17 year olds with part time jobs, what do they pay for and what do you pay for?

[elliejjtiny]

Just wondering as dc1 has a part time job now and the only experience I have is from when I was his age.

I don't know what's fair to expect him to pay for, especially as we still buy everything for the younger ones. At the moment he buys his music that he wants and if he wants to buy food when he is out with his friends. We pay for clothes, toiletries, college stuff, transport, family trips out and his phone. Is this fair do you think? In laws also think we are being stingy and give him £20 every so often.

I have one of a similar age we pay for exactly what you do. We also pay towards clothes but if he wants more 'upmarket' brands he has to pay the difference. He goes to a lot of football matches and gigs and he pays for them. I don't think you're being stingy at all!

Oh good. Dc1 doesn't care much about clothes but we've always said that we buy the clothes but if they want anything fancy then they are Christmas/birthday presents. They normally all get a character t-shirt in their stocking at Christmas now that they don't like the same things at the same age like they did when it was all fireman Sam and thomas.

You aren't being stingy at all.
You are doing pretty much what we always did (although mine have always paid for their phones).
We continued with (a minimal amount of) pocket money until the end of August after a-levels for ours too. We wanted them to have that minimum amount and know that the money they chose to earn, was theirs on top of that.
One of mine was a big spender and spent most of his on going to see bands / gigs and then he'd often buy food out, etc.
One was a real saver, and bought her own car 16 months after she turned 17, including her insurance, having already paid for all the lessons, and her test, and then her insurance to be named on my car after passing, before that.

Very similar to you. One thing we did start was if dc wanted expensive trainers then we would chip in what we would pay for a pair and they would then top up to pay for the rest. Both dc saved half their wages and put it towards a car and then later saving for uni and petrol etc.

We pay for toiletries, shoes for college and work, some basic clothes - pants, socks, T-shirts, jeans, sensible coat etc but any fancy stuff is paid for by themselves. They get quite canny at buying and selling their stuff when it comes out of their own account! Mine are all on Vinted. We provide a car and pay for insurance and maintenance but they pay for fuel.

We basically pay for what you do as well. The idea is that DD could give up her part time job if she decides that she needs to focus on her studies and not have to worry about money. Her wages are basically "fun money".