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Original poster

How much money for 17yo?

51 replies

Dirtyslippers · 13/03/2023 09:17

Just wondering if I should be giving 17yo ds more money, he's studying for A levels so at school during the week and I give him £5 a week pocket money. He works 3 shifts at a local pub and during the summer holidays he'll work a 2nd job.
He was desperate for a car so it was his birthday present, nothing fancy, and he has covered everything else, insurance, tax etc. He's paid for this by saving all birthday and christmas money for the last 3 years and not spending his earnings.
I cover his clothes, toiletries and haircuts, but should I be giving him more pocket money? Is £5 a week stingy?

OP posts:
Zola1 · 13/03/2023 09:21

I think unless you are absolutely skint, 5 pound a week is putting him at a disadvantage. What is it he needs to cover with that as it wouldn't buy a McDonald's while he was out with his mates? He sounds like a good kid who is working hard, I'd be inclined to give him more especially as he's covering his own car expenses etc

martha4clark · 13/03/2023 09:21

Depends on what you can afford, but I think £5 a week is not very much for a 17yr old.

GBoucher · 13/03/2023 09:27

Five quid a week! Not sure what he could possibly get for that... Seems very little to me. He also seems to work a lot which isn't great for his studies, surely?

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ALS94 · 13/03/2023 09:29

It sounds like he is very responsible and good at saving so I’d say £10 is more reasonable but only if you can afford that

redskylight · 13/03/2023 09:29

Agree £5 a week is not much.

I take the view with 17 year old that her part time job is a bonus and I'm not expecting her to earn her own money to pay for things as her main "job" should be studying for her A Levels.
Consequently she gets £40 a month - which covers her phone, presents, socialising and any random stuff she wants to buy.

Interesting that your son was so desperate to get a car. If you live very rurally and not having transport is seriously limiting his ability to get out, then I'd suggest you should be contributing towards it.

(This is all assuming you can afford it, but on the basis it sounds like he gets a lot of Christmas and birthday money, I'm assuming yours is a relatively well off family).

moonpixel · 13/03/2023 09:30

Zola1 · 13/03/2023 09:21

I think unless you are absolutely skint, 5 pound a week is putting him at a disadvantage. What is it he needs to cover with that as it wouldn't buy a McDonald's while he was out with his mates? He sounds like a good kid who is working hard, I'd be inclined to give him more especially as he's covering his own car expenses etc

He has a job to pay for his McDonald's

FfeminyddCymraeg · 13/03/2023 09:34

I think £5 a week is very very stingy to be truthful. I mean, what can you get with that these days? A Tesco meal deal and single bus fare?

I think unless you’re on the bones of your arse, then £15/20 is a decent amount. My 15yo DD gets about that - she works occasionally (she’d like to work more but casual) but she shouldn’t be penalised for doing so.

rubyslippers · 13/03/2023 09:36

He has shown an incredibly responsible attitude to saving having done so for three years fo buy a car
he is studying which is hard and still holds down a job
i would be looking to at least double if not triple his pocket money if you can afford to do so
£5 is very little for a hard working and responsible 17 year old

WhatATimeToBeAlive · 13/03/2023 09:38

If he's earning, I'm not sure why you're also giving him pocket money. I presume you buy stuff he needs, so he can buy stuff he wants with his own money.

Original poster
Dirtyslippers · 13/03/2023 10:40

Thanks for the replies and for making me realise I'm clearly a skinflint! Grin
He's a great kid and is working hard, and never asks me for money. I'll up it to £10

OP posts:
America12 · 13/03/2023 11:39

I'd say £20 , if you can afford it. He sounds like a good kid.

mamnotmum · 13/03/2023 12:09

My 13 year old gets £20 a month (so £5 a week). My 8 year old gets £10 a month.

I think my eldest got £50 a month from
Age 14-16. Then she started full time work so got no pocket money. Her car was bought for her 17th bday and insurance paid for 2 years.

3WildOnes · 13/03/2023 12:15

I wouldn't be giving him any money now he is working. I received £100 allowance a month from about 14 until I got a job. How much does he earn?

Btjdkfnn · 13/03/2023 12:22

If you are able to give more, then yes I would. If you are not able, then that’s different.

ThatMam · 13/03/2023 12:24

Out of curiosity when do those of you with teens who work stop giving pocket money? Once my teens were working I did not give pocket money, am I stingy?

Like the OP my dc was working by 17 and making between £150 and £450 per month plus £20 a week from my parents and £55 a month from college.
at the minimum they had £225 a month purely spends. I was still paying for bus pass, phone bill, clothes and toiletries though.

3WildOnes · 13/03/2023 12:27

If he is working 3 shifts a week and more in holidays he could be earning £250+ a month. What's the point in topping it up more? You already pay for clothes and other essentials.

spacechimp79 · 13/03/2023 12:27

I think £5 a month isn't too bad as he has a job to pay for extras. My DS who is 16 gets £30 a month pocket money but he also has a job which brings in about £350 a month.

ThatMam · 13/03/2023 12:28

Ignore the maths in my last post, clearly it was not my strongest point. But basically it was unusual for them to have less that £180 for the month purely to spend and in the holidays or half term it could be closer to £500.

redskylight · 13/03/2023 12:29

Out of curiosity when do those of you with teens who work stop giving pocket money? Once my teens were working I did not give pocket money, am I stingy?

I stopped once they got beyond A Levels. My view is that they should be focusing on their studies. I would not want them to feel they couldn't give up their job (e.g. to allow more time for revision) or had to take extra shifts, potentially compromising their studies, because they had no other access to money.

ThatMam · 13/03/2023 12:32

redskylight · 13/03/2023 12:29

Out of curiosity when do those of you with teens who work stop giving pocket money? Once my teens were working I did not give pocket money, am I stingy?

I stopped once they got beyond A Levels. My view is that they should be focusing on their studies. I would not want them to feel they couldn't give up their job (e.g. to allow more time for revision) or had to take extra shifts, potentially compromising their studies, because they had no other access to money.

Thank you. Did you expect them to pay for everything with that money or did you still pay for phone, lunches, clothes and such?

Mumof1andacat · 13/03/2023 12:42

My pocket money stopped when I got a part time job.

Minfilia · 13/03/2023 12:44

We give £20 a week.

It stopped with eldest DC at 17 when he got full time employment.

DTs are 16 and work part time around college and DD17 doesn’t work and is in the last year of a levels.

redskylight · 13/03/2023 12:50

ThatMam · 13/03/2023 12:32

Thank you. Did you expect them to pay for everything with that money or did you still pay for phone, lunches, clothes and such?

Show quote history

It covered their phone but we paid for things like basic clothing and toiletries (they could pay the extra if they wanted expensive brands or more clothes), activities, and a set amount on their school cards for food/drink at school (we expected them to mostly take packed lunches).

SnackyOnassis · 13/03/2023 12:56

I guess you've got to keep a keen eye on what their focus is on. If they start drifting from their studies to pick up more shifts to earn more money, you'd want to disincentivise that by maybe upping their pocket money to keep their focus on their schoolwork. If they're still working hard at school and studies and see working as a secondary priority, you probably don't need to worry.

Untrusting · 13/03/2023 13:00

I've stopped giving my dd pocket money now she has a part time job at 16. I'd probably have carried on if I was wealthy but am definitely not.

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