Nobody is born knowing what an interest rate is. Most of us pick money up in fragments — a bit from a maths lesson, a bit from overhearing our parents, a lot from getting it wrong. This site tries to fill in the gaps properly, one idea at a time, in language that actually makes sense.
Everything here is free to read. There is nothing to sign up for, nothing to buy, and no forms to fill in.
Start somewhere
Pocket money
How much pocket money is normal?
What children across the UK actually get each week, sorted by age — plus why the "right" number is not really about the number.
Money basics
What is interest?
The idea that makes savings grow and makes borrowing expensive. Same idea, pointing two different directions.
Money basics
What is a loan, really?
Why you always pay back more than you borrowed, and how to tell a sensible loan from a nasty one.
Earning
Ways to earn your own money
Realistic ideas for different ages, from jobs around the house to things you can actually get paid for.
Money basics
Needs and wants
The one distinction that quietly decides where most people's money goes. Harder than it sounds.
For grown-ups
Money games and activities
Ways to teach this stuff that do not feel like a lesson. Most need nothing but coins and ten minutes.
The four things worth understanding first
If you only ever learn four things about money, we would pick these. Everything else on this site is really just a longer version of one of them.
- Money you spend once is gone once. Money you save can go on doing things for you. That is the whole argument for saving, and it is a surprisingly strong one.
- Borrowing means buying now and paying more later. Sometimes that trade is worth it. Often it is not. Knowing the difference is most of the skill.
- Almost everyone underestimates the small stuff. £3 a week is £156 a year. Small and regular beats big and occasional, in both directions.
- Nobody is good at this immediately. Adults get it wrong constantly. Making small mistakes with small amounts, early on, is how you avoid making large ones later.
A note on the name
This website is called Pocket Money Loans. The name is a leftover from what used to live at this web address years ago, and we have kept it because it says something true: pocket money and loans are the two ends of the same subject. Learning how one works teaches you a lot about the other.
To be completely clear — we do not lend anyone any money, and we never will. There is more on the about page.