Some people believe that giving a weekly allowance will help children to develop good spending habits. Do you agree or disagree?

Some people believe that giving a weekly allowance will help children to develop good spending habits. Do you agree or disagree?

This essay question was asked in an IELTS test held in Bulgaria recently. You have to spend 40 minutes answering this question. Your essay must have at least 250 words.

Model Answer

In many families it is a common practice for parents to give a weekly allowance to their kids. When I was a kid, my father used to give me a small sum of money every day. I was supposed to spend that money judiciously. Although he never really asked what I was doing with the money, I always made sure that I didn’t waste a single penny. I used that money to buy books and pay tuition fees.

In hind sight, I think his decision to give me a daily allowance was good. That small sum of money gave me a sense of independence. Because I always had a small amount with me, I didn’t have to ask him every time I needed to buy a book or things like that. I also learned the importance of spending money wisely. As I was getting only a small allowance, I had to limit my spending. I had to spend money only on things that was absolutely necessary. So in my opinion, giving your kids a daily or weekly allowance is a good idea.

On the flip side, giving too much money to your kids is bad. Many parents who have high disposable incomes commit this mistake. Kids are too young to understand what is necessary and what isn’t. If they get a lot of money, they are invariably going to splurge. They might even get into harmful habits like smoking, drinking and gambling. So I think what parents should do is to give a small amount that would meet the day-to-day needs of their children. Parents must also monitor what their kids are doing with that money.