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Teenagers

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

Original poster

how much pocket money?

28 replies

4mum · 05/09/2007 10:01

how much pocket money do you give your teens?
my ds 15 gets £5 week,
dd 13 gets £2.
if they need extra money for any reason they ask for more,and depending what it is sometimes give it to them.

OP posts:
foofi · 05/09/2007 10:04

Just wondered why you give them different amounts? Are the things the younger one buys cheaper?

mumeeee · 05/09/2007 10:15

my 17 year old gets £30 a month and My 15 year old gets £25 a month. They buy most of their clothes,CDs make up etc. I sometimes give the 17 year old money for her phone the 15 year old does not have one.
We have always given different amounts to our children according to thie age. It usually goes up on birthdays as this makes them feel that we don't treat them all the same. My 17 year lod is loking for a part time job at the moment and when she gets one we will stop her allowence. We did this with my DD1 who is now 20 and it has helped her manage her money at uni.

Wisteria · 05/09/2007 10:19

13yr old dd £3.50/ week and dd2 (11) £2.50/ week, goes up incrementally on b'days but is chore dependent.
I think it is very important to have different amounts for ages, they do need more as they get older anyway.

chenin · 05/09/2007 10:34

None since they were 14... both got jobs! I obviously buy school stuff for youngest, and treat both to clothes but they pay for everything in the way of what I would call 'luxuries'. (mobile, CD, going out, friends presents etc!)
The only way they learn about money is to earn it and manage it themselves!

slowreader · 05/09/2007 10:36

£20 a month each. (Not including bus fares for school but including mobile phones). If they want extra they can clean the car, cut grass, or wash kitchen floor (routine jobes like bedrooms and unloading dishwasher don't get paid). They are 10 and 14. We have always given them the same on the basis that shops do not charge little kids less than big ones! They never ask for more. Their friends get pretty much the same.

EmilyDavidson · 05/09/2007 11:56

£25 a month each ,they are 14 and 16. I also put a tenner each on their mobiles every month ,and if they go to a party I buy the present. If they want extra they have to do chores , I will pay £1 for most things ie hoovering or drying up.

For about a year dd ,16, used to have a clothes/haircuts allowance of £100 month but it was a total disaster.

Wisteria · 05/09/2007 12:41

I remember growing up thinking it was very unfair that my younger brother got the same as me, so am interested as to whether those of you that give the same regardless of age started doing it at the same age for each child, or whether the younger child effectively got it earlier IYSWIM. Although I agree that shops charge the same, IMHO I don't think for instance a 10yr old and 14yr old have the same requirements - my dd1 who's nearly 14 goes out more and 'needs' more (clothes, makeup and things start to come into the picture more then) as she is older, whereas the 11yr old does not yet go into town etc with her friends so the opportunity is not there for her to spend as much.
Emily - you are very generous!!

slowreader · 05/09/2007 12:58

Have always given the same. 10yr old dd spends more on eg birthday presents for friends than 14 yr old ds . Cds, books, stationery, sweets etc cost the same whatever your age, so it seems fair enough to me. 14 yr old ds agrees- in fact refused to accept a rise recently if dd was not having the same!

Wisteria · 05/09/2007 13:08

Bless him, that's lovely. I suppose it's whatever works for you; it seems unfair to me but I guess it depends how it's done!

Tortington · 05/09/2007 13:09

i give my teens no pocket money

if my 14 yo ds would like a game for his gamethingy then I give him jobs to do to work for it

however books are free. yes indeedy roll up custy teens books are free.

they dont have mobile phones.

they have had - but they haven't got a job and so can't pay for it

tough.

Donela · 05/09/2007 13:19

Oh dear now I'm all in a quandry about giving both my girls the same amount of pocket money! I give both my daughters the same amount of pocket money. One is 12 one is 8. They get £5 per month pocket money. Then they have to get four stickers (one each Friday on room inspection day) for another fiver. The eldest daughter does get more spent on her for clubs etc though.

EmilyDavidson · 05/09/2007 13:21

wisteria I am not generous ,i am a complete wally.
I really wish i had never given dd the big clothes allowance. We thought if we let her have a good allowance now then she would learn about budgeting etc. She has a proper bank account with debit card and internet banking ,all very grown up. But it just turned her into a spoilt princess who thinks its normal to go up the city on saturday and have breakfast in a cafe then shopping ,then lunch ,then cinema etc. And she thinks its our job as parents to bankroll that lifestyle. i am really worried about what will happen when she goes to uni and can get credit cards etc.

So i have knocked the allowance on the head and this is the first month ever that my two kids have had the same amount of pocket money ,the younger one always got less in the past.When they are teenagers I think they need roughly the same, its different for little ones though.

Wisteria · 05/09/2007 13:33

Oh Emily, it sounds as if you are quite worried. I must admit I would never 'give' my dcs money - everything has to be earnt, after all no one 'gives' me anything and I think budgeting is only really effective if you've earnt the money in the first place. In my experience money means more to you/ has more value if you did something for it and can equate it to a job IYSWIM.

Mine get rewarded for special things (extra to pocket money) but they have to keep their rooms tidy and offer to help around the house for their pocket money.

chenin · 05/09/2007 15:34

The only way mine have learnt the value of money is to earn it. I think giving a teen an allowance is ridiculous. They have two arms, two legs and a brain... why on earth can't they get a job and earn their money?

I begrudge paying for calls on my own mobile, let alone funding two daughters mobiles. If they really want a mobile and endless txting etc., believe me, they will get a job and earn the money to pay for it.

For me, it was the best decision I ever made. Eldest has internet banking and a current account and a websaver... she knows about interest rates and switches money from the websaver to her current a/c to get the maximum interest. She has also saved enough from her part time pub job to put money into an ISA... (mind you, all this money is going towards freshers week at Uni... but its hers to do with as she wants). I know, without a shadow of doubt, that had she been allowance-funded she would not have been so careful.

Of course, I do treat her sometimes... I can't resist it.. but it does make those times special.

slowreader · 05/09/2007 15:54

Realistically though, there are not many jobs for 14s except baby sitting (unusual for boys) and paper rounds (v long waiting lists here). Also DH ( teacher) says he can tell which kids do the early morning papers by their work in class. Different when they are 16 I agree.

EmilyDavidson · 05/09/2007 16:18

yes wisteria and helliebean you are both absolutely right about them having to earn it and not just be given it. I wish I had realised the full impact of that sooner.

I told dd at the weekend that she needs to find a little job. She looked completely aghast.
I am going to be tough though ,she really will have to.

Funnily enough her brother is the polar opposite. If I gave him £100 a month ,at the end of a year he would have £1200 in the bank and be happily wearing rags.
Although I'm not going to put that to the test.

chenin · 05/09/2007 17:17

Both my daughters did a washing up stint at the local pub at aged 14. At that age they are allowed to work a few hours a week, which is all they did to start with. At age 15 they took on a bit more, and every year after that... now, my DD1 can earn anything up to £100 a week if she has a mind to. (that does involve 4 long shifts a week though...)

Emily... it's not too late for your DD to change a bit... its amazing how driven they become when they have an empty purse...!

DarthVader · 05/09/2007 17:23

Emily, if she went to town and acted like a princess, did she blow the entire £100 in the first week? Or did she make it last?

Was it a failed experiment in terms of her expectations AND budgeting skills, or did the budgeting bit work but at too high a price?

Wisteria · 05/09/2007 17:41

There are far more jobs out there for 14yr olds than you would imagine:
Babysitting
Paper rounds (weekly freepaper rounds as well, this is usually on a Friday so no sleeping in class)
Small shops will often take on youngsters, newsagents etc to help out.
Hairdressers, sweeping up and washing hair
Some builders and car mechanics will take on Saturday help as well.
The list is endless really, these jobs aren't necessarily advertised but you can go and ask, a little initiative is required though.

Even if your dcs can't find a paid job elsewhere then they can still learn the value of money by earning it from you or other members of the family, neighbours, friends etc.

EmilyDavidson · 06/09/2007 09:10

Thank you everyone for your input. I had a good think about it last night and have decided to carry on giving dd the £25 a month but only if she does some chores for me. No chores no cash, I think thats fair. And she must get a saturday job if she wants any extra.

Darthvader she could never make the money last more than the first fortnight. Every month we explained about budgeting and even saving ,and gave her another chance but to no avail.

Obviously this is mainly my fault for not dealing with it very well ( I thought i was being kind....wrong!),but I do feel really positive now that there are ways of teaching her financial sense before its too late

Original poster
4mum · 07/09/2007 09:04

i give my ds 15 more because he does more,spends his satudays meeting friends so needs bus fares and likes to have money to buy lunch /snacks whatever.

my dd 13 rarely meets friends out,more likely here or at the friends house.

if she does go into town for a day i will give her a bit extra.

OP posts:
lovey · 15/09/2007 08:13

£40 a month, but they pay for nothing...this will be changing after reading this thread! Dcs told me this was 'normal'.....hmmm!

law3 · 19/09/2007 15:38

I have only just started pocket money. i give my nearly 14 year old and nearly 12 year old £20 a week each.

I based it on £5 for phone credit, £5 for social club 2 nights a week and £5 for the weekend, £5 for football training subs.

I dont give them any other money for anything, so if they want to eat in the cafe at school at lunchtime, instead of packed lunch, the have to allow for it, if they want to go cinema one week, they have to allow for it etc, etc

Is that reasonable?

juicychops · 19/09/2007 15:44

gosh! i remember when i was 14/15 and got £5 per week

law3 · 19/09/2007 15:45

juicy - do you think thats too much, im a novice at the pocket money game??

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