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?

I have 2 DS aged 13 & 15 and yes they are more expensive now. I have to pay a premium for school uniform because they are both so tall (older one is already over 6ft and younger one catching up) so my friends son paid 11.99 for school pe shorts and I had to pay 15.99! Total cost of two school uniforms is well over 500 quid - and that's only getting one of everything!! All clothes and shoes are adult prices now - and that's bog standard, thankfully they are unfussed about labels!

They eat like there is no tomorrow.

IN the summer Cricket for them both costs a fortune, in the winter Football and Gym. All these things need kit, subs, membership fees. School trips and activities, bus fares. Days out are now for 4 adults because the cut off limit for most things is 12. The same for meals out (rare).

Getting a job is impossible, not only because of the current climate but because they are limited in what they are able to do these days. I don't give them pocket money but they both save birthday/Christmas money to buy "luxuries".

And they both want to go to Uni so that will be our next big cost.

I think you are wise to think about it!

I am not moaning about having four children. I am simply saying that yes, teens/early twenties (as they're students) are much more expensive than they were when they were small.

Driving lessons are a life skill if you don't live in a big city. We've paid for them all. They eat the fridge empty every other day. They use up a ton of electricity because they have their laptops/X box/tv on all day long. They live in the shower.

Then there's the cost of phones/laptops/iPods/Xbox and relative games. They don't get anything unless it's birthdays or Christmas, but instead of large presents that cost very little, you end up with small presents that cost the earth.

My biggest hesitation for having a third is space. We live in a 2 bed flat in the centre of a capital city. In a few years we'll move so the boys can have a room each (they're 3 yrs and 4 months atm so we've got a while). Another DC would need more square metres...which is very expensive here!

Yep.

More clothes, phone top ups, phones, bus money to see friends, cinema money to go out with friends, etc.

I know there's an argument to say they don't need it and if you haven't got it they can't have it, etc.

My 13yo costs me a fortune.

celticlass2 no I don't have teens but my niece is 16 and has a part time job to buy extras. my nephew is 13 and also doesn't incur much cost besides extra food. It can be done.

Teenagers are nothing in comparison with 20 and 30 year olds who need deposits for houses.

Not in my experience - but I don't honestly think we've had huge expenses for our child at any particular time.

We have always had second hand stuff/hand me downs - and now he's a teenager I still get most of his clothes from charity shops; (plenty of second hand school stuff where we live) and shoes from shoezone so not particularly expensive.

I am sure by mumsnet standards we probably are frugal as we don't buy designer gear/gadgets etc - if our teenager wants that he can save from birthday/christmas money. It's funny that when you suggest they pay for something themselves it suddenly doesn't seem so important.

A lot of the stuff quoted on this thread is non-essential - I appreciate it is up to individual parents to decide what they choose to spend their money on. My brother has a child the same age as mine and he is constantly complaining about how much it costs them to 'support her' - her mobile contract is four times what we pay for our DS and she is on her 5th mobile phone already, not to mention how many lap tops/printers he has bought her, plus her designer clothing and expensive hair cuts.

To illustrate the point OP,ds had school dinner, then ate a big tea at 5 and had just stripped a roast chicken that was ear marked for tomorrow's tea, had about half the meat left on it he said 'that was nice, but can I just have a whole one next time?'

Not all teens eat so much - mine doesn't despite being incredibly sporty and active. He eats far less than me.

But ragwort doesn't your teen have hobbies? Want to see friends? Don't you go on holiday and have to pay adult fares?

And presumably the sports cost money?

Yes, he does hobbies (sports) but that is factored in for Christmas/birthday presents. Holidays are camping . Obviously there are some expenses but I honestly don't notice them particularly as any greater than when he was younger.

If he goes out with friends he has to use his own money - although to be fair going out with friends is mainly kicking a football around in the park.

I am probably lucky in that he is pretty frugal himself - he went off to the park today and I actually offered him a couple of pounds for snacks in case they went into town but he said 'no thanks'.

I'm not at the teenage stage yet, but why not just set an allowance you can afford and tell them to keep within that or earn their own money? Let them decide what they want to prioritise (hobbies, gadgets or labels) so they can learn how to manage money. DH and I both came from lower income families and understood that the parental wallet was not a bottomless pit.

Lord yes. Footie this year is £75 subs plus boots , shinnies ...

Mouth guards for rugby and LAX.

Spikes for x country'

My dd at 10 so not a teen yet costs me twice as much as the other 2 did together as teens.
It depends on what you pay for and how much you want to spend.
You can spend as much or as little as you can afford or want to spend.

For us childcare for 3 children under 5 was £30,000 a year. Teenagers do not cost that much although 3 sets of day school fees for teenagers are at least that so again that was our big cost.
Cost of trainers and food is nothing compared to those type of costs.

A lot has changed since I was a teenager. Jobs for teenagers are scarcer than hen’s teeth. Far fewer paper rounds as so few people have a paper delivered. There is much more competition for part time jobs as many adults compete for what would have been Saturday jobs for school students I 100% agree with this
There are hardly any jobs for under 18s now
& when you hit 18 it's all apprenticeships for school leavers or zero hour contracts that 150 people apply for especially sahm's & people who have been made redundant :(
Nothing like Saturday jobs like we had

somewhere of course you can do those things. And if you want another child then perhaps that takes precedence .

But many people want their DC to play sports, music, meet their friends. They want them to have educational opportunities and to travel.

And if they do ... They better understand the costs

True green.

We will be ££ in when DC leave school

University will seem like small change ( unless they choose Ivy.,..no ....)

I love the fact that some kids can go off to meet their friends at the park it kick a ball about, but DS2 can't. His nearest friend is 8 miles away. Theoretically he could ride his bike, but as a severe asthmatic that won't work and he has a knee problem. There isn't a bus to that village, so it is either he learns to drive or we take him (or his friends parents bring him here).

We've just bought DS2 a suit because he needed one to see DS1 get his "cap badge" and he'll need it for uni interviews, because his course requires this. As he hasn't stopped growing the ones we bought for his and DS1's prom don't fit, nor did his shoes. We've bought him a pair of Vans for college because he'd have needed school shoes so its not that much different.

He eats much, much less than DS1 but can still Hoover it up! We are fortunate that they both did manage to find P/T jobs, hence why DS2 is getting a car because he saved for it. If he needs £2-300 we'll help out.

So much with teens depends on where you live and what their hobbies are, tbh.

Word

Yes, but you are super rich so won't your dc expect uni fees and an allowance followed by house deposit or first flat
I can't think what else a child of rich parents would expect, see how far removed I am

Someone said upthread about home made lasagne being the snack of choice.

I used to make enormous veggie lasagnes in a full size oven roasting pan, and portion them up and freeze. One would last me (single and childless, but working outdoors as an archaeologist so healthy appetite) ten to twelve meals.

I made one last week and found one small bit left in the morning. Not worth freezing so I ate it for my own breakfast before they hoovered it up!

And I've got just the pair of fifteen year old twin GIRLS and DP munching their way through the fridge.

Our DD1 is nearly 18 and we have a much younger child.
In our experience it isn't just that dd1 eats so much, it's that she has loads of friends who are always here and they eat so much too.
Then added to that is the cost of clothes, make up, technology, straighteners, driving lessons and so on and so on.

We also have huge water and electricity bills because of the half hour showers and leaving every bloody light on in the house, along with using the tumble dryer because she can't think ahead to wash her clothes well in advance of needing them.