To ask if £600 is too much to give your teenager to go and buy holiday clothes?

[SandraDea]

Just wondering if I’m a bit out of touch. My son has just come back with his mate from a shopping trip in the city centre.

His mate (14) had £600 transferred into his bank account by his parents this morning to buy clothes for the holiday they are going on tomorrow.

I know the family are wealthy but even so isn’t that extortionate? He did actually spend all the money as he’s shown us all his purchases!

Just interested if this is a bit OTT or if I’m just mean! Or maybe people just spend what they can afford whether that’s a lot or not much 🤷‍♀️

It's a lot! I give my 14 year old the odd 50 quid....for clothing when she goes to town with friends. I also buy her things. I'd never give her that much in one go! Not that she'd waste it but it's too much.

ash Why does he need 3 pairs of summer shoes? Surely flip flops and trainers cover it!

To me that sounds bat shit insane. I am also very warey of handing over big sums of cash to teenagers, I feel like it sends a really bad message. But it depends on your lifestyle. If his family like to spend lots of money on designer clothes and fancy holidays, and he's used to just being handed money for things he wants, then I suppose £600 wouldn't be so crazy.

Families with different priorities I suppose?

Of course it's too much. The amount I would give my child to spend on holiday clothes is: £0

Because they already have clothes. And holiday clothes are the same as everyday clothes.

Henny that was a pair of trainers sliders and a set of flip flops.

Just to add I’d never hand that amount of money over all was ordered or bought using my card?

Agree with everything you said, SileneOliveira! I could afford to do it, but I never ever would because it's gross and totally unnecessary.

That’s probably four times what I spend on clothes for myself annually so yeah I do think it’s mental.

In my experience of being a teenager you could spend £100 on clothes and have a lot of money left over for drugs and booze. You’d have to be a fool to hand over that much money and not be carefully policing the spending.

I don't think that's a lot if he needs to buy sandals, swimwear, sunglasses etc as well as basics.

Much better to buy good quality ethical brands instead of supporting sweatshops.

If he is buying from holister jack wills. Jd sport branded sports wear etc £600 won’t go far.

If his parents are happy to give him it so what.

Personally I like to buy a mic of cheap high street plus a few nice bits but for holidays with suntan lotion and sweat I’d definitely make sure cheap stuff was there too.

I feel bad now, we're not doing much in terms of holiday for the teens (DS2 will do army cadets camp, and DS1 will do NCS though), and whilst DS2 just had a growth spurt, I "only" spent £150 on new clothes with him. Which I thought was a lot (topman, uniqlo and h&m mainly)

And felt lucky we can afford that ok

Never even thought of the concept of holiday clothes. Surely normal t shirts, shorts and swimming trunks would do the job?

Don't think we are stingy? ...and not sure you're doing a kid favours to let them think this is "normal" but willing to accept I may be out of touch!

It seems a lot to me but its all relative. I'm sure a lit of DDs friends parents would spend that and not bat an eyelid.
Everyone has different budgets.
I'm not sure that paying more neccessarily = avoiding sweatshops though.

If they can afford it why the hell not?

Thing is £600 won’t go far if buying expensive brands. In primary it’s loads but other places not so much

I don’t see anything wrong with it tbh

£600 is hardly an insane amount for clothing is the parents are wealthy. Different people have different budgets .

My DS of the same age has friends whose clothing "budgets" (they actually don't seem to have a budget) are in the many thousands and others whose clothing budgets are in the low hundreds for the year. Who really cares?

I can believe it - particularly if the family are used to buying Boden or Joules kids ranges and now he's in adult clothes.

For the PP saying she only bought her dds some bikinis and shorts - great, but at 14, many boys will have grown so they literally need everything since last summer, and if he's lived in long sleeved tops and trousers over winter, he might not have a range of clothes that can be adapted.

Plus they might be going somewhere fancy, if he has to buy smart clothes that'll take a big chunk out.

As a matter of interest, what do mumsnetters with high (6 figure) salaries spend their money on, particularly given the professed passion for frugality?

Can't speak for the poster you were quoting, but my husband and I have just sneaked into the 6 figure joint salary bracket.

We spend the vast majority of our money on overpaying the mortgage, pensions, and savings. When we have kids, we'll try to save a nest egg of £30k each in order to help fund driving lessons/car, their education, and a house deposit. Our main luxuries are travel, food, and the gym.

I've never properly done the maths on what allowances I'd give children as teenagers, but then I never would put in a budget line for 'literally spaffing money on clothes'.

The amount I would give my child to spend on holiday clothes is: £0

Because they already have clothes. And holiday clothes are the same as everyday clothes.

Do your children not grow between one summer and the next then? How lucky! Mine always needed new clothes for the summer every year.

Holiday clothes are just clothes. However, with the general British weather, you generally need to buy more summer things for a child before going away somewhere at the start of the season. I doubt he's only going to wear them on holiday 🙄

Yes it’s too much. Consumerism at its finest.

😂 depends where they shop! DS1 loves RL Polo clothing, really looks after his clothes, DS2 would go to Primark, he has no interest in clothes whatsoever!

But no I wouldn’t dream of giving them £600 to buy clothes for a holiday, ever!

Jealous, can they adopt me?
Reasonable if it's a wilderness trekking, climbing, camping etc trip and includes all equipment. And the family can afford it, aren't up to the eyeballs in debt etc. Yes it's a hell of a lot if it's really just clothes. Meh. Their business. As long as he's a nice lad and not boasting, and your DS doesn't expect the same.

What is wrong with consumerism?

Many teenagers actually are savvy enough to resell their gently used clothing, often making a profit if the labels they purchased are premium ones like Supreme, Palace, Off White... Take a look at sites like Depop to see just how savvy today's teens are.

If £600 is nothing to them. Especially if they like brands then that's a few t shirts, shorts and shoes.

For me that would.definately be more than the whole holiday so that would never happen. But it's not too much if they've easily afford it.

Yes!

£50-100 would do.

That's an awful lot all at once, but my teen gets £80 per month to pay for all clothes and non essentials (she buys people birthday presents, pays for her own cinema, swimming or bowling if going with friends etc) so she has £960 per year...

Somehow £80 per month seems less than £600 all at once, but is actually way more.

Does he get money for clothes once per year, or random huge handouts as and when he asks? That's the difference for me.

We go on holiday next week and I've just added up what we've spent on clothes for DD who is almost 2. It comes to just over £600!

But she had no summer clothes whatsoever that fitted her and these are all things she will use again throughout this summer (if the weather is good enough) and for the next holiday we go on.

I don't think £600 is a lot if you have to buy everything from that

(Shrugs) If they can afford it, why not? It’s people spending money that keeps the economy going. And you say yourself he’s a nice kid, so the odd splurge obviously hasn’t done him any harm.