The Infamous Chore Chart

I'm a "list person." Always have been. Always will be. There's just something about checking off a "to-do" list that gives me a sense of accomplishment. And as a bonus, stuff ACTUALLY gets done around here!

I have attempted to get a chore chart implemented for Jamie Ruth for some time. I've made my own, copied others online, and even forked over cash for some at Target and Hobby Lobby. Realizing lately that I'm the determining factor in whether a chore chart/system is going to be successful, NOT the fancy-schmancy chart itself, I'm backing up and punting (as the hubs would say!).

So I Google-searched "free chore charts," and good gravy, there are more to choose from than I could have ever imagined. I resisted the urge to make one with her name on it specifically (because I was in a hurry and I wanted to get this DONE and checked off my "to-do" list! Ha!) so I chose a simple template with all blanks spaces so I could fill in the particular chores myself. Next I sat down and decided on some age-appropriate tasks that she could do to help me out around the house. I narrowed the list to seven because that's how many blanks there were to fill in. See, this isn't brain surgery, people! I decided we'd start with these:
1. Make bed
2. Clean room
3. Set table
4. Put clothes away (these are her own clothes that I have [hopefully] already washed and dried and put in her own little laundry basket!)
5. Dirty clothes to hamper (after bath time, these are usually just left in the floor for me. Sigh...)
6. Pick out clothes for tomorrow (she wants to ague with MY choices anyway... might as well let her pick from an appropriate selection that I've chosen earlier. Insert evil laugh here. Momma is SO sneaky! Plus it makes the morning routine a breeze.)
7. Living room pick-up (EVERYONE is included in this little chore right before we hit the sack: parents and kids, alike. It doesn't matter who made the mess. We all work together to clean it up. And the bonus is, no one has to take their life in their hands if they have to make a trek across the living room in the middle of the night for a drink or to go to the potty. Safety first, right?! ;)

This list was met with zero opposition, surprisingly. I think she's a list person deep down, too. ((Sniff.)) Pardon me while I wipe the tears from my eyes. Seriously tho, it HAD to be the quarter I told her she would get for every task completed! The red-head responds to cash. Plain and simple.

To save you from doing the math, that's a potential to make a whopping $12.50 each week! For those of you that think this is too much moolah for a six year old, bear in mind that I had the forethought to know that (at least in the beginning) ALL of these tasks would not be completed each day. I've also thought ahead and decided that once we get the hang of the chore chart, I'll give her a quarter for each job completed, and then she'll give ME a quarter for each job undone. Genius, no?!

Well, before I go breaking my arm patting myself on the back, let's just hope I have enough follow-through to keep this plan in effect. I'll be checking back in here on the blog to keep myself accountable and let you know of the progress. How about the rest of you? Any chore charts/ systems that work for YOUR family?