阅读理解 An allowance(零用钱)is an important tool for teaching kids how to budget, save and make their own decisions．Children remember and learn from mistakes when their own dollars are lost or spent foolishly． How large an allowance is appropriate? Experts say there is not right amount．Actual amounts differ from area to area, and from family to family． To set an appropriate allowance for your child, work up a weekly budget．Allow for entertainment expenditures(花费)such as movies and snack．Next, include everyday expenses such as lunch money, bus fare, school supplies．“If you make the child responsible for these bills,” says Josephine Swanson, a consumer specialist, “he or she will learn to budget for necessary expenditures．” Finally, add some extra money to make saving possible．If you can, keep your child’s allowance in line with that of his friends．A child whose purchasing power falls away below his peers’ can feel left out． It can be tough, but avoid excusing your children when they make a mistake with their allowance．When Brooke Stephens was ten and growing up in Jacksonville, her mother gave her ＄5 a week, ＄1.75 of which was for bus fare and lunch．“If you lose money,” Brooke’s mother told her, “you walk home．” One week the girl spent all her allowance in a candy store, and then she called home for a ride．“Mom made me walk home,” recalls Stephens, now a financial planner in Brooklyn．“At first I was angry．But I finally realized that she was trying to teach me an important lesson．” Experts advise an allowance should not be tied directly to a child’s daily chores(琐事)．Kids should help around the house not because they get paid for it but because they share responsibilities as members of family．You might, however, pay a child for doing extra jobs at home．That can develop his or her initiative(主动性)． | 
