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New Year Adjustments - Allowances

The New Year is a good time to make changes - it's easy to remember and when the change involves a topic in which time is involved, it's easy to remember the starting date.

And one of the family changes pertains to the kids' allowances.  We're like many families in that we pay weekly allowances to the kids and unfortunately, we're also like others I know in which we're frequently in arrears on paying the kids.  When were you last paid?  No, it couldn't be...you got it just a few weeks ago!  That's right, few is an irregular number akin to Pi and Phi, the biological constant.  It's been the source of some argument with the kids and sore feelings with some concern that Dad's either an idiot or a cheat.

This situation is a result of two things:

1. The amount that we give each child is not necessarily a nice, round number;
2. We expect them to split the allowance into three components of spending money, savings money and charity money.

Simply put, I never have the right change for the kids to make it work and I keep forgeting to get to the store or bank to get it.

So it's becoming part of the family calendar along with piano lessons and sport practices.  Family allowances.  And then I'm making sure that I have twenty one dollar bills and rolls of coins in the desk drawer so that when that day comes, I can be the good Dad instead of the deadbeat.

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