How much allowance for 12yr old?

[thisgirlrides]

Ds is coming up to 12 and we usually increase by a £1 a year so in theory he'd get £12 a month but I'm finding as he's starting to be more independent I'm having to hand over more money. Bus to town at the weekend is £1.90 then if he wants to go swimming or even just grab something to eat or get a magazine & some sweets that's at least another £5 so whole months allowance is almost gone on one day with no chance to save up for anything which I'd like to encourage.

We pay £7.50 for a basic phone contract and he has to pay for more data if he wants it but I'm not bothered about subsidising so this is about finding a level that gives him enough to have a couple of treats out or to save for something without going mad/crippling us.

£15 or is that not going to change much? Maybe £20 with strict no to-ups?
Any thoughts?

[BarchesterFlowers]

£50a month here, in a current account with a debit card - 11 year old. Think I might be a bit generous tbh. DH would only give half of that but I no longer have to keep shelling out on pens that you can erase (seems to be the latest must have), pencils, post its and endless bits of stationary for school.

Half of it gets transferred to a savings account at the end of the month usually and DD is so much more aware of how much things cost than before I did this. She gets a mini statement every time we go shopping before we go home and writes down her spends when we get home.

I pay for a phone top up but it is so rarely used as calls and texts to me are free that the £10 I put on in September is still going strong.

[thisgirlrides]

I like the idea of agreeing a sensible social spend each month and budgeting accordingly. He does have the option to earn more through jobs like car cleaning, leaf raking etc but to date, hasn't been too fussed about the extra money although is definitely starting to shift & I don't want to give so much he never needs to top-up. Also like giving more but taking his phone out of that allowance so he is more conscious of usage.
I will discuss with dh (& possibly ds if a budget needs setting) but thinking £20-£25pm with £7.50 allocated for phone unless he wants to spend more/less and no more topping up his weekend spending.

[TeenTimesTwo]

Maybe think what you think is sensible socialising.
e.g. swimming once per month, cinema once per month, bus to town twice per month, random spends.
Then give him that and tell him to budget.

My DD, 13, gets £15 per month but doesn't independently socialise yet. So if DH takes her to the cinema we pay, or if I take her swimming, I pay. When she does we'll probably up to £25.

I don't think it is good for teens to have too much disposable money otherwise they get too used to it and don't learn to budget properly.

[EveryoneTalkAboutPopMusic]

My 13 yo does get a lot more. He gets £20 from me, but pays his phone top-up out of this but he gets another £5 a week from his DGPs. So that’s another £21.50 a month. He does tend to spend the £5 most weeks and save the rest. He has been really frugal with his phone usage since it has come out of his allowance 😀

[Icantfindausername]

I do the same for my daughter, she gets given £32 on the 15th if each month, however she has to pay for dancing out of this which is £5 per week, that means she has approx 12 per month (£3 a week) I've told her if she does something good in school or at home she will get extra (just a 1quid here or there) and then I've told her I will review it next year and it might go up to £16 a month so £4 a week.
It's hard isn't it as the cinema is pretty expensive and so is our local baths.
Let me know what you decide but maybe increase to £16 a month and say if he does extras he can maybe get more. I give her £20 for dancing so she can learn to budget each week and set some of that money aside. Good luck x

[LyannaStarktheWolfMaid]

I'm really sorry, I've realised I misread your message entirely! £12 per month is not at all excessive, it's quit sensible in fact. I think it's important to set a limit at this age so children get used to budgeting for themselves and choosing between several options. It's a good life message.

[LyannaStarktheWolfMaid]

Are you kidding? I have a son of a similar age, I pay his phone contract but other than that he is on £5 a week and I consider that generous. Like everyone else in the world, your 12 year old has to start prioritising his needs and wants and making choices. I think £20 a week at this age is utterly ridiculous!