Since little guys need "instant" gratification to stay motivated, he would fill out his responsibility chart throughout the day (chores and behavior were included on the chart).
At the end of each day, he could earn a fake dollar if he'd done all that was expected of him.
He could then use this dollar to "buy" a little prize out of the prize bin (little, inexpensive items from dollar bins in various stores - I think it cost me about $15 to get one started).
Or he could "save" it to buy something bigger. I had a few bigger prizes in the office so he could see the goal on a daily basis. But, I also encouraged him to save up for items he wanted at stores. I was actually surprised how often he chose to "save" his "dollars". In fact, the first thing he bought with his own money was a book (I'm soooo proud) - Wonderstruck by Brian Selznik. And then he saved up again for a toy logging truck.
The nice thing about him having his own money is it keeps me from buying things "just because". If he says he wants something, I ask him if he has any money. If he does, we look at the price tag to see if he can afford it. If he has his money with him, he "purchases" it himself (I slip the fake dollars back in my pocket and use my debit card - the clerks totally play along). If he doesn't have his money with him, I let him pay me back when we get home. And if he doesn't have enough, we talk about how he can earn the money to buy it later. I've never had tears or fits over something he couldn't have. He just resolves to save. And if he forgets about it, he didn't want it bad enough in the first place. If he remembers (the toy logging truck took about a month to save for), then I know it's a good purchase that he really means.
I have a policy - "If you need it, I'll buy it. If you just want it, you'll buy it."
He seems okay with that. And it keeps him from wasting his money on silly stuff (most of the time). All it takes is a "do you really want to spend your money on that?" to get him to reconsider.
Anyhow, now that he's a little older, we're stepping it up a bit. Last week we turned his responsibility chart into a chore chart...no behavior topics included. He can earn fifty cents (real) each day he completes all of his tasks. On Saturday, we add up what he's earned and he gets his allowance. Then, we head to his save, spend, share jars (I just set them up today). We put a little in his share jar (he's saving to buy pet food for the Humane Society in December), a little more than that in his save jar (for college or something big), and about half in his spend jar. I got this idea from this website a long time ago.
We haven't lost the instant gratification factor, however. We still have the prize bin. This is now based only on behavior. If he has a good day, doesn't get in any trouble at school or home, he can choose a prize.
A nice mix between delayed and instant. Plus, it's real life skills.
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