DIY Chore/Allowance Chart

We've gone through a lot of different attempts at chore charts and allowance. A lot. With the most recent being each child getting a $5 a week allowance and doing whatever chore we told them to do. The only problem was, they weren't really doing many chores, or one child would do a bunch of chores while the other did none. It was really unfair and honestly, I was tired of paying the boys for not doing anything! 

So it was time to  come up with a new plan.

David and I worked together to come up with jobs we wanted the kids to make and how much each job was worth. Then I got to work on making the chart.

Using a random pile of wooden discs about 1 1/2 inches across, Avery Sticker Project Paper and my handy dandy silhouette, I printed out stickers with each job and the amount it's worth on it.  Eventually I will put a layer of mod podge over them, but I want to make sure I'm completely happy with the amounts of money we decided on. I cut up a bunch of random magnets from my fridge (the ones you get for free from businesses) and glued them onto the back of each discs. Yay for recycling!

I forgot to take a picture, but I did paint a few discs with Chalkboard paint, so we can change the money amount on it if needed. Those are for those random jobs that pop up out of the blue that aren't normally done around the house. I've also been using them for Corbin since there are a lot of jobs on the chart that he can't do and I usually give him random odd jobs helping me out.

A while back I picked up a few metal metal boards from Pick Your Plum. They've been sitting in the closet waiting to be used. This project was perfect for them! 

I weaved ribbon through the holes to give it a finished look and to create a loop on the back for hanging.

 I cut out the boys names and a title for the chore chart out of vinyl and put them on each board. David hung them up for us in the kitchen. I wanted it somewhere that we will remember to look at it, but somewhere that won't be clashing with the decorations we will eventually be putting up.

We have daily and weekly chores. (If the weekly has already been done, I throw it on the back the board until we need it again) When the kids complete a job, they move it to their board. The next morning at breakfast, I go over their chart and give them the money for the jobs they have done. I have a jar full of change and dollar bills in my wallet kept just for chores. 

The boys weren't happy when I told them I wasn't paying them to clean up their rooms, their toys or putting away their clothes. They do still have responsibilities that I will not pay for. I actually told them that if they didn't want to do those jobs, they could pay me to do them. Nobody has taken me up on that offer yet...

We've had this system going for about 3 weeks now and we are extremely happy with it. The boys are doing more chores with less whining. I'm actually paying them based on what they are doing and I'm not chasing them around the house bothering them to finish their chores! If they don't finish it, they don't get money and they want money!

It almost makes me feel better about the years of chore chart fails. Almost.

What do you do for chores in your house?