Keeping a house running takes a lot of work, and with both parents working full time outside the house, the kids can help. Motivation can sometimes be difficult...
Rather than pay the kids allowances, I'm coming up with special chores they can do, and be paid for. They have some that they are expected to do daily/routinely because the house needs them. Dishes, kitchen surfaces, sweeping, mopping, trash, their own laundry... But I wanted to give them others that are a way to earn spending cash. I've got a weekly, monthly, and quarterly list going.
Every house is going to be different, and with different needs. Also, this is a first draft so I'm likely forgetting something. But as an example you might be able to use, the lists are below. If you catch something I (and other readers) might want to add, feel free to chime in with a comment!
Weekly Cleaning List Task Wash Sliding Glass Door Wash front of stove and Front Fridge Toss old food from fridges Scrub the toilet Wipe down bathroom sink, mirror Washing the rugs (run through washer and dryer *after* shaking outside) Sweeping off porch and side patio Edge Mowing Mowing at Lil's Water Houseplants Pick up Tricksy's toys from yard Fill Ice cube Trays Water Outside Plants/Containers
Monthly Cleaning List Task Wash fronts of cupboards in kitchen Wash front of bathroom cupboards Clean out the Fridges (scrubbing it out) Dusting bookshelves Polish Furniture (Pledge on wood) Dusting other surfaces (desks, cubbies, etc) Scrub shower
Quarterly Cleaning List (Second Quarter Apr-Jun) Task Wiping down tops of Fridges Cleaning out pantry, tossing expired products, wiping down shelves Washing Windows Pantry Inventory
The Quarterlies are more like Yearlies, but broken down a bit, for instance the pantry purge is probably a once-yearly task, so it wouldn't reoccur in the other Quarterly lists. I plan to print these and put them in a tabbed binder for easy access. As each task is completed, it will be initialed and dated, and once a week the parents will review and pay for the work done. Weekly chores are worth a small amount (scaling based on effort) monthly a little more, and quarterlies even more. I could assign tasks to specific kids, but for now I've asked the Industrious One to not complete more than 50% of a list to give her siblings a fighting chance.