How much pocket money for a 14yo?

[VivaLeBeaver]

Dd has been getting £22 a month since she was 11yo into her bank account. She has a debit card so can take cash out, use it in shops.

However she never seems to quite manage the month and I end up giving her extras so she can meet her friends in town or go to the cinema as I feel I don't want her to be left out.

I buy all her toiletries, will buy school stationery she needs, will buy clothes that she needs. I'm happy to pay for big stuff like a pair of Uggs for her.

She seems to spend most of her money on milkshakes, clothes from Primark (which I suppose means I don't have to buy as many clothes for her), face masks, lip gloss.

She's moaning at the minute because she wants a SIMs expansion pack and doesn't have the money. This is after I gave her an extra £10 yesterday so she could go into town.

A friend gives her 16yo £80 a month but expects her to buy everything apart from toiletries and school clothes. I'm wondering if I'd be better off giving dd more money and being stricter on her needing to budget.

DD1 age 15 gets £25 per month. Doesn't spend it all, pays for PAYG hone from that too.

Maybe ask her to record what she spends her money on?
Or just up it to £30 or £35 and say absolutely no extras?

We give DS13 £30 a month (into bank account with debit card) he never seems to quite manage either and I often have to give him the odd fiver here or there when he's out with his mates (he generally saves birthday and Christmas money which he uses to buy things like games and xbox points etc)

I buy all clothing & toiletries etc.

He spends his money on bus fares and food and drinks when out with his friends and sometimes buys some earphones, or a game or cd (and one random purchase was a onesie from primark!)

I used to give her £15 a week for dinner money but she's now gone onto pack ups so I guess I am saving quite a bit. Probably saving £40 a month.

I think I might put her pocket money up to £40 a month and continue to pay her phone as well which is only £5 a month.

That way she gets pretty much £10 a week. Which should mean she's got enough to go into town every weekend if she wants and get a McDonalds or a milkshake with friends and maybe one item from primark.

£80 a month sounded a lot.

£80 a month isn't maybe so much if they are buying all their own clothes and shoes.

My feeling with pocket money is we want our DDs to learn to budget. Their earning power may not be too great later in life and I think they need to learn to manage their money now while it doesn't matter, rather than later when it does. Whilst still allowing them a social life of course.

Mine is 15 and works part time. She earns £80 month. Her grandad sends her £20 month. Her dad gives her £40 month and pays for her phone contract. I buy all toiletries and treat her once a month to cinema trip with lunch out.
She is sooooo tight with her money. She was hinting for a new phone charger yesterday off me. My answer was you have more money than I've got and I'm a working adult!!! You know where the shops are. Nice try darling

I wish dd could get a job. She can't even get a paper round as her school bus leaves at 7:30 am and paper shop say they can't start work till 7am.

My 17 year old gets £100 a month and has done for a couple of years. I pay her phone capped contract and basic toiletries, anything else she buys. She also works around her college classes.
I don't give extras unless I'm treating to dinner, theatre basically a family trip.
She struggled to start with blew the lot on treating her friends but now she's great. Budgets great, has enough to do what she wants and buys all birthday presents etc herself.

My DS (14) only gets £10 a month direct into his bank account and has only taken money out once in two years . We pay his mobile contract but he really doesn't seem to spend much money - has a few £1000s saved from Christmas and birthday presents.

We stock him up with Lynx etc at Christmas and birthdays; he rarely goes into town or out with mates, we buy clothes (not designer labels) - just a couple of pairs of jeans from Primark and hoodies from charity shops.

He gets the very occasional £5 from grandparents, guess we are lucky he is so frugal. .

Christ sounds like mine is on to a good thing for 15. I will up her chores
Just kidding. More revision for exams would be good though!

My DD gets £20 a month and this is for clothes included(other than bear essentials like underwear/school uniform) and does fine. However we do pay her phone which is £10 a month. £80 seems a bit too much

I always say it depends what they have to pay for.

My 16 year old gets 'a lot' but has to budget for phone, clothes, special toiletries, lap top repairs / replacement, lunches and running his console / games, going to parties etc. I much prefer it to constantly being asked. And he's good at saving.

Just checked my spreadsheet (so as to treat both DC the same).
At 14 they got £15 per month plus I paid £5 a month for phone on GiffGaff.
This had to cover entertainment but not clothes, lunches, or gifts for family.
Neither of them ever spent it all.
At 16 I increased it to £75 a month to include all clothes apart from coats and phone. They both still saved.

My 13 year old gets £40 a month, she buys all her clothes except school, i buybasic toiletries, shebuys friends presents etc.

My 14 year old dd and 16 year old ds both get £20 per month spending money. I buy their clothes, toiletries, school stuff etc. My dd chooses to spend her money on a monthly subscription to judo sessions, my ds chooses to spend his on games or days out with friends. As a single parent I really can't afford to give them any more. They do sometimes get extra as and when required. I feel that this is a reasonable amount.

Dd gets 50 quid plus phone contract. She buys friends presents, make up, outings, fun clothes and we buy razors, tampax, shower gel and food and uniform. Half is dependent on her room being decent by Sunday night or a fiver per week is docked the following month.

She's 16. Ds is 11 and gets phone contract plus ten pounds.

Dd is 13. She gets her phone contract paid for along with essential personal hygiene stuff (little love wanted to buy her own deodorant & tampons but I said of course we pay for those essentials).

She gets £10 per month paid into her debit card account & I usually give her around £3 cash for use at school tuck shop etc.

She tends to blow the lot at Costa Coffee & £1 shop make up plus sweets.

DD is Y9 and gets £50 per month. This covers lunches out, bus fares, cinema etc. We pay for all clothes, make up, phone bill. It seems about right as she has a busy social life but doesn't ask for top-ups.

I also pay for phonecontract and dinner money and horseriding/cheer.

It depends on -

• your disposable income
• what you expect them to buy out of it
• what their social life looks like

and probably a lot of other things.

My 13 yr old gets 13 a month and my 16 yr old gets 16 a month. They are both very busy / involved in things which we pay for (Scouts, music, football, climbing) so a) we are actually spending considerably more each week than goes into their hands, and b) they don't have much time free to 'hang' around' or need entertaining, or to go shopping or whatever.

My 16 yr old tops her up with a regular weekly babysitting job - prior to this she did a (weekly) paper round.

DSs 14 and 13 get £30 a month into bank account - they don't spend any on the things they should such as cinema, magazines etc. They additionally manage to con a couple of quid a week out of DH for snacks at the park - they don't want to go to the park, he wants them to get out for some fresh air and exercise, he gives them £2 for juice and crisps and off they scoot - con artists.

Money gets squirreled away and spend on video games in DS2s case and nothing at all in DS1s case.

My DS 17 gets £40 a month, plus I pay his phone. I also buy all his clothes, toiletries etc. I think his father gives him another £20. He is always asking for more as he wants to buy games. Get a job I say.

My DD 13, gets £20 a month. She buys lots of make up, body spray and lotion etc. I buy them sometimes, but not to the extent she wants, counted 11 cans on impulse in her room. I buy all her clothes, books, riding stuff. She never runs out, and checking her bank statement does not even spend money every week. She has online banking and does transfer money into her savings if she has not spent it. Her father also gives her another £10 in cash.

Dd is 13 and gets £30 per month, and she buys make up and clothes out of that. And pays for cinema, KFC etc! She did get 40 but now has an iPhone so 10 is towards the insurance for that. She manages well most months, and funnily enough, her clothes are now primark rather than superdry!

Ds1 has just had his upped to £20 per month because he's started going to footie with his mates. I buy his clothes (he is growing seriously fast, and wouldn't bother buying himself any!) He is 15.

Ds2 is 9, and gets £5 per month. His is all saved up in his wallet :)