EMILY MacDonagh has revealed that she and Peter Andre give their children 50p to do chores.
On top of cash for , the self-dubbed “stingy” explained that she and her husband give their eldest kids, Amelia (Millie), 12, and Theo, eight, £1 a week in .
Emily MacDonagh has opened up on giving her children pocket money and making them do choresCredit: tiktok.com/@dr.emily.official
The star said she might be “a bit mean” for only giving 50p to make their bed, unload the dishwasher and put clothes awayCredit: Instagram/ dr_emily_official
Posting on , the mother, who also has a , got candid about the cash she gives to her youngsters.
said: “You might have seen a video I did recently where Millie was doing some chores for me and and earning a bit of extra pocket money.
“There were some really great comments on the video. I asked people, ‘what do you do with your kids?’, ‘how do you do ?, ‘do you make them do chores?’ and I got some really great responses, so I thought I’d make a video about it again and just see what everyone thinks.”
Opening up on the way she does things, whilst laughing Emily added: “The kids have their own bank accounts and they have a little card that they’re able to spend, and they get £1 a week from me and Pete that goes into their bank account.
“And then any they want to have they get through chores.
“So, you know, they might help me unload the dishwasher. I think I’m a bit stingy, by the way – I’m gonna just caveat with that – because for unloading the dishwasher I would do like 50p.
“To make their bed, 50p. Put their away, probably 50p.
“Jobs that are a bit bigger, that will take them more time, maybe £1.”
Despite this, Emily shared her doubts at paying her little darlings to help around the house, as she recognised: “But I kind of feel like kids should help, really, without getting pocket money.
“I mean, when we were growing up, I had to help and up and do those things.”
Moments later, the best-selling author then continued: “So I’m really torn between teaching them that you shouldn’t always get paid to help out your parents, but also wanting to give them that reward.
“And they love having that bit of spending money, you know, when they go to the .
“I also like to keep them grounded and not give them extortionate amounts of pocket money, because when they go out to the shops, they’re really proud of themselves, and they kind of know the value of money, to buy something for maybe £2 or £3, they can see what’s gone into it to get that money.
“So that’s how I think of it, but I think I might be a bit stingy and a bit mean… so let me know what you think.”
Average UK pocket money
According to Statista , the average amount of pocket money given to children in 2023 was £5 a week, or £20 a month.
This has dropped since before the pandemic, with the average weekly amount being £7.70 back in 2019.
Children often earn pocket money for doing chores around the home, and in 2021, washing the car was the biggest money maker, earning kids around £3.
Emily’s clip, which she posted on her official account , has left many totally divided.
While some thought she was “spot on” with the kids’ and chore pricing, others described her as “tight.”
At the same time, some parents voiced their disagreement with paying children to do that “just have to be done.”
One person said: “You are spot on. Don’t change it.”
Another added: “Children have to learn responsibility and to be accountable for their actions, I think it’s a perfect balance.”
A third commented: “Totally agree with this and was relieved by the amount you give them. Totally relatable and you’re . I don’t think you’re been stingy at all.”
However, one parent disagreed and shared: “I don’t pay for chores, I’m teaching them that they wouldn’t get paid for looking after their own living space.”
Another parent agreed: “I do wonder if we pay our children for everything they do, when will they learn that some things just have to be done and money isn’t everything.”
Not only this, but one person chimed in: “Your rates are good, however making the bed should just be a basic, wouldn’t pay for that.”
At the same time, another user was shocked at Emily’s £1 pocket money and gasped: “That’s .”
And someone else thought the same and wrote: “£1 a week, come on this is 2026.”
Emily gives her kids £1 a week extra on top of the choresCredit: Instagram/ dr_emily_official
Social media users were divided and some thought the celebrity was “tight”Credit: tiktok.com/@dr.emily.official
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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