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Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Teenagers

Clothing Allowance

38 replies

nottonight · 26/02/2011 18:26

Hi just wondered what everybody else is doing about possible clothing allowance. DD is 14 and gets her pocket money of £8.00 per week for stuff like make-up, bus fare into town, mcdonalds etc. This week she asked for £20.00 to get some new tops, which I did give her, she has not had any new clothes for months. I am wondering whether she should have a clothing allowance each month and if so, how much?

OP posts:

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Niceguy2 · 28/02/2011 23:41

Not sure she would be very good at budgeting hence, why pocket money is given weekly....

I just wanted to say that's exactly why you should make this happen and change it to monthly.

Whilst you think weekly is helping her manage, its not teaching her much. I knew when I first started this that my DD would blow all her allowance for a little while. And she did.

But after a while of not being able to go shopping or buy anything later in the month due to lack of cash, she soon learned to pace herself. And that if she wanted an extra nice top or a coat then she had to save for it cos coming to me was a non-starter.

Teach them the harsh lessons of budgeting now whilst its only clothes & makeup rather than later when they are up to their eyes in debt after splurging on credit cards. At least that's my theory.

And Frenchfancy, yes I transfer her allowance each month and she has a cashcard (from age 11) which she can draw money out when she needs to. It's great as she feels more independent and its not me who has to say "Hey you're skint!!!"

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PeterAndreForPM · 28/02/2011 23:47

dd (15) get £40 a month from us plus she has a seasonal PT job where she can earn approx £20 a weekend

she uses that for bus fares make up, cinema, bowling and some clothes and accessories

I buy most of her main clothes, school uniform, school lunches and monthly phone bill of £20

we are also paying £500 for a school trip in the summer but she must save up for her own spending money and holiday clothes/sundresses/60 prs of flip flops etc

she is going to a couple of pop concerts in the next few months and has bought the tickets herself (Justin Bieber £50 )

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PeterAndreForPM · 28/02/2011 23:48

oh yes, she has to have a bank account and debit card to have her wages paid in from her job

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sharon2609 · 28/02/2011 23:51

lessnarky My DD13 went to London with her birthday money and came back with 2 t shirts> One cost £49 the other £35 !!!!!

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PeterAndreForPM · 28/02/2011 23:54

sharon...my dd got £170 for her birthday in money from various relatives

she spent the lot on a pair of Ugg boots

her choice !

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sharon2609 · 01/03/2011 00:00

Boy oh boy have they got a shock coming !!! I could make £170 last for months!!

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PeterAndreForPM · 01/03/2011 00:04

yes, I could, and I do

like I said to her, I can't afford to spend that much money on one item !

btw, I did discuss it with her first, I didn't just ignore what she was doing

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sparklyblack · 01/03/2011 00:18

When DDs were teens but not working, they each got £20 pocket money/allowance a month. We bought 'necessary' clothes, eg coat/jeans they genuinely needed new ones of. Clothes they just wanted, they bought with pocket money. Shopped at New Look, H&M, M&S for vest tops, underwear etc and DP. We helped to contribute, usually about half, to friends/family birthday and Xmas presents.

For us, it was important once they got to about 12/13 to make the distinction between pocket money and allowances - we felt calling it a monthly allowance made it clearer that anything they wanted that was extra to what was really needed, had to come out of that. Pocket money seemed a bit too 'sweets and comics' IYSWIM, whilst still expecting all clothes, makeup, jewellery etc to be bought by us.

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higgle · 01/03/2011 15:26

Ds1 is at uni now,DS 2 doing GCSEs and 16. He gets £30pcm pocket money and the opportunity to earn £5 pw mowing our tiny lawn in the summer. I budget £30 a month for his clothes and tend to go shopping with him when he needs something. I need to be sure he has some sensible clothes in his wardrobe for when he goes into the sixth form in September. If he gets a job after his exams we will keep on paying the same, but as an allowance so he can get what he wants - I hope he will follow his brother's example and save most of any wages as spare resources for uni.

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nottonight · 01/03/2011 18:59

DD has a bank card which draws cash out only and definately not able to go overdrawn,

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whenigrowup · 08/03/2011 09:19

I transfer the monthly child allowance into DD's bank account. She then buys her own clothes, make up, etc. She has a debit card to withdraw what she needs. She also has a part time Sunday morning job to supplement this. I do make contributions towards certain items or events as and when they crop up and I feel they warrant help with.

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Oswald28 · 25/02/2019 11:10

Any suggestions on clothing allowance for teenagers? 14 & 17.
U can only see suggestions from 2011!

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Hattifattner · 27/02/2019 12:11

I give my kids £400 a year, excluding occasion wear like suits and prom dresses and the like.

I split it 150 summer, 250 winter, given now in spring and again in September/October.

Initially I set a budget and then went and sat in Costa while they browsed and tried on. I also specified what their allowance had to cover - 2 pairs jeans, 4 tops, a hoodie, boots etc. Then I would go and pay for the items.

If they didnt spend all their summer allowance, it would roll over to the winter allowance - Dd managed to save enough for a Holister coat.

Ive always said if they want big brand items, then they have to compromise elsewhere - so they can have big brand jeans if they get Primark tops. Or they can buy a handful of clothes from the fashion shop, rather than loads from a cheap shop.

They get no other items from me. HOWEVER - DS, 16, is still growing and at 6'3" now, tends to outgrow everything at a staggering pace. So I am, at the moment, more lenient with him, especially with essentials like jeans and shoes. Im hoping that the 34" leg jeans will actually last him, and he is not going to get much bigger (sobs quietly into hands).

I also did the same with DD1, now in her 20s, when the boob fairy arrived and we had a new cup size every 4 months.

So this last 12 months, I transferred the money to DDs account and set no parameters. She spent most of her summer money on bikinis. and shoes. And accessories. I ignored the heavy hints that she had nothing to wear thereafter.

In winter, its been cropped hoodies and high heels. Then she moans that she has no jeans that fit her. I ignore it all and say "Thats why you have a clothing allowance."

One gets pocket money in addition, (she is 15); the other works.

I will do a big shop with them on my budget this september as they both head off for 6th form and will need a bigger selection of jeans and hoodies..!