Do you pay digs to your parents? How much?
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If you are at the age of paying digs to your parents, how much do you pay a month? If not, what would you make your child pay for digs?
I personally have never paid digs in till i moved out then back in again at the age of 21 and even then my parents only chagred my £50 a month. However i am all for paying digs i suppose it helps kids learn that everyhting needs paid for in lIfe! Although ehen my kids are old enough i think ill charge them £50 and out in a pot for when they need/want something... my view id i brought them into this world and its my duty to look agter them till they are at an age where they can spread their wings and move out (will be a very sad day 
)
As soon as kids start work they should pay keep. It does them no favours to get free board as they will never be able to budget if they are so used to spending all their money on themselves having a good time. Young adults today earn as much as anyone else whereas in my day young adults were on junior or apprenticeship wages.
It used to be quite common to take a third for keep, third to save and a third to spend but of course no one would go for that now! However all young people should learn to save as there will be no pension as such when they are old and they need to think about it asap.
If you really can't bear to charge them, do it anyway (a proper amount that reflects what they get in return) and save half to give them when they leave home. Win win.
I agree I was amazed that someone suggested £50 a month - I was paying more than that nearly sixty years ago. That's the problem parents don't teach them financial responsibility - such parents aren't doing them any favours.
davidstockport we do teach our to be independent and financialply secure even if we don’t take housekeeping from them.
Pjran That's your opinion - my opinion is that as soon as children are earning enough. Why should their parents still be responsible for them financially. I know too many households where the parents are struggling but their children live the live of Reilly. Those children often become people who think the world owes them a living.
davidstockport we brought them into the world so it’s our responsibility to take care of them and I’m sure when the tables turn they will take good care of us x
Pjran Some will but those who've never been taught responsibility might not.
Incidentally do you think that if they commit a crime it is your responsibility because you brought them into the world. 
It works both ways.
davidstockport I know they develop their own personality very young and my two are not at all alike. I would certainly feel bad and think I’ve failed them if something horrible happens (crime) but I hope I would protect them and stand by them. Life can be awful sometimes and this happens to those who definitely don’t deserve it.
Pjran I suppose this is an age thing I was brought up soon after the war when it was the norm for any wage earner to contribute towards household costs. Surprisingly this wasn't resented then, In my case I started full time employment on my 15th birthday and was expected to "cough up" from the pittance I earned - I'd even been expected to pay most of what I earned from a paper round before starting full time work. I personally didn't see, and still can't see, why my widowed mother should have to work to support me, although I didn't then earn enough to support myself.
davidstockport gosh that brought back memories. I started work in 1969 and earned the grand sum of £7 8s 6d. Out of that I had to give my parents £3 10s so practically half. And, like you, I worked prior to leaving school as a helper in the local milk bar (in Australia) at weekends and it was not unusual to hand over all but a fraction as mum and dad were always broke. Times were harder then, and further back, and as you say, every wage earner contributed practically all they earned to the family budget.
Nowadays most of us don't live in desperate times but I still believe they should go through the right of passage and hand over an amount that covers their keep even if the parents save it for them if not needed.
davidstockport I pay my own gas, electricity, food shopping (as in fully stocking the cupboards and freezer), phone bill, xbox etc and still pay my mother £50 a month towards her rent (3 adults live here) and that's me out of work at 26
My mum works and earns over £240 a week yet hasn't even bothered to go for a food shopping once in over a month, has barely put anything in her electricity meter at all recently hell we're almost £20 under infact and yet is always out of money somehow 
but can magically afford takeaways though 
she doesn't pay for a TV licence either so there's no excuse there and her phone bill is also less than mine
That's why some people expect some responsibility back nowadays, I'll always agree with teaching responsibility as I even do it myself with my younger cousins though I'll never expect anyone to pay more than me towards my own place that's just backwards thinking that
smcd966 what a decent and responsible young man you are. I don't mean to be rude about your mother (but you offered the information), she sounds like she needs a kick up the backside. Stop paying for everything and when her food or electricity runs out let her go without. You may have to yourself for a few days (feed yourself outside the home) but hopefully she will see sense. Alternatively, write a budget and list all household bills and divide by 3 and give it to her telling her you are not going to pay more than your share. Fairest way for 3 adults.
I didn't charge either of my daughter's board and the reason I did this was so they saved enough money to put a deposit on their own homes . The youngest one had been away at uni for 3 years so knew how to budget and still have enough money to enjoy herself. You can teach them the value of money by them seeing what they can have if they save .
Id charge them a decent amount but not put it into bills. I would put in a bank account and build it up so when they leave i can throw a party... i mean it can go towards their new house
Lynibis I disagree with this, I know more young people that can budget their money better than older adults. And so many younge people manage to buy their homes despite it being ridiculously hard to do so currently (much harder than older adults would’ve found this a few decades ago or less) - so in fact I would argue many are better at budgeting to be able to buy houses, afford these high mortgage/rent, bills etc
i used to have to pay a quarter of my wage to live at home but i was bought all my toiliteries etc .. my mum used to do all our laundry x i think all kids should pay for living at home .. my 2 left when young one got married at 18 n shes now got a 3 bedroom house a good job and a hubby with a baby on way x she always says its coz i learned her u gotta work for things in life that u want and get it when u need it and mostly buy only if u can afford it ....
I used to give my parents money (300 a month) even when I wasn't living with them. Then I got a mortgage and haven't given them money for a while. Which reminds me I should... T_T
Ah that's very caring. It is lovely when kids grow up and are generous to the parents who raised and often sacrificed for them. Some parents don't deserve it but most love their kids very much.
I mentioned to my son that my alarm clock had broken (about 30 years old) and next day a new one arrived from Amazon. Caring gestures mean so much.
I too sent money to my mother (who was widowed) when working away from home. Even though I wasn't using the home - it was there for me to return to when I needed to.
I got education allowance benefit(forgot what it was called actually called 18years ago)
when I was 16, I started to give £20 per week which went towards food groceries and
domestic's
I always had enough for myself it was not big amount because the way I was brought up
I knew how to make sure I was not spending too much and save for things I actually needed...and for times if I did struggle I didn't end up rich but I learnt the right way to do thing's.
I learnt at my lowest income how I can just about cope to pay for bill's
Then by 18 I was working for full time
before that I was on job seekers allowance for 3months
both those times and bills where divided between me and my family...
I also went for part-time work somewhere else later on in life, but it was amount 6months I was on jobseekers before that and was still able to pay my part.
Jobseekers was not a lot of money but I learnt by myself and by family,
how to cope and still pay my bills and get what I needed..
I had 2-3friends who's parents didn't ask them to help with the bills or pay some of it....
these friends of mine ended up spoilt, they don't understand why they should pay anything,
they always have money issues and struggle to save sometimes.
If you want your young ones to have enough money for their future like their own house, car or whatever let
them
learn to do things on their own,
teach them to save and buy what is necessary... so they can save for their future...
doing it for them is not teaching them anything
not a good idea because when they are older and your not there for them.
They will struggle so much on their own
they may end up looking for someone to help them who may use them...
I never paid digs but I did offer to. My Dad wouldn't take it as he said I would need the money later on. I was away at uni, so only home during the holidays, during which I worked and offered to give my parents digs but they were having none of it.
I would charge my son digs to help him learn how to budget but I would save some of it for him.
I had to pay a third of my salary as soon as I started full time work which was the day after I was 16 and did so until I left home a couple of years later. I can't understand at all why parents don't do the same these days (even if they just keep it to one side so that when the child buys a house they can offer to help). Things must have changed a lot over the years....
I charge my son age 17 150 month and extra 100 a month for his pc I paid for and he’s paying up , he has a contract phone for past 4 years and he now pays that too he is a new promoted chef at 1 star mitchelin kitchen and starts collage next month , my thoughts too the kids need to learn how much things cost and also save . Both parents work and we have 4 kids lol
When my son started working about 13 years ago he insisted on paying me £300 a month as he felt it was only fair, I had brought him up on my own since he was 1 year old and when he bought his first property 5 years ago I gave it all back to him to help towards his deposit. I had always planned to do that for him but he never knew 
.
When I lived with my folks years ago it was £100 a month. No idea what would be right now days.
I think if you have a grown up child is working they should pay rent, so they are aware that things cost £ especially as the cost of living increases. I made the mistake of only charging my son a nominal rent, £25 a week and not insisting he pay it on time. So, it was a great shock when he moved out and had to pay rent, utilities etc. & realise he didn't have much disposable income. I didn't do him any favours.
I think you should know what the true cost of living is.
beccatavender yes your child has to plan and budget leaving an excess for emergencies.
I paid my mum £30 a week about 15 years ago. I don't think it made me any better with money though, that came with age.
Depends on the child, little for a responsible child and lots for one that did not appreciate the value of money.
I never paid digs to my parents, they were away a lot, which meant I ran the home, food shopping, housework, looking after the dogs. So when they came home weekends they could just chill out.
I personally wouldn't charge my children but it depends on the situations people live in.
I think so as it teaches them that what goes in must go out. They'll have a bigger awakening when they have their own place and find it cheaper to stay at home.
I always gave money to my parents when I got my first job because they bought me up & I was living under the same roof & still am at 50, that's really sad. Should have moved out but felt a responsibility to look after them after they looked after me.
I'm not sure I have heard of the terminology of paying digs. I assume essentially it's paying a rent to parents for your upkeep? If so when I lived with my parents (a long long time ago 20+years?) I feel I gave them £200-300 a month which seems a lot... And think my take home was around 900 at the time.
i paid for some of my own expenses myself which gave a sense of responsibility for my desires but all my needs were provided which ensured i didnt need to worry!
i think thats ideal!
When I was at home and working a full time job I paid them £15 a week. Back in the 1980s though.
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