To not understand why teenagers are said to be quite so expensive

[theduchessstill]

On here I often see it written that having teenagers is so incredibly expensive and I don't understand why.

It's actually getting me quite anxious as ds1 is 10 so the teen years are fast approaching. I followed one of those links people post last week where you put in just your income and how many dependants/adults live with you, and apparently I am better off than 81% of people now but that will plummet to 51% of people when both dc are 14 +. Obviously this is a crude tool, but it has been niggling at me.

Why are they so expensive and are none of the costs balanced by the absence of childcare fees with this age group ? Childcare is easily my biggest cost after my mortgage and I often think I will be better off when I don't need it anymore. Exactly what takes its place? I know food - and am already seeing it with ds1, but food can only cost so much, surely. What else is so expensive with teens? I know I probably sound stupid, but, hey, I want to know.

don't believe the claptrap about eating you out of house and home - that won't happen if you've taught them self-control

nothing 'claptrap' about it. It's fact. Teens need plenty of fuel. Mine have plenty of self-control. They also have parents who want them to eat plenty of good food. It costs money.

Those saying they worked from age 13 do know that's no longer legal ?
Can't see anything stating this, can the poster provide a source to back up this view?

get them to get an NUS card, they pay for themselves pretty quickly. You can get 40% off pizza express some days, 10% off in co-op etc

Do you not need to be a student to get a NUS card?

Tennis they can't - I've already provided proof that they're wrong. Children can work from 13 with a permit, our younger in the entertainment industries (acting etc).

I worked for the NHS in a band 2 job from 14. Not patient facing. I also cleaned pubs, and had a job as a nursing home laundry assistant - all before I was 17.

A lot of the places where you could have worked,pubs and supermarkets wont take anyone under 16.
I worked in a pub at 14,cleaning tables.They wont let you do that.
Tesco you have to be 16 now.
Paper rounds are few and far between.

Well of course some posters will say it's "entitled".....

But some posters aspire to be professionally aghast.

Personally I don't think buying teens technology like iPhones is indulging them. They don't get the latest model or when they do it's because they've also saved up and contributed towards it (in my household).

Likewise driving - I feel it's an essential life skill. Like swimming. I paid for lessons for the latter and will do so for the former. Why would you not support your child learning to drive if you were able to do so?

I think it depends both on the age of the teen and the individual teen.

We've never had child care costs due to the family friendly working hours I had when DS was younger and as primary child school holidays meant the park or free activities put on by local council / library, packed lunch with maybe an ice cream treat and craft activities from pound shop / wilco. Clothes from Asda.

As a young teen DS was also fairly cheap- a couple of extra curricular music and sport activities, PAYG phone, no particular interest in labels so got away with primark and sports direct. School holidays - mainly happy to kick a ball around in the garden, occasional family days out to the zoo or fairs, occasional sleep overs.

BIG wake up call over the last few months as he's finished Y11. He's into jeans and band TShirts so not exactly designer apart from his trainers but more than primark. Contract phone which he breaks - so new phone whilst still paying for the old one - data massively exceeded on his contract this month. Food - not just at home but every day for the last 2 months has involved meeting friends at subway/KFC/ mcD's , bus fairs, gym, Astro turf, swimming, concerts, travelling to festival and tickets, there's a party every week so pack of cider to take to that ... then there's the things he says he's going to 'buy' - football season ticket, electric guitar - which his pocket money doesn't stretch to .... think we should have pushed him to look for holiday job. I did think of paying him to do my housework but it didn't look any different when he said he'd done it!

He'll go to 6th form in September, DH has said he wants him to concentrate on his studies rather than get job at this time so I guess we'll need to reconsider his allowance as the £45 per month he's been getting so far no where near covers it.

Clothes, gaming (PS4s don't come cheap), laptops, phones, hobbies, taxi service, DRIVING LESSONS (bloody hell), and shoes. My son has his growth spurt during the summer so I'm waiting to get him his suit for sixth form (fingers crossed).

And FOOD. Endless bottomless pits seem to be part of their internal biology.

All the bloody food they eat!!!

Kids just cost a fortune from the day the are born until the day you pop off!

I would love to press a button and see how much money my 2 have cost me. Bet it's not far off £250k and that's without private education and Uni

Mine so far is school trips, DS1 started high school last September and he is a scout, so far I've spent over 2k on trips and scout camps. 😱

I can well believe that many expenses will increase when my children are older.
However, sure when your children are young you either sacrifice a salary or pay for childcare, and I can't see how the cost of teenagers can come close to that.
I completely understand wanting to give your children the best of everything but it seems to me that some teenagers are becoming accustomed to a lifestyle that they will struggle to maintain when they are working in their first job and living independently.
Are parents seriously replacing broken phones before the first one is paid for? That's just crazy.

My DD is 13 and wears adult-sized clothes and shoes, which are much more expensive. But she's still growing so nothing lasts very long.

DS is only just approaching 10 and this week there's been football registration fees (£70) new football boots, new trainers, new school shoes (has grown a whole size in a couple of months), new clothes, new uniform; also costa last term of school trips, travel, activities, music exams and lesson fees, food etc. Mine are only 10 (nearly) and 7 and already I can see they are becoming more expensive and I think it will only get worse.

Theverything yes we've had to buy another phone whilst still paying for his contract phone because the £20+ a month contract included the cost of his phone and we are tied into paying this until next year. He got water damage to his phone we were quoted £200 to fix so cheaper to buy him another phone from eBay and put his contract SIM in.

I have a 12 year old and he is so much expensive than my 5 and 6 year old. The Xmas presents he wants for example...its not plastic-y stuff. Clothes branded. Clothes more expensive.

For my eldest to start secondary school this year (non private school) the fees were close to 1k for photocopying, voluntary contribution, evil, then school books approx 400. Uniform including mandatory coat 300 th ats not including shoes bag pencil case ect. The younger two were only approx 400 to get back to school this year including shoes.

You will notice a big difference

You cant compere what it was like when you where a teenager.Its so different now.Everything is based around technology.

You can keep the cost down and shop at the outlet shops.Thats what i do.

My DD is 12 and she does cost more than when she was little, first major cost being secondary school uniform, that is horrendously expensive. She is also well developed for her age and is already wearing adult bras which also cost a fortune.

Then there is the technology, I bought her a laptop when she started secondary because they need access to a computer, most of her homework is online (yeah, that was unexpected for me), she bought herself a tablet with saved pocket money and currently has my sister's old IPhone.

Lots of clothes buying as she carries on developing, she changes sizes frequently (I buy her school uniform slightly big to cater for this and to try to keep costs down), more personal hygiene products as well. Money for going out with friends etc etc, she is only just starting to get into branded stuff, mainly shoes, but I can see that increasing. I just think it's lots of little things that start adding up.

I keep seeing this supposed neednfor branded clothing.

There isn't a need. I understand that your children may want, but please don't perpetuate this belief that it is a need.

It isn't. You're choosing to allow your children to dictate how much is spent on them.

Underwear is a necessity. Clothes are too. Branded clothes are a choice, and it is very easy to choose to say no.

And don't get me started on designer underpants! What's that all about?

It's about nothing because you just don't need to buy them.

Yes not sure about the branded clothes at all. I suppose I buy at H&M and Decathlon which are brands. And I sup pose ds is only 13 so hasn't really got into branded stuff. My guess would be that if the parents like branded clothes it is harder to say no to teenagers wanting them. Ds sees me getting my clothes at the local jumble sale and charity shops so feels quite good that I buy new stuff for him. (Fact is I would spend less at Primark but I prefer charity shops).

I doubt I spend more than £300-400/yr on my 14-almost15-year old's clothes, I am cheap and buy everything secondhand on Ebay. He is clueless about labels, perhaps because he goes to an all-boys school?

Food is enormously expensive. I probably spend £100/week feeding him. When we dine out, he comprises a adult-size chunk of the bill.

Spending money - we give him £30/week for everything, including phone.

I just bought him 9 pairs of NewLook gray stretchy boxer briefs on Amazon for, I think, £10? He loves them. He'll wear them for a year, so that's £10/yr on underwear. Not bad.

When they grow fast and all clothes and shoes need to be replaced its expensive enough even at the lower price points.