Pocket money was a novel idea to my parents. They didn't believe me when I told them that girls at school were given a sum of money every week 'just because'. They figured they gave me money when I needed something so that was fine, but I persisted and eventually they relented and I was given a regular allowance every Friday. It wasn't much, maybe sixpence to start off with. It was certainly less than what my friends received, but then that money was mine to save and do with what I liked. I was still given extra to spend on various treats. And of course the tooth fairy came fairly regularly. My tooth fairy must have been poorer than others, but she did leave a silver coin, usually a sixpence which was upped to a shilling when I started losing molars.
The neighbours in the flats would often give me the odd coin and I was paid if I minded pets and watered the pot plants when they were away, so I did have some money to put in my money box. Regularly, like Scrooge McDuck,I would get out my money box and count the loot. I had a beautiful wooden money box which had Hansel and Gretel, the wicked witch and the gingerbread house on a base into which the coins and rarely a ten shilling note would go. Underneath was a little metal door which I opened with a tiny key.
I loved making piles of coins - 12 pennies equalled 1 shilling and in those days we still had half pennies, so there was a mountain of them to equal a shilling. I'd have little stacks of threepences and sixpences, shillings and two shilling coins. My parents were very amused about the pennies. The coins that were worth least were larger than the coins worth most - the complete opposite of how coin sizes worked in Europe.
I used the entire amount of money I saved to buy presents for my parents and never thought to buy myself anything, except once, because I would be given a bit of spending money fairly regularly on a Friday to buy a snack and to buy a school lunch. Also sometimes if we were out my parents would buy me a treat such as a 'diamond' ring from Woolworths.
The time I REALLY wanted to buy myself something was when I had been given 10 shillings, probably by the Hummerstons, for minding Yetti the cat and watering their plants while they were on holiday. Mutti and I went into the city by ferry every Saturday when I went to German Saturday school. In one of the souvenir shops at Circular Quay I had seen a koala made of kangaroo fur, and I coveted it. I could visualise cuddling the soft fur. It cost 10 shillings which was so out of my league that I would look at it every week and just dream of owning the treasure. Suddenly I actually had 10 shillings and I knew exactly what I was going to do with that money.
My parents and I would sometimes get the ferry into town and walk around the botanical gardens on a Sunday afternoon. I had my ten shillings and knew what I was going to do with it. Things didn't work out the way I planned though. The shop was shut! My father said how wonderful and grown up it would be if I used my money to buy him and Mutti a cappuccino and myself a milkshake. I really didn't want to but very ungraciously agreed and handed over my money. My parents were really poor at the time and it was a special treat for them. I see that now but at the time I really resented missing out on getting that koala. Years later someone gave me a kangaroo fur covered koala. I didn't like it one little bit!
I loved buying presents for my parents but can't remember much of what I bought apart from some perfume I got for Mutti one year. My shop of choice was Woolworths. I decided to buy perfume. My friend had bought his mother a giant bottle of perfume for two shillings. I found a tiny bottle of 'Apple Blossom' perfume and it cost three shillings. I figured it must be really exclusive because it was so expensive. I wrapped it beautifully and proudly presented the gift. Mutti made a big fuss about what a fabulous present it was and exclaimed about the fragrance and immediately anointed herself. She really did appreciate that gift. I found the bottle many many years later - there was still a bit of liquid in the bottle but it had separated out with globs of oil floating on the surface.
Another present I bought for my parents when I was away on holiday was a little Pyrex bowl which was decorated with yellow polkadots. Again Mutti treasured the gift and I still have the bowl and use it to this day.
I have always loved giving presents and pocket money was an important part of allowing me to do that.
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