Splitting pocket money, instead of leaving it in one pile
A child gets five francs on Monday. By Friday it's gone. Nobody remembers what on, and nobody did anything wrong. Money that sits in one place only has one use.
Why split it at all
One question turns into four. What do I spend, what do I put aside, what do I leave alone for a long time, what do I pass on. Each one can be talked through with an eight-year-old. Together they add up to a habit, which lasts longer than a good intention.
The four pots
That is how a new child starts in batzenbox. After that you rename the pots, reorder them or add more. Five pots plus the payout, and no more than that.
- Payout 30%
- goes straight into their pocket. That money is paid out.
- Saving 40%
- for something bigger later.
- Investing 20%
- for the long run. It stays put.
- Gifting 10%
- for other people. To pass on or to donate.
How you split it
There's no right number for this. An example: four tenths to Saving, three to Payout, two to Investing, one to Gifting. In a week with a birthday in it, it looks different. The split is a decision, not a rule.
It shifts
At eight, Payout is what matters. At fourteen there's often more in Saving, because there's something it's heading towards. That shift is the interesting part. You only notice it once several years sit side by side.
Read on
Start with this week.
batzenbox is the pocket-money notebook for your family: one amount per pot each week. Set up your family, put in the first week.
Built by a family in Switzerland that uses it every week. Name and address are in the legal notice.