When I was in elementary school, I was surrounded by kids who got an allowance. Granted I did attend a private school for elementary school and a lot of the kids there were already pretty spoiled, so it was really no surprise. Some kids got theirs for making good grades or doing a few chores or simply just because. I, however, was not one of those kids. I made good grades in elementary school and every time I posed the idea of getting money for good grades my mom laughed at me and said I should try to make good grades without being paid for it. I did my share of the chores around the house, but I never expected to get paid for it because chores were just something you had to do whether you were getting paid or not, right? Besides all that, my mom wasn't working at the time and therefore didn't have extra money lying around to give me and my sister every week to spend on the useless crap that elementary schoolers are prone to buying.

I know the whole thing with giving your kids an allowance is so they can "learn the value of money" and all that jazz, and I'm not saying that's a bad thing. It's a good thing. They can learn the value and the importance of money. But I learned something else from not getting an allowance: the value of hard work. The value of working to earn my money instead of just having it handed to me. Not getting an allowance taught me to take pride in a job well done and money well earned. I love the feeling of earning my own money instead of mooching off of everyone else's financial success. That's not to say I wouldn't love it if someone handed me a check for a million dollars tomorrow. That would be awesome. The chance to be set for life? (Or at least for a few years?) I'd take it in a heartbeat. I'm still happy to work for my money, though. I enjoy not being broke. It's a nice feeling to have money to save as well as to spend. It makes me feel even better to have made my own money. I recommend it if you can.