as a little kid I spent most of it on candy and the occasional book. In high school, I added clothes and makeup.
Now I spend most of my fun money on clothes, wine, eating out, and the occasional pedicure.
When I was a kid I did not receive an allowance, but I don't remember ever wanting for money. In middle school I started babysitting and I probably earned about $50 a week. I saved most of it and paid for my first car, the rest went to food out with friends, some clothes, and then once I bought said car, gas.
Today my fun money goes to my kids - I rarely spend money on myself other than the occasional dinner out with DH and some new pieces of clothes each season. I have no idea what it says about me that my mom probably still buys me more clothes than I buy myself. With two in daycare and planning for number 3, expendable income is pretty tight.