clothing Allwance for Teen?

moomoomama27

19lottie82 wrote: »

£20 a week is not an extortionate amount for a well behaved, cooperative, helpful teenager.

I take it you haven't priced the costs of public transport, trips to the cinema, basic clothing, and odd "treats" recently?

Sorry but I'm in agreement £20 is alot of money per week for a teenager for clothes alone, which is what that quote was from I believe.

£80-£100 per month for a teenager is alot I think, for them to have in hand at least!

I buy all my daughters clothes, she's 14. What I think she needs, any extra she normally saves for out of her pocket money (nowhere near that figure!), or she asks for vouchers for birthdays/Christmas. Saying that I do buy quite alot, so she never really has to top up!

rachbc

Seanymph wrote: »

Ours get an allowance (£10 a week actually) and they have to self fund from that.

I pay for school lunches, school uniform and shoes, hobbies (football subscription) and clothing for hobbies (boots, trainers etc), school trips, and supermarket type purchases (deodarant etc), and £10 phone credit a month. If I ask them to come to the pictures or swimming or whatever and I go I pay for that too.

They have to buy all sweets, trips out with mates, and clothing.

I tend to buy them pj's for christmas, socks and underwear in stocking - and maybe a jumper or t shirt.

It's amazing how quickly my daughters found charity shops and my son lost his need for Hollister!

We've done it for years, my eldest goes off to Uni in Sepetmber and she's grateful now that we did this when she was a young teen..... oh, we paid half of all driving lessons and provided and insured a first car......... and everything they earn is theirs - they have all had paperounds since they were 13 and gone on to proper part time jobs. All my kids work.

I think an allowance works well and teaches them a lot.

Son gets £30 a month pocket money for phone, trips out with mates, cds etc. The difference between that what you give is a similar amount to what I've been thinking might be reasonable...I'd buy him uniform, school shoes plus one pair of shoes -the rest would be up to him to budget for

lizzyb1812

moomoomama27 wrote: »

Sorry but I'm in agreement £20 is alot of money per week for a teenager for clothes alone, which is what that quote was from I believe.

£80-£100 per month for a teenager is alot I think, for them to have in hand at least!

I buy all my daughters clothes, she's 14. What I think she needs, any extra she normally saves for out of her pocket money (nowhere near that figure!), or she asks for vouchers for birthdays/Christmas. Saying that I do buy quite alot, so she never really has to top up!

No - it was not just for clothes

Quote from post "it gets spent on clothes, days out, takeaways, mobiles, presents for friends etc "

donnalou

Wow what great parents you are from the age of 13 I had to find a Saturday Job to buy my own clothes etc my Mum and Dad never gave me any money after that only bought my school uniform.

HappyMJ

lizzyb1812 wrote: »

No - it was not just for clothes

Quote from post "it gets spent on clothes, days out, takeaways, mobiles, presents for friends etc "

Thank you. I really need to make this clear. I do not pay for anything else at all.

The rent/mortgage/gas/electric/council tax and (home-made) food on the the table is paid for but everything else she "wants" she must pay for out of the £20.30 a week. It really does not go far but I do agree it sounds like a lot. What would I do with the £20.30 a week child benefit anyway? Buy her the clothes? Is it what she wants? Probably not I have no idea what teenagers want these days. There is no asking for more money. It's that and nothing else. Other parents around here buy them all their clothes and give them maybe £5 a week then buy mobile top ups and little bits here and there as well. I think it adds up to more than £20 a week. It's just my way of doing it. I've been transferring the child benefit into her bank account weekly since she was 11 and could hold an account and it's worked quite well.

Hopefully she'll learn that she has to live within a budget and if she wants something there is no borrowing money you have to save for it. I never lend her money or give her any more. If she runs out it's too bad she'll have to stay at home.

Now all I need to do is stop lending my mate £20 on the fourth week of every month as his monthly pay has run out and wants to go to the pub....hmmmm....

Oldernotwiser

Why would a teenager need to buy takeaways?

moomoomama27

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Why would a teenager need to buy takeaways?

That's what I was thinking!

From the age of 13 I had a job if I wanted all the extra treats! My Mum didn't give me pocket money, although she bought my clothes and some toiletries. It was a great incentive to earn my own money!

Moomum

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Why would a teenager need to buy takeaways?

They may mean McDonald's when in town with mates etc, I used to go to town some Saturdays once I turned about 13 to early morning cinema and a McDonald's with friends.

Seanymph

I agree - I think that it motivated mine to work!

I also should have said that another motivator for us to move to an allowance basis was christmas - I ended up giving all four kids about sixty pounds each so they could buy me, their dad, and their friends presents - in fact I think it was more than that........... now they have to save up and buy presents out of their allowance.

Oh, and I stopped paying them as soon as they left school - so even during A levels they have to self fund totally. I provide food for packed lunches - but they have to work to pay for anything they want themselves.

BitterAndTwisted

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Why would a teenager need to buy takeaways?

They wouldn't but it could be a bag of chips on the way home from school. The home that has a hot dinner later on. Or maybe a cheeseburger at McDs with their mates after swimming.

I'm a grown adult and I don't have £20 a week of discretionary spends. I'd love to be a teenager with that much money to myself every week. Lucky!