Ah yes, the old OPM strategy...Empires have been built on it as you say.
With my first job came board to my parents. I was thirteen and didn't mind paying it. They probably just put it away and gave it back I guess but it was the thought, the act of doing it, that counted as it taught me valuable lessons that stayed with me. I ended up on $70-$90 a week at a major (national) supermarket chain collecting the shopping trolleys (carts) in the car park by the time I was 15 and I'd work after school and on the weekend...Eventually they took me inside and I helped the manager in the fruit and vegetable department. I got offered a management traineeship at 17 but I declined as I was moving in other directions. I had some good times there, some fun times and the work didn't kill me.
Working at that age was exciting to me... which made it an easy thing to. Having some money in the pocket for comic books, bologna subs and sodas was a joy too😎
I had forgot about that $ contribution for board, till you mentioned it. It wasn't until I was about 15 that my father told me to give something weekly to my mother... She never asked for much though. Once I went away to the Army, I would send her a Savings Bond each month. She never cashed them out, giving them to me once I got home again.
Subs and soda's is good motivation to start earning for sure!
That was nice of you to send your mum those bonds, and as expected, the saved them and gave them back - What a mum thing to do.