On Commission

My first three kiddos got allowances.
Christa is getting a commission.
This is a fairly new routine in the Vogt household, but so far we (Rob, me and Christa) all like the commission process.
Thank you, Dave Ramsey. Ramsey is a financial "guru" who keeps it simple: Get out of debt. I like his approach because he makes me laugh while he talks about things like money and credit cards and investments and college funds. On his Web site he has three words at the top: Life. Money. Hope.
Sounds good to me.
Anyways, back to the commission deal. The concept is simple: Christa has a list of responsibilites or jobs. Each week, she gets paid for the jobs she does. And she doesn't get paid for the jobs she doesn't do. Sounds like the real world, doesn't it? When you're an adult, you don't get an allowance. You get paid for the work you do. And if you don't work, you don't get paid.
Christa now has a commission chart on the refrigerator door. (Where did moms hang stuff before refrigerators?) Her jobs are pretty basic: Make her bed, brush her teeth--that sort of thing. She marks them off when she completes them each day.
Here's the flip side: Christa can also get "dinged." She can lose money for certain behaviors. If she has a bad attitude about turning off the t.v. or the computer--Ding! She loses 10 cents. If she is impatient--Ding! She loses 10 cents. Doesn't sound like a lot, but it does add up.
Christa also knows that some of her commision goes into a savings envelope. Some goes into a giving envelope. And some goes into a spending envelope.
Here's the cool thing: Christa thinks money management is fun! She likes her commission chart. She likes getting paid at the end of the week. And, yes, she absolutely hates getting "dinged!" So, she's learning to watch her attitude.
Works for her.
Works for me and Rob.
Who knows--it might work for you and your kiddos too.