Kate LaCroix is glad that her 10-year-old daughter Harper is a "social butterfly," but it has come at a cost.

"I didn't think her social life would start this early, but she regularly needs money for movies, ice skating, eating lunch with a friend, recreation center fees and the like," she said.

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While her daughter does chores around the house, she does not receive an allowance. Still, LaCroix says that she and her husband Joel Bernard usually end up giving their daughter around $60 a month in spending money to cover her outings with friends and other small purchases, such as for new earrings.

"Sometimes we think of creative things for her to do in excess of normal family chores, but this goes way beyond the lemonade stand," she said.