Clothes Money for 17 year old boy.

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I want ds to budget so proposed giving him 35 a month to buy his clothes and haircuts. This is less than I have been spending, but I am spending what I can afford, whereas I want him to start spending at a rate that he will be able to maintain when he goes to uni/into work next year (if he does). i
Phone is paid for I pay 15 a month until he is 18. Travel on a daily basis for him is free and gran gives him 25 a month pocket money.
How does this amount sound to others ? TIA

Bloody hell that's a lot. £60 a month with free travel and free phone?

you see I don't know. Should I knock it down then ?

When is he 18? Is he still at school? Does he have a job?

Interested in this thread. My 17 yo gets more than that and hardly buys any clothes. He's not that interested in them.
I don't either, apart from, say, school shoes (not allowed trainers) or rugby boots/sports kit.think he just breaks even each month. Tbh, I reckon it's expensive being a teenager today.
Not many jobs around our rural area, either.

He's just turned 17 and he doesn't have a job.He's just taken AS. . He is going to get a haircut today for £15.
shotgun it is expensive, we are in the middle of London. He doesn't buy himself stuff except coffees and snacks if out with friends for a little bit of a social life. a cup of coffee costs 2 quid, a cheap haircut 15.
He likes clothes and doesn't wear jeans, it's trousers and a shirt, proper shoes.
Stuff in h&m is too short, just reached 6 ' 4.

DS has recently discovered Jackamo (sp?). It's not H&M prices but he finds things in the sales - not that he's esp tall, but he's a rugby prop, so not exactly a typical Robert Pattinson type! Plus he has really wide feet so needs. Igger shoes to accomodate.
Blimey, London prices for a teen - it's bad enough here in the sticks. I do feel for you. I think it's easy for people to say they get too much, but I don't want my boy to be isolated and staying in from lack of funds - or embarrassed to go out for lack of clothes. (Chance'd be a fine thing - he's not that bothered about them and I don't think his social circle are particularly either).

Thanks, I will tell him to have a look.

That seems a lot to me, but we're not in London. I prefer to give my boys so much at the start of summer and at winter rather than monthly. If they want new clothes at another time than they can save up their pocket money.

I'm thinking about this. DS is 16 and just about to start 6th form.

He gets £30 a month plus I pay his phone. When he wants clothes I either give him money or we shop together. He doesn't want fancy labels and is happy with H&M or TKMaxx.
He seems fine with this, and I enjoy shopping with him, we just went out and spent about £100 on new stuff for college.
I think though that he needs to learn how to budget. I quite like Annunziata's idea.

You'll all think my son is rich then! He is about to turn 17 and has just finished his Highers (Scotland). Last year we agreed that he would focus on school work and not look for part-time paid work. He has to contribute to household chores and help with his younger brothers. His phone is paid for and he gets £80 a month which he has to use for going out, clothes, haircuts, buying birthday presents, computer games etc.etc. We only buy school uniform and winter jacket/shoes.

I realise not everyone will agree with this approach, certainly some of his friends' parents don't. However, I believe it helps them to learn life skills. Although it sounds a lot, if people add up what they actually spend on their children or give them to spend on themselves it is often more than this over the year. This way he has to learn to budget for things he wants and make choices about how to spend his money.

For example, it costs him £3 for a train ticket and about £7 to get in to the cinema if he goes out with his friends and that's without a snack/sweets. He doesn't spend much on clothes. He sometimes skips going out with his friends to save money for other things he wants. He saved up over the year and had some money put away towards a new computer monitor then Muse decided to come to the SECC so £50 of his savings went on a ticket! But that was his choice, he has managed really well and never asked for any extra despite sometimes not having the funds for stuff he really wanted to do.

Mynewcat, No I don't think 80 is excessive, a bit more than I would offer and my ds does not wear a uniform.
I added up what I spent in the first half of this year, came to just over £300.
Including shoes, haircuts, clothes,
So it would be monthly 50 plus the 25 he already gets from granny. From which he already goes out with friends, plus gets school bits like pens and paper.
I was going to give a bit less and make him have to budget a bit more.
In January sales : 2 pairs winter trousers, 1 wool jumper, 1 shirt,
Pair leather gloves - £100
Then, shoes 1 pair leather, -50, 1 pair plimsolls 25, underwear 10 - £85
Summer - 2 t shirts - 10, 2 summer shirts 2 pair linen trousers (primarni) -35= £45
Sun hat essential for camp - £15
Haircuts at least 2 - £30
Swimming goggles- £12
New shirt for posh party, friends 18th - £25
Total £ 312

Not at all, squirrels son has 30 just pocket money, similar to mine. If you add in the clothes and haircuts, it easily makes 80. I agree it is essential as a life skill, and like you I wanted him to focus on school. However rethinking this now. After all in a years time he will be living away from home ( hopes)!
Also, much as I love ds company, he doesn't want to go shopping with me anymore.

my DS is only 12, yet he gets £25 a month allowance. For this he has to pay half towards birthday presents, any scout camps or extra scout activities. He aslo has to fully fund any school lunches from this (all ingredients for packed lunch provided), any bus fares/trips to cinema/roller skating/meals out with friends.