How much does your teen cost?

[candlelightees]

I am a teacher and yesterday I overheard some cheeky chappies saying the government pays for them in the form of child benefit. This opened a discussion. Other students chipped in. It seemed some were self aware, others not so much.

I added up my own teen cost minus the grocery/household share. Didn't realise how expensive they actually are.

Transport- £20
Lunch money-£60
Counselling- £180
Clothes-£50 (always something wearing out)
Horesriding-£100
Pocket money-£100
Phone bill-£50
Total £560

Plus the commom texts. ' please can I have £20 to go out with so and so?' Can I get my nails, eyelashes, highlights done?

I realise a lot of this could be cut. But I think lots of people spend a lot on teens. They are bloody expensive.

Urgh. I also pay £40 for her phone but I did give her my old one when I fancied a new one. Contract comes to an end shortly.

Pocket money £15 a week
School lunch £15-20 a week (fucking Radnor at £1 a day)
Phone £10 a week

That's the new improved version.

Ah ok.. yep it's very expensive for these kids.. or should I say for us 🤣

@NormaleKartoffeln

She does mostly, just now and then.

The prom was a big cost too.

I think you're very generous there op. I would of thought I'd won the lottery living with you as a teenager.

Me and my brother got £300 for food shopping for the month, that we did for the family, all boring basics. I had a payg phone and when it ran out it ran out. That's it. I saved up birthday money to go out with friends or we did free stuff. I helped out at the local stable for free just to be around horses.

My eldest isn't full on teen yet but has a £8 sim for a phone he uses to chat to his friends on.he saves his money up from Christmas birthdays for clothes or hobby equipment. Aside from that it's just food. No doubt it will be more as he gets older but then he is also really keen for a part time job maybe dog walking etc.

These are crazy amounts, absolutely crazy. Do they realise how absolutely privileged they are?

Some of these phone bills are so expensive! Have a look at Giffgaff, you can get everything a teen needs for £10 a month.

It's wise with older teens to give them one chunk of money and let them divide it up, teaches them how to handle their money. You're not helping them with 'here's your pocket money, but I'll also pay for your phone, clothes, trips out and any occasional hair/nail needs'.

Has she heard of a packed lunch?

DD1 - 15
Clothes -£20
Pocket money - £35
Extra pocket money jobs (not every month) -£20
Phone - £35
School lunches - £30 (varies between 0 and 60 depending on what month)

We buy basic clothes, uniform, underwear etc. Her clothes pot is for upgrading or buying something she already has but is bored of.

I've spent 5 mins reading this thread. In that time dd2 has sat next to me and eaten a punnet of raspberries and a punnet of pomegranate. That's the government money gone today.

Did she save towards the prom?

Well said.
They need to learn how to budget, to save, and perhaps unpopular, but sometimes go without.

Well this is an eye opener!

We have 4 DC 2 of whom are teens.

Food costs are just absorbed into the normal grocery shop surely.

They don't get pocket money as such but they can do extra jobs around the house for money. Some jobs they have to do anyway to contribute to running of house but anything over that we pay.

They get £3 a day each for school lunch.

One has a hobby which is £13 a week. Other one does free hobby.

All clothes and shoes are bought from vinted, occasionally Primark if we can't find the right stuff on vinted. Uniform is second hand from friends or FB or Uniform swap shop thing.

Makeup etc bought out of Christmas and birthday money. We buy showergel deodorant shampoo etc but any fancy stuff they buy themselves.

If they are going out to see friends in town we will give them £10 or so.

We pay half for phones they pay the other half.

You are capable if explaining how much food costs and cheaper ways to eat healthily too, right? Raspberries and pomegranate are lovely but so are apples and oranges.

Oh the fucking Radnor. If I buy it in Tesco they won't take in. They get their limit if they run out before the end of the week then they can both forage in the fridge!

Mine is going on a school trip costing £1800 this year. So they r basically bankrupting me ☺️

@NormaleKartoffeln

Round my way, all of that is absolutely standard, in fact we're in the poorer half of their friend groups I would say. So I try to tell them, but it's difficult for them to believe it, as it's not what they see. I've never thought about it before I typed up that list five minutes ago. A lot of that is surely unavoidable? The healthy food I can afford, so can't say no to. Bus is for school. There's always a request from school or at least one annual year group trip for the £100. Ballet block shoes are expensive. I don't even give pocket money. I think they would honestly think they're hard done by given the houses their friends live in and the holidays they go on.

£3 wouldn't get a lunch it's £4.25.

How are they contributing?

Paper round!! But at £13.50 per week, the contribution over a year isn't going to be much! Plus I'm so proud of them getting up early every day I've planned to surprise them and let them keep the earnings ;)

It's definitely very privileged, even if it seems normal to you. I wouldn't class most of that as essential or unavoidable tbh. You do you though, are the Joneses doing ok?

You are capable if explaining how much food costs and cheaper ways to eat healthily too, right? Raspberries and pomegranate are lovely but so are apples and oranges.

I've absolutely zero idea why you've taken this tone! Not looking for a fight. Of course I am, of course they're well aware of that.

Good to hear - it's the learning that effort to contribute which matters, as much as amount. Well done to them.

DS is 13

£50 allowance (used mostly for socialising on a Saturday)
£40 martial arts subs (he can go to as many classes as he wants for that and goes 2 or 3 times a week)
£100 guitar lessons (one lesson a week)
£50 go karting (once a fortnight)
£25 phone contract
£25 maybe on clothes/shoes but not actually monthly; more like 3 times a year.

He doesn’t get the bus to school and takes packed lunches.

The biggest expenses are his hobbies which he is passionate about. He would like to do the karting weekly really and is wanting to enter the British championship this year. His grandad has offered to help pay for that.

He is a talented (electric) guitarist and practices every day.

We have 2 older DDs who are both at university. We pay DD2’s rent (DD1 lives with us). This is the most expensive time of our lives.

Not sure what the point of your comment was then. It's a completely avoidable cost, or at least manageable.

It's £2.40 for a meal deal here so main drink and dessert. Then the leftover money gets them something at break or breakfast