My son has his first job now at 13, delivering the paper 3 times a week. It's 2 hours of hard work each time, and he deserves the money he makes, which is considerable for a 13.yr.old. So far he's free to spend it on anything he likes, but we cover food and lodging (of course), most public transport, basic clothing (which he cares zip about) and basic used sports equipment - bike, skis and skates. If he wants new gear or expensive clothes he'll have to pay for them himself, but so far I think all he's paid for is a computer game or two and a couple of outings with friends. If he was just spending money all over the place instead of saving it we might ask him to pay more himself, but since he's that thrifty we don't.