I never set out to be the kind of parent who pays her kids to do chores. I mean, why would I pay my kids to do household tasks I was already doing for free?
In the last three years, however, I have come to the conclusion that paying our kids to do certain chores is one of the most beneficial parenting choices we have ever made, and I’m not just saying that because I don’t have to fold the towels or take out the trash anymore. We are winning the battle against an entitlement mentality. I want to share how that happened in our family.
It All Started With a Chore Chart
Three years ago our son was gifted a Financial Peace Junior kit. At that point Michael and I were already fans of Dave Ramsey and his approach to finances. We had been utilizing his Baby Steps plan for several years (as much as a self-employed couple can), so we were familiar with the cash system approach to budgeting, saving, and spending.
This is what the kit looks like:
Wyatt was really excited about having a chore chart so we decided to give it a try. We let him pick out the chores he wanted to do and placed the pre-made stickers on his chore chart.
I set the prices for each chore, and paid him at the end of each week. Simple, right?
Over time I learned which chores he was willing to do and which ones I needed to raise the payment amount on to give him incentive. For instance, when we started I paid him $.50 to fold a load of towels. He did it a couple of times and basically decided it wasn’t worth $.50 to him so I raised the payment amount to $1 per load of towels.
{NOTE} The most I have ever paid him in a week was $14. He rarely does every chore on his chart so it doesn’t cost us much to pay him each week. There are even weeks when we doesn’t do any chores at all. His choice. No work, no pay.
We taught him that if he wants something, he has to work for it. It is our job as his parents to provide for his needs (for now) like clothing, shelter, food, water, medical care, etc. But when he grows up that will be his responsibility, and earning money for chores was a great starting point for understanding what that looks like.
Beyond the Chore Chart
About a year after starting the chore chart, Wyatt started occasionally selling a dozen eggs from our flock of chickens to our close friends and family members. It didn’t take long for him to figure out that he could make a lot more money with a fraction of the effort by selling eggs. We just didn’t realize how far he would take it.
After two and a half years of doing chores and occasionally selling eggs, we let Wyatt launch an egg business that he named Wyatt’s Free Range Eggs.
He now cares for our flock of 22 chickens. It is his responsibility to feed and water them, clean out the coop, and gather eggs. He packages the eggs up and sells them at our local farmer’s market and to friends and family in our community.
Wyatt’s Free Range Eggs
A friend of ours recently made a custom logo for Wyatt’s business – which he paid for himself – and we now have business cards, t-shirts and coffee mugs bearing Wyatt’s logo.
Now he is learning about the cost of doing business and how important it is to market his product in a variety of ways. For crying out loud, he’s NINE! YEARS! OLD!
I can’t tell you how pleased I am with how this has turned out for us so far.
We don’t push him to do more and more, but instead let him set the pace for how hard he wants to work. He is learning that the harder he works, the more it pays off, so he is really pushing us!
Who knew this little chore chart kit could be a catalyst for entrepreneurship?! Dave Ramsey probably knew it, but we certainly didn’t. I know not every kid who uses a chore chart will be inspired to start a business, but what a gift to be so young yet understand that money has to be earned, and that working can be a good thing.
I can’t count how many “life” conversations have organically occurred because of this approach to chores, work, and money. We have talked about everything from budgeting to generosity to how our identity isn’t in the work we do. These are important conversations that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
I would love to hear your success stories about paying your kids to do their chores. What works for you? How have your kids responded to the concept of earning money?
