My 16 year old has just told me...

[itwasadarkandstormy]

... that all his friends are given £200 a week by their parents as spending money. I'm calling bullshit.

Actually, I feel like I've had the stuffing knocked out of me. I thought I was generous at about £80 a week.

So, AIBU?

At 16 my DS got £20 per week allowance, and if he chose to do certain household tasks (e.g. mowing lawn) then he got paid for those.

I give my 17 yr old nothing in terms of money. My ex gives him the child benefit every week. ( I signed it over to him as family income too high to claim).
But I pay £15/month for phone and £30/month for his bus pass for College. I buy all toiletries and take him clothes shopping every few months (usually TKMaxx). Plus he gets fed. lol.
He’s got a McJob, but only gets given shifts ever few weeks because he’s on a poxy zero hours contract.
I don’t even have £80/week disposable income due to overpaying mortgage.
I call bullshit.

I would seriously check he isn't taking drugs if £80 is not enough.

He's having a laugh! Who is he mixing with!

OP, either your DS has some extremely rich (and spolit) friends or he is bullshitting in a shameless attempt to get you to part with more money. I give my 16 year old £10 so your £80 also seems astronomical if you also buy clothes and toiletries.

£80 pw? Absolutely no way. He's rinsing you.

My 17 yo gets £100 pcm for all food, toiletries and expenses. Once he's bought a very economical lunch he has less than £10 pw for everything else and he manages just fine.

He is expected to help out with stuff around the house but we pay him a moderate amout for 'jobs' like painting/cutting grass/pressure washing.

£200 pw is a wage and some people support themselves on that kind of money.

My 16 year old is at 6th form and gets £10 a week given to him as pocket money.

He can, and usually does, earn more by doing extra chores (on top of his usual) around the house and garden. He gets £5 an hour for gardening or babysitting. He normally does 2 hours on a Saturday morning.

He has the opportunity to earn £50 for a day labouring for DH on a Saturday but doesn't do this if he can help it! DH works him like a dog and ds comes home exhausted.

We pay £9 a month for his phone and buy his basic clothes and toiletries. I make him a packed lunch every day too.

I was working at 15 and paying rent to live with my parents. At 14 my mother was working and handing over her entire pay packet to her parents. She never got to keep it until she was 16 and then she saved every penny and so did my dad. They bought a house, paid cash, when they were both 21.

He is spoiled. Over my life time I have seen how spoiled children turn out as adults - not nice at all. Good luck.

Our DD is not quite 15 but we don't give her any money. We still provide her with transport, food and her clothes. What more does she need? If she wants special items she gets them for Christmas/Birthdays or with money relatives give her. We are well off and she lacks for nothing but I can't see why children would want 80 pounds a week..

"I was working at 15 and paying rent to live with my parents."

Yeah well. Just because you were treated badly there's no reason to pass it down the generations.

"Our DD is not quite 15 but we don't give her any money. We still provide her with transport, food and her clothes. What more does she need?" A cup of hot chocolate out with her friends? Birthday and Christmas presents for family and friends? The occasional magazine, a bit of make up, a bag of chips to eat on the way home from school.....I don't like going out with no money- why should my teenage children?

I think it might be reasonable to assume that the OP is a 16 year old male! - nice try!

What? My almost sixteen year old gets things bought for him if he needs them, has never mentioned needing pocket money or that his friends get it. And his school is very privileged. So no way is that even remotely true.

£80 a week ............That's more than my pension !

Budgeting is such a useful lesson. Kids who get pocket money rather than stuff on demand seem to develope more appreciation of the value of money. And when they earn it themselves they develope even more appreciation.

I'd hate to be 16 and nor have the money for a coffee or something.......

I would be a perfectly behaved child if you gave / give me £80 a week. Lordy - that's astonishingly generous. Tell him I'll swap places with him.

Bertrand, we drop her off at school bus at 7.15am and pick her up at 6pm. She lives a minimum of 45 mins from her school friends and therefore doesn't socialise with them outside of school except at sports events which we take her to. At weekends she is usually competing her ponies. She doesn't buy magazines - she reads everything on line. If she wanted to buy presents for people she has an Osper debit card linked to my bank account which she would use. We top it up as required but certainly don't feel we need to give her a weekly allowance.

I don't have £80.00 a MONTH left after bills and food these days. This society is so unequal.

Our DD is not quite 15 but we don't give her any money. We still provide her with transport, food and her clothes. What more does she need?" A cup of hot chocolate out with her friends? Birthday and Christmas presents for family and friends? The occasional magazine, a bit of make up, a bag of chips to eat on the way home from school.....I don't like going out with no money- why should my teenage children?
I had to get a job.
I didnt get weekly soending money when i turned 16, i had to get a job.
£80 a week is loads!
He doesnt need to get a job when he has that!

I don't believe anyone get £80/week pocket money. DS (16) gets £40/month and his phone paid for (£12/month). I tend to buy most clothes. He now has a job so we are thinking about stopping the money (it is a zero hours contract so a bit variable).

OP, I’d be embarrassed if I was you.
My PFB get £40000000 million a week, flies to school on his magic unicorn and he shits glitter.

Op has disappeared how convenient 🤔 I suspect we will be seeing this in the daily mail shortly

Good grief! My 17 year old DD gets £30 per month plus £10 for her phone. If it’s out of data, too bad. She has a job earning £70 per month and pays for her travel to social events, meals out. She will be expected to save some money towards starting University next year. She has to help around the house too.
We couldn’t afford to give her any more. £200 is ludicrously ridiculous, £80 is also too much IMO.

BigFatGoalie

OP, I’d be embarrassed if I was you.
My PFB get £40000000 million a week, flies to school on his magic unicorn and he shits glitter.

Well said