Adult woman who still gets pocket money ‘shocked’ by backlash

A woman who made headlines when she admitted she received pocket money from her parents at the age of 33 has said she was shocked by the reaction she received when she shared her unique story online.

In 2016, Emily Power wrote a column explaining that although she was in her 30s, she’d gotten herself into so much debt that her parents had to give her pocket money every fortnight to pay for her groceries and social events. In fact, she received $400 each fortnight. Titled “I am 33 and my parents give me pocket money, this is how it works”, Power’s column explained that she’d racked up more than $14,000 in debt and gave her parents full control of her bank accounts so she couldn’t be reckless with money.

Power’s salary was paid into an account only her parents could access and only after they’d paid for bills and debts would they then provide their daughter with money to live off. She didn’t know how much money was in the account and instructed her parents to let her know when she had enough money to purchase her own apartment.

At the time, Power said she couldn’t control herself when it came to her money, part of the reason she racked up thousands of dollars of debt in such a short amount of time.

Understandably, the column at the time went viral and Power’s story was soon all over the news, social media and TV. Some thought it was a good idea for Power’s parents to provide her with pocket money and to control her bank account, while others didn’t think they were setting a good example for their daughter.

Two years on, Power, now 35, said she was well on her way to achieving her dream. Still, she said the negative reaction took its toll on her at the time.

“Some people called me a twit, I got trolled online,” she told News.com.au. “I wouldn’t call it abusive, but I was shocked by the strength of the negativity.”

Many took offence to Power complaining about not being able to crack the property market, even though she technically would have had the funds if she wasn’t so careless with her money. She said most people couldn’t understand how an adult who had a good job still wasn’t able to control her own finances.

The editor added that people were “embarrassed” for her, but acknowledged other millennials felt her pain and reached out to her for sharing her story. A year later, she decided to turn a negative into a positive by pitching a book idea to major publisher Penguin. They’ve now published a book, How to Buy a Home, which will no doubt help Power further when it comes to beating debt.

While Power’s family were willing to help her in tough times, she’s not the only thirtysomething to make headlines this week. In America, parents were forced to sue their 30-year-old son after he refused to leave the family home. Despite giving their son five notices, he showed no signs of moving out and is set to appeal a judge’s decision to evict him from the property.

What do you think? What age did you stop giving money to your children? How often do you have to help your kids out when it comes to their finances?