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Preteens

Parenting a preteen can be a minefield. Find support here.

Original poster

£120 each month for DD2

66 replies

biankia · 19/09/2018 16:49

Hello, I'm wondering if the amount of pocket money that i'm currently giving my daughter is too much? She's really sensible, and only really spends it on books.

OP posts:
Original poster
biankia · 19/09/2018 16:51

Sorry, typo in the title. DD is 12 not 2

OP posts:
QforCucumber · 19/09/2018 16:51

Thats probably more than I spend on myself a month so would say it's too much as an instant reaction. but, how old is she? does she 'earn' said pocket money? is she valuing money? does she use it to buy herself clothes etc or just for play money?

Littlechocola · 19/09/2018 16:52

My 12 year old gets £5 a week if he does his jobs. Confused

Perfectly1mperfect · 19/09/2018 16:53

If you can afford it and she's sensible then I don't see why you would question it. It probably more than a lot of 12 year olds get but people have different circumstances.

pinkyredrose · 19/09/2018 16:53

£30 a wk? Ridiculous!

CherryPavlova · 19/09/2018 16:54

Far too much. They’ll not learn the value of Money if they have too much too soon.

DolorestheNewt · 19/09/2018 16:56

Oh, I had read it as your second child anyway and was going to ask her age.
My son has just gone up to £10 a week and he's 15. He pays for some of his own clothes, but not all. Otherwise, he spends it on going out with friends and on things that he wants to buy online, usually to do with art or music (drumsticks, an electronic tuner, that type of thing) or with computer games.
I slightly stopped breathing when I saw £120 a month. But we do all have very different circumstances, and DS often has no money to buy birthday/Christmas presents for people, so I end up paying for those at Christmas etc. - perhaps your daughter manages all her own purchases more than DS does?

TokyoSushi · 19/09/2018 16:57

Christ! Can I come & live with you?

What does she have to buy out of it? If it's 'just for fun' money that's absolutely loads, of it's for a phone or clothes/activity then less so.

3luckystars · 19/09/2018 17:00

I used to spend loads on books (not that much!) but then I joined the library and they are all free!

I can’t advise on how much you give your child because it’s none of my business, but spending that much money on books is a total waste. What’s she doing with them all?

MirandaWest · 19/09/2018 17:02

Do you spend other money on her? My DC get given less than that per month, but more is spent on them for musical things of various sorts

Holidayshopping · 19/09/2018 17:02

That’s more than my 16 year old gets from his Saturday (mornings) job!

What made you decide that much?!

Chasingsquirrels · 19/09/2018 17:04

My 12yo ds gets £10 per month from me - £5 into his bank account and £5 cash.
His father and I are separated and he also gets money from him, but no more than I give him so a max of £20 per month.

He also gets all his club's etc paid for so it's just for personal spends - mainly sweets.
He often gets birthday or Christmas money and uses that if he wants something bigger - e.g. he just wanted new rollerskates as he'd outgrown his but didn't want to wait for Christmas, so he used money he'd been given previously.

heymammy · 19/09/2018 17:07

My 12yr old gets £12 a month plus her phone is £11 a month. Saying that, I do then still buy all clothes, toiletries, luxuries so her £12 covers buying chips/ice cream with friends but I would probably buy a cinema ticket for her iyswim.

If your dd covers most of her needs with £120 then at least it's not sweetie money!

ApolloandDaphne · 19/09/2018 17:16

That is a lot of money for a 12yo. At 16 my DDs got £100 per month and they had to cover their make up/toiletries, going out, non essential clothing etc. It helped them to learn to budget. But at 12 - far too much money.

PrincessMargaret · 19/09/2018 17:25

At 12 mine had £40 per month. And I paid her phone and bought all clothes and toiletries etc. This was enough then for a trip to cinema/burger plus saving a bit. By 14 I doubled it and she got £80 per month, but this was because of the demand for more expensive trainers / Superdry hoodies etc I will still supply basic clothing, School stuff etc but anything else she has to save up for herself. She is pretty good at doing so.

Fairylea · 19/09/2018 17:57

That is a LOT of money for a 12 year old! Shock

My 15 year old gets a tenner a week. That doesn’t include clothes or phone however, we get / pay those (about £30-40 a month on clothes and £10 a month on phone).

GreenTulips · 19/09/2018 18:00

£5 a week here and they earn it

I do however pay for phone credit clothes and clubs and evenings out

Depends on what she has to pay for

Atlantea · 19/09/2018 18:05

How much?

JiltedJohnsJulie · 19/09/2018 18:05

What does she have to pay for? Does she have to pay for phone credit, school lunches, bus pass? If you can afford to give her that much each month, it’s up to you but I’d be encouraging her to go to the library once a week and borrowing ebooks from them as well, she can put whatcshecsaves into the bank.
“”

colditz · 19/09/2018 18:09

My 12 year old gets £20 a MONTH. It's plenty. Parents should be meeting all their needs at that age anyway, how much could they possibly need to spend on sweets, pop and crisps?

She won't learn to say no to herself if she always has a large amount of personal spends. I know adults with less money than that.

Bluewidow · 19/09/2018 18:09

Well you've probably made your bed now anyway as wouldn't like to be you if you decide to decrease it now.

£120 is far too much money. Like previous poster said its more than some people have to spend on themselves as adults. You could be setting her up for a huge disappointment on life.

BoBro · 19/09/2018 18:29

😳

SunnySkiesSleepsintheMorning · 19/09/2018 19:26

Please adopt me....and my teenager!

Atlantea · 19/09/2018 19:28

@biankia ? what are your thoughts now?

MoDip · 19/09/2018 19:30

Wayyyyy too much!