Well, I think I addressed that. I had chores I always had to do that paid nothing (cleaning my room was not negotiable, for instance). The money I earned from doing additional chores was not that much--a couple bucks plus or minus, depending on the difficulty.
My parents also didn't buy me much. I paid for many of my own toys after I was old enough to do chores. For example, I bought my own NES and every single game I owned for it. Each game represented perhaps a month or two of savings. Although I had fewer games than most kids I knew, I definitely valued them more. (Or tried to. I still distinctly remember the joy of buying the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES game and the subsequent crushing disappointment of actually playing it.)
Christmas wasn't a lavish present shower that it is for a lot of kids. My parents didn't have a lot of money, so I'd usually receive a few action figures, maybe a small vehicle for them, a book, and some socks.
Perhaps I'm just using you as a substitute for all those kids that told me, "I don't get an allowance, I have to work for my money," and then finding out that their dads paid them $40/week to mow their lawns and clean their rooms.
My parents also didn't buy me much. I paid for many of my own toys after I was old enough to do chores. For example, I bought my own NES and every single game I owned for it. Each game represented perhaps a month or two of savings. Although I had fewer games than most kids I knew, I definitely valued them more. (Or tried to. I still distinctly remember the joy of buying the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES game and the subsequent crushing disappointment of actually playing it.)
Christmas wasn't a lavish present shower that it is for a lot of kids. My parents didn't have a lot of money, so I'd usually receive a few action figures, maybe a small vehicle for them, a book, and some socks.