Teenagers are costly

[Honeyandapple]

I only have young DC but already thinking ahead to the teenage years. We don't have much saved and I'd like to start putting something aside monthly as I hear that kids get expensive when they reach their teens!

So what is it that cost a fortune?
I can see how various things would mount up

@maybemu

What happened to teenagers having jobs? When I was 16 I worked after school 2 days a week and Saturday during the day. I then had sat night and sun up myself

There just aren't those jobs out there at the moment, it may change but at the moment in many parts of the country that just isn't an option.

@BearSoFair

The amount of food they get through! DS1 is 18, from 14 to 16 it seemed like he just never stopped eating. It wasn't greed, he genuinely was hungry. And growth spurts that always seem to come just after you've already replaced shoes or a winter coat.

This. Our 18 year old just left home to go to uni and our food bills have plummeted. For instance I now buy half the amount of milk I did before she left which means she was drinking/using as much milk as the rest of the other four members of the family combined!

@maybemu

What happened to teenagers having jobs? When I was 16 I worked after school 2 days a week and Saturday during the day. I then had sat night and sun up myself

Covid happened. But even before that depending on where you live these PT jobs for teenagers are like gold dust. Especially ones that fit in with studying and sport and they could actually get to on their own.

@maybemu

What happened to teenagers having jobs? When I was 16 I worked after school 2 days a week and Saturday during the day. I then had sat night and sun up myself

The job market has really changed. Expectations at school have also really changed. I don’t think anyone doing GCSEs or A levels could work more than Saturday or Sunday, and it would be really hard to find such a fixed shift. So many people are looking for any work, and can be very flexible, so no employer is going to employ a young teen with school commitments and very little flexibility.

What do you do for holidays with your teenagers?

I enjoy going abroad (pre covid, I guess). But I suppose that becomes less feasible with more or older DC. Or have you found something that works well.

City breaks for a few days work better for us now. We went to Rome and Paris last year.

Food - It is amazing how much hungry teens can put away.
Sports/Hobbies - Kit, membership fees, instrument hire.
School Uniform - Being tied into one supplier and endless growth spurts makes uniform expensive.
University start up costs - Almost £1000 before loan received and DS had savings from a job
Tech & Clothes - Men sizes, designer gear and latest gadgets. Not a necessity but makes for a happier teen.
Electric bill - To charge gadgets.
Water bill - when they eventually start washing there is no stopping them!

They eat more food.
They grow rapidly during puberty, especially their feet. My DC went through 4 pairs of school shoes in one school year and 4 pairs of trainers and 2 pairs of cricket spikes. His feet went from a large size 5 to large size 7 1/2 all in one year. 3 pairs of school shoes and trainers and 1 pair of cricket spikes following year growing from 7 1/2 to a 9.
Activities are more expensive if children get good at something. Eh my child is a county cricket player and has 1-1 cricket coaching at £35 per hour. He needs 2 hours every week. He also has group training at £18 per hour for 4 hours each week. Them swimming squad training luckily only £5 per session but 4 each week and ASA subs £30. Then karate £8 each week + annual subs £48. Then Scouts and camping trips £5 + £30 twice a year. He also goes trampolining, climbing wall or ice skating at weekends. Equipment for all sports cricket being most expensive with decent bat costing £120, safety helmet, pads, gloves and box plus match play subs in summer two or three times each week. This is all before.pocket money, cinema trips and when 14 children are classed as an adult when travelling and entrance fees. My DC has a tutor 4 times each week for Maths, English.anf Science £90 per week. I know you don't have to do this but if you want your child to get on this year with.school closure I have found it essenyial. Get saving OP if you don't want to have to say no to your DC. If they become really good at something it would be hard so to say no. Luckily my other FC are adults now so earning own money but even then we help them out for car insurance etc which is very high for new drivers.

@doctorhamster

Teenagers want expensive things, but that doesn't mean you have to let them have them. The problems start when all their friends have things and they want to fit in. Phones/clothes/shoes/make up etc really add up when you can't buy a cheap tshirt from asda anymore

Very well said and this is what is happening in my household with DD 16. She is been asking me to buy Jordan trainers lol

@AnathemaPulsifer

Bus passes!

Oh yes! Mine is x 3 bus passes

There’s always one “when i were a lad...”🙄

Life changed. Jobs aren’t available. I worked in a pub at the age of 12. That doesn’t happen anymore. We don’t all live in cities where jobs are ample.

Food - adult portions by the age of 12. No more kids meals in restaurants.

Clothes - adult clothes cost more but on the other hand they last a bit longer, most of DD's 2019 winter clothes still fit apart from trousers. Same with shoes, most last a lot longer than during younger years.

Secondary school uniform is eyewatering expensive in her school. Other school stuff like stationary, equipment, bags etc are more costly and need more replacement. Some books or workbooks need to be purchased.

Entertainment - she loves going to the cinema or coffee shops with friends. While she pays for some with her pocket money we subsidise.

Travel - no more kids fares or kids prices in hotels. She is too old to share a room and 2bedroom apartements cost a fortune. But too young for a room on her own.

School trips. They are less often but do cost more.

Certain hobbies - DD is a Scout, they go away on camps and activities. This is obviously voluntary but it is part of the whole idea and they are easy between £50-100 per weekend.
Other hobbies died down due to time restrictions so for us it is a bit of net gain = zero scenario.

In our area it is nearly impossible to get a job if you are under 16, most shops don't offer it due to red tape and what is available is often snatched up by students from the local college. Schools here also discourage them due to the sheer amount of school work they have to do. So not really any luck in earning their own money.

My eldest is 15, she doesn't cost me that much luckily! Her feet haven't grown since she was about 10 yrs old, she's not into make up, she loves music and chatting to her friends online at the moment, she has always had my old phone on pay as you go, she knows the value of money and isn't at all spoilt. Not saying anyone here's teens are spoilt by the way! But we simply couldn't afford to spend huge amounts of money, so that's just the way it is.

Like StreetHaunting, the huge expensiveness of my teenagers was rather restricted by our actual financial situation. Some things they have to have: new school uniform when they've grown out of their old one, new shoes.

Other things are not compulsory. We were perhaps lucky in that we don't live in an affluent area, so being able to give our teens £30 a month for non-essential clothing, makeup, trips, entertainment was something they were grateful for.

They couldn't afford most school trips but neither could most of their friends. Dd did belong to a youth theatre (not expensive)- again, she had friends who couldn't have that either.

As for the amount of time they spent in the shower, or how much milk they drank, we had rules about that. We had to. And to my mind of thinking it is good to get into the habit of avoiding waste anyway.