to ask if teenagers are a lot more expensive than children?

[burgatroyd]

Yesterday I asked advice on how to stop my rather irrational broody feelings. Money is a large factor for me not considering a third as I hear teenagers are a LOT more expensive than young children. So though I could possibly afford more kids now would worry I'd find it tough when they are older.

Those with teenagers or older kids, do you find it a lot more expensive?

Adult clothes prices......ipad!

captain I think learning about simple pleasures is important.

However, I believe life is far more pleasurable if you have a fair degree of self determination.

And this definitely costs money.

Do you want to study? Do you want a home? Do you want a family? Do you want interests other than walking? Do you want to be able to retire?

This generation of young people are going to find it much harder than us. University fees, house prices, huge pressure on jobs. Plus the public sector which provided lots of safe comfortable jobs is being dismantled. Benefits are being eroded.

Teenagers need to get this.

I think teenagers will get this better than any of us, as this is the world they are growing up in, its us who notice the differences, not them, to them its all they know.

Not incompatible at all I think.

The issue isn't to stop them choosing (eg a good university, more expensive interest let's say music).
It's about teaching them to choose what they really want to do (eg you can't do playing guitar, training for swimming in a competitive club AND go to X school).
And not forgetting that once you've made a choice (eg x university that is eating up nearly all the budget), then you need to enjoy less expensive activities (eg no cinema every week but a day at the beach instead).

The problem imo is that if you have children who only have experience paying activities (such several sport activities each week, music lessons etc...), then they might not know/enjoy 'free' activities such as walking, going to a museum etc...
That's why I will tend to 'restrict' some of these very expensive activities to make room for others that can be done with little or no cost.

Also why I refuse to buy only Tropicana 'because you know it's the only one that is really good', a lot of the branded stuff instead of perfectly equivalent non banded item etc...
Part of it is a way to manage our own budget as a family but also to teach my own dcs that we don't need a lot of the stuff we have. It's nice, it can be practical but not essential.

And mine drink only tap water. If they want something else they'll have to buy it themselves and it will be worse for their health than tap water.

That's what they tell you green grow....

Wow Green,- are they allowed butter on their bread or do you insist they eat it dry?

They have drunk orange juice int he past. It is just the teenagers wanted to be fit so just drink water. They know I only drink water. It is one of the best things parents can do to their child's health in the UK these days and just about the cheapest, whether tyou are on benefits or rich.

I don't eat bread - food of the devil really but I don't control teenagers' foods at all and they can buy anything they like. They can access the on line Tesco order every week and they do and add to the basket what they need and their older siblings (but no junk food, biscuits, sugar or other rubbish unless they want to pay for it themselves).

In fact it is an issue at school - they now get poured water at lunch and apparently it's an inch of water only by the stingy school cooks. At home they'd drink a pint. I think that's dreadful. I have just drunk almost a pint of tap water just now.

Yip mines cost a fortune especially ds2 who is obsessed with fashion labels!

Hopefully the little runts take heed and look after me when I'm old