I'm always amazed when I hear how much money today's children get as an allowance.

Up until the age of almost 11, I had to steal to get what I wanted. There was no such thing as an allowance.

When my wise old grandmother adopted me in December 1965, she gave me a dime a week. Well, actually she didn't give it to me. I had to take out the trash, dry dishes, and eat Brussels sprouts and okra gumbo.

Today's children almost demand an allowance, and for little work around the home. Of course, most of the work around the home nowadays seems to be done by the live-in maid, the cleaning service, the yard keepers, etc., so that all a child has to do is exist and s/he is rewarded with $25 a week, or more.

Several months ago a Client was complaining about having too much work to do, not having enough month to hire someone to help, not having enough time, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum. Yet there in her household was her mother and five children. After finding out that her children got $25 a week just for existing, I suggested that she find a way to not only get her children involved but her mom, too. I was pretty sure that the children weren't going to work for $25 a week since they already were getting it free, but I suspected that her children and her mom would work much less expensively than an actual employee. And, if she framed it right by explaining that if they helped her for an extra $25 a week, she would be able to make ever more money, perhaps then providing a raise in their allowances or being able to provide bonuses, or buying more Christmas presents, or, or, or.

Well, I got a phone call yesterday evening telling me that all my suggestions had worked. She also told me that her mom appeared to have perked up quite a lot since she was now involved in helping with the business. In other words, she felt like she was still useful to someone and not a drag on society. Self-worth is very important, especially as we get older.

Made me feel real good.

If you're getting squeezed by a lack of time, or too much work, or not enough people helping you, look around you in your own home and in your own family. You just might find what you need.

Getting help doesn't always mean actually hiring someone and paying payroll taxes and doing all that paperwork. Oftentimes it just takes a little creativity, ingenuity, and time on your part, very similar to Guerrilla Marketing. 

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