關於零用錢

來自澳大利亞育兒網

http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/pocket_money.html/context/476

Pocket money basics

零用錢基礎知識

Giving pocket money to children as young as four or five years helps them start learning about the value of money and money management. For example, when children get pocket money, they have to make choices about spending or saving. If they』re saving, they』ll learn about waiting for things they want.

Pocket money can also help children learn about the consequences of losing money. Letting your children make a few mistakes – like spending all their hard-earned savings on fake tattoos instead of a cricket set – is part of the learning process.

給四五歲的小孩零用錢可以幫助他們逐步了解金錢的價值和理財知識。例如，當孩子得到零用錢時，必須決定是將它花掉還是存起來。如果選擇存起來，他們將要學著耐心等待心儀的物品。

零用錢還可以幫助孩子了解金錢損失的後果。給予孩子犯錯的機會也是學習過程的一部分，比如不去購買板球套裝，卻將辛苦賺來的存款花費在假紋身上。

It』s OK to put limits on what your child spends his pocket money on. For example, you might discourage him from buying lollies if that interferes with his appetite for nutritious food or you want to protect his teeth from decay.

限制孩子零用錢的使用範圍也無可厚非。例如，假如棒棒糖影響孩子對營養飯菜的胃口或者為了保護他的牙齒，預防蛀牙，你可能會勸阻他購買棒棒糖。

When to give children pocket money

何時給孩子零用錢

There are no hard and fast rules about when to start giving children pocket money.

Your child might be ready to try managing some pocket money if she understands that:

關於何時開始給孩子零用錢，沒有一定之規。如果你的孩子理解以下幾點，她可能已經準備好嘗試管理一些零用錢了：

· she needs money to get things from shops·

·她需要用金錢換取商店的物品。

· it』s important to save money, and not spend it all

· 不用於花費，將錢存起來很重要。

· spending all her money today means there』s no more until the next payment.

· 今天花光所有的錢就意味著在下次支付前無錢可花。

How much pocket money?

給多少零用錢合適？

This depends on your circumstances and what you think is reasonable. As long as your child understands how much he』ll get and how often, he can start learning how to use the money well.

You can base your decision about how much pocket money to give on:

這取決於你的情況或你所認為的合理金額。只要你的孩子理解其得到零用錢的數目和頻率，他就可以試著學習怎樣合理使用這些錢。

你可以根據以下幾點決定給多少零用錢：

· what household chores you expect your child to do

· 你希望孩子做多少家務

· what your family budget will allow

· 你的家庭預算情況

· how old your child is – for example, you might give a five-year-old $5 per week and a seven-year-old $7 per week

· 你孩子的年齡——例如，你可以每周給5歲的孩子5澳元，給7歲的孩子7澳元

· what you expect pocket money to pay for – for example, if you expect it to cover things like transport, lunches and savings, you might need to give a little more.

· 你對零用錢預期的用途是什麼？例如，如果零用錢覆蓋交通、午餐的支出及存款部分，你可能需要多給孩子一些零用錢。

What should pocket money cover?

零用錢可用於哪些方面？

Pocket money could cover any of the following things:

零用錢可覆蓋以下各項事務：

· saving for a special game or toy

· 為某項特殊活動或玩具的存款

· special outings like the movies

· 看電影之類的特殊活動

· gifts for siblings and extended family members

· 給兄弟姐妹和大家庭成員的禮物

· lunch bought at school once a week.

· 每周一次在學校購買的午餐

Letting your child manage her pocket money is a great way for her to develop a sense of responsibility and independence.

讓孩子自行管理零用錢是培養其責任心和獨立性的一個良好方法。

Pocket money and chores

零用錢及家務

Paying your children to do chores around the house is a complex issue. No single rule is right for every family.

付錢讓你的孩子做家務是件複雜的事。沒有對每個家庭都適用的單一規則。

Some families feel that everyone should help with chores just because everyone is a member of the family. Also, linking children』s chores to pocket money might lead to bargaining about how much chores are worth.

有些家庭認為每個家庭成員都有義務協助做家務。另外，把孩子的家務與零用錢相關聯容易引發關於某些家務值多少錢的討價還價。

On the other hand, some families feel that pocket money should be earned and not just given. And giving pocket money can motivate some children to do chores.

另一方面，有些家庭認為零用錢應該靠自己去賺取而不是直接給予。而且給零用錢可以激勵一些孩子主動做家務。

If you do decide to link pocket money to chores, it』s a good idea for the chores to be regular – for example, tidying up the bedroom daily or weekly, putting out rubbish bins each week, feeding the family pet each day, washing the car each week and so on. This gets your child in the habit of working to earn money.

如果你已經決定將零用錢和家務相關聯，使家務規律化是個不錯的主意——比如說，每日或每周整理房間，每周倒一次垃圾，每日喂寵物，每周洗車等等。這會幫助你的孩子養成通過勞動換取報酬的習慣。

You could also consider not linking chores to pocket money, but paying extra pocket money for extra chores.

你也可以考慮不將家務與零用錢相關聯，而是為額外完成的家務支付另外的零用錢。

If you choose to pay pocket money for chores, explain chores clearly so there』s no confusion or bargaining about what needs to be done and when.

如果你選擇使用零用錢支付家務，務必解釋清楚家務的範圍和從事時間，以免產生困惑或討價還價。

Tips on giving pocket money

給零用錢的注意事項

Here are some pocket money tips:

這裡是幾點關於零用錢的注意事項：

· Explain to your child what pocket money is for and what it isn』t for. For example, if pocket money is to cover entertainment or food, agree on what kinds of entertainment are OK. It might help to write a list.

· 向你的孩子解釋零用錢可用於哪些方面以及不可用於哪些方面。例如，零用錢可用於娛樂或食品，事先約定好對於什麼類型的娛樂適用。寫張清單也許很有用。

· Negotiate guidelines about how much money can go into saving, spending and donating. For example, you and your child might agree that your child puts 50% of his pocket money into savings, 40% into spending and 10% into donating.

· 協商使用的配比原則，多少用於存款，多少用於花費和捐款。比如，你和你的孩子也許協商一致，孩子的零用錢50%用於存款，40%用於花費，剩餘10%用於捐款。

· Pay what you can afford, regardless of what other parents (or your child!) might say.

· 根據自己的承受能力支付零用錢，不要管其他父母（或你的孩子）的意見。

· Pay it on a set day. You might choose to pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly.

· 固定支付日。你或許選擇每周、每兩周或每月支付零用錢。

· Set up jars to help your child divide her money – for example, one jar for spending on small things she wants now and one for saving towards bigger things.

· 設立不同的罐子分裝零用錢——例如，一個罐子用於支付現在想要的小物件，另一個罐子用來攢錢買更大的物件。

· Put saved money in a money box. As the level grows, it highlights the achievement of being a good saver.

· 將存下的錢放入儲蓄罐。儲蓄罐的金錢日益增多，孩子作為儲蓄者的成功感也日益增加。

· Try not to supplement pocket money or pay in advance – it』s all about teaching your child to spend no more than he earns.

· 不要補充零用錢或提前支付零用錢——一切都是為了教會你的孩子不要超額支出。

Learning about money

了解金錢

Your child learns a lot by watching you and how you deal with money. Spending, saving or donating money – they』re all chances to teach your child more about the basics of money management.As children get older, you can teach them about:

通過對你以及你處理金錢的觀察，孩子可以學到很多。花費、儲蓄或捐款——這些機會都可以利用起來教會你的孩子關於理財的更多基本知識。 隨著孩子的長大，你可以教他們以下方面：

· the value of money: the relative price of things

·金錢的價值：物品的相對價值

· spending: accepting that money is gone once it』s spent

·花費：接受金錢一旦花出便不可收回

· earning: understanding that earning money can be hard work, but usually that』s the only way to get it

·掙錢：理解掙錢很辛苦，但通常是獲取金錢的唯一途徑

· saving: using short-term and long-term goals

·存款：設立短期目標和長期目標

· investing: learning that you have the chance to earn more when you invest

·投資：了解投資時你有機會獲得更多收益

· borrowing: understanding the importance of repaying borrowed money

·借款：理解償還借款的重要性

· opportunity cost: understanding that when you use money to buy something, you give up the chance to buy something else with that money.

·機會成本：理解當你使用金錢購買某件物品時，便放棄了使用那筆錢購買其他物品的機會。