KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Hi, may I know if $1 is enough for pocket money for a Primary 1. My colleagues are telling me that canteen food can cost $2! I know it depends on which school my child is in but I am just trying to figure out what is the 'market rate'. Thanks.

Mrs Oh.

I give $1 to my p1 dd too. dd has enough to buy food and drink water from her water bottle.

depends on how much the school is selling the food.
my P4 uses $1.40-$1.80 every recess, so i give him $1.50. so when he needs to stay back, i'll give him $3.50.
my K2 going to P1 next year is a big eater. i think he'll need maybe $2

i give my P1 daughter $1 for recess but on days with CCA she'll be given $2. But there's another $2 "emergency fund" in her school bag..

When my dd was in P1, I also gave her $1. Usually I will check with her what she ate during recess. Don't know about your child but mine ate fishball for 3 months before she was "adventurous" enough to try chicken burger for another 3 months !

Whenever there is any opportunity to "visit" the school canteen (especially during PTM), I will take a look at the stalls and their pricing. usually thru chatting with dd, I will know which stall she likes to patronise and from there estimate the pocket money.

Now that she is P6, I give her $3. $1 extra if she needs to stay back and since P3 , there is always an emergency $2 in her wallet in case she is very hungry that day or need to buy some stationery. Very seldom she uses up the pocket money and she saves quite a bit since .

It depends on how much the school's canteen food are selling.

I also give my gal $1 for breakfast but that's for food only coz a bowl of noodle costs $1 and she drinks water from her own bottle.

DS' school canteen food is quite expensive so we have to give $2 for recess everyday and $4 for days with CCA. Chicken rice can cost up to $1.50 for the larger plate.

I give my son 1.50. He is in p1. Usually he will have some left for saving. He also has 2 for emergency money in his bag, ever since the day he forgot to bring his wallet to school and he borrowed money from his teacher...very thick skin...

I give him $2 in coins, but DS (P2 now) usually spends $0.80 to $1.20 depending on what he eats for recess. I top up his wallet daily with new coins, and even on days that I forget, he will have enough.

I think $1 is ok. If there is an urgent thing to buy they can learn to borrow and pay back the next day. That is their introduction to loans and repayment !