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Teenagers

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

Original poster

What allowance do you give your 16 year olds?

67 replies

rookiemere · 22/08/2022 10:22

Hi
We're trying to work out what is fair as an allowance for DS.

I'd be interested in what other people give per month and what it covers e.g. clothes, extra food outside meal times etc.

For context DS16 gets £80 per month and this is meant to cover gym £10 plus clothes and outings. However as he does a lot of sports he says he spends a lot of it on food.

DS goes to private school and it does feel as if his peers have the latest gear and can afford things. We are comfortably off but don't like to waste money and it feels like DS is continually asking for money.

OP posts:
yougotthelook · 22/08/2022 10:27

rookiemere · 22/08/2022 10:22

Hi
We're trying to work out what is fair as an allowance for DS.

I'd be interested in what other people give per month and what it covers e.g. clothes, extra food outside meal times etc.

For context DS16 gets £80 per month and this is meant to cover gym £10 plus clothes and outings. However as he does a lot of sports he says he spends a lot of it on food.

DS goes to private school and it does feel as if his peers have the latest gear and can afford things. We are comfortably off but don't like to waste money and it feels like DS is continually asking for money.

My dd also at private school.
I give her £50 a month allowance, my ex gives her around £200 a month.
This is SUPPOSED to cover everything but she is also always asking for money - even though she's 17 and shops on vinted, charity shops etc.
I think it's teenagers in general tbh!
For context she doesn't get into a competition with her school friends - some are a lot richer than us, most are on a middle income like us, some are on a scholarship/bursary, so I wouldn't get too drawn into comparisons xxx

Puffalicious · 22/08/2022 10:34

DS is 15.5 and gets £50 a month. This is just for incidentals- treats/ cinema trip. I reckon he spends most of it in McDs/ juice/ snacks!

We cover gym/ travel/ clothes/ toiletries/ special days out/ friends' birthdays etc, so £50 is more than enough in my eyes. State school, so a wide variety of peers and no stress of comparison.

MummyInTheNecropolis · 22/08/2022 10:39

My 16 year old gets the same as yours, £20 a week but this is just for her social life, I pay for all clothes, phone etc. She buys her own make up from it. I do give extra in school holidays for specific days out eg to theme parks or for friends’ birthdays.

thewalrus · 22/08/2022 10:45

DD gets £70 a month. She pays for socialising and clothes (other than school uniform and sports kits). We pay her phone contract, school lunches and extracurriculars (or would if she got to do any - thanks, Covid!).

She also has a part time job and earns about £140 a month term time - more in the summer. She seems to have plenty of money, but is pretty careful about spending.

RiskyReels · 22/08/2022 10:45

We give £20 a month and pay for phone and clothes. She earns £100+ a month with a café job which covers all treats, trips out, friends' birthday and she's accumulating a good chunk of it for uni.

Comefromaway · 22/08/2022 10:51

Ds is 18 and I have been giving him £12 per week plus an extra £5 when he was at college for books/equipment plus we pay his mobile phone and all clothes/toiletries etc.

Dd got £5 per week more but that was because she wanted to buy all her own clothes etc

QuietYou · 22/08/2022 11:36

At that age £120-£140 a month, to pay for phone, gym, socialising, extra clothes and toiletries, lunches in college time.
They worked part time too, DS earned £140 term time and DD about £250.

Original poster
rookiemere · 22/08/2022 11:46

Thanks for responses so far.
It does seem maybe we are on the less generous side.

OP posts:
SE13Mummy · 22/08/2022 12:10

DD is 17, not at private school. I pay £5 per month for her phone, £15 per week for lunches and top up her ZIP card every now and then although that's for getting to extra curricular stuff in London rather than to school as she walks. She earns money from babysitting and her zero hours job as well as a part-time job she's had for years so she buys herself anything that isn't an essential and uses that money to fund going out with friends. Things like underwear, a pair of trainers (in lieu of school shoes), basic clothing, coat, toiletries etc. I buy but make up, nail stuff, fancy toiletries and random/impulse purchases are things she has to buy for herself.

babysteps22 · 22/08/2022 12:41

£70 a month excluding :
£15 pcm for phone contract
£ school bus ticket
£ money for lunches at college
I also buy him a pair of trainers every year usually at Xmas, pants and socks.

MyNameIsAngelicaSchuyler · 22/08/2022 12:59

Mine is almost 15 and gets £20 a month and her phone paid. We buy most clothes so long as they are required.

she also babysits and is already saving up ‘for uni’ . she hates spending money as knows how hard it is to earn.

WendyAndDave · 22/08/2022 13:01

£200 a month. That covers everything except school uniform.

Original poster
rookiemere · 22/08/2022 13:22

Such big disparities in the amounts.

I think we hoped by not giving him too much he might be inspired to get a pt job in the summer and be one of the teens below who understand the value of money.

But he just isn't and is starting the most important year at school for exams- Highers as in Scotland- so what with that and him being very active in school rugby time, now is not the time for him to push to get one.

I'm thinking we should earmark a monthly amount for clothes. Part of our issue is the circle he's in are wearing Ralph Lauren shirts and expensive brands- honestly they're smarter than the blokes at work. So I get he needs clothes but as we don't wear designer stuff, I don't want to pay him to wear it.

OP posts:
kimchifox · 22/08/2022 13:31

DS got £20 per week (he's just turned 18 and is earning money so we aren't now giving pocket money) but also very sporty and needed to top up school food or buy stuff when out so we were always topping up. DD is nearly 16 and still gets £20 per week but we also top that up / reimburse her for lunch as otherwise she won't eat anything!! She spends it on buying from Vinted / Depop cheap jewellery etc and birthday presents for friends. Both of them get a bigger clothes shop on top twice a year. Extra clothes for birthdays and Xmas if that's what they want.

kimchifox · 22/08/2022 13:32

And buy the clothes directly - gave DS clothes money and he spent a lot of it buying a fake ID from someone!Envy

FunnysInLaJardin · 22/08/2022 13:36

DS1 is 16 and we give him £100 per month. We also pay for clothes, phone, gym and guitar lessons.

He earns some himself for some freelance work he does. Few hundred a month usually.

He doesn't spend much and so seems to have enough money for what he needs.

Goes to state school which helps I think.

Original poster
rookiemere · 22/08/2022 13:39

kimchifox · 22/08/2022 13:32

And buy the clothes directly - gave DS clothes money and he spent a lot of it buying a fake ID from someone!Envy

Yeah that's what I'm afraid of - so we'll keep clothes allowance money strictly separate from overall allowance

OP posts:
mrsplum2015 · 22/08/2022 13:44

Dd gets 200 per month to cover gym, petrol, clothes, make up, toiletries, meals out of home, going out. beauty treatments and hair cuts, gifts for family and friends birthday Christmas etc.
She spends way more than this which is covered by part time work.

We decided we would rather her learn to budget than be constantly debating what she needs money for. Which has encouraged a good budgeting and work ethic. She always saves 10 percent of salary and rarely asks for any money ever. She's had a job since she was 14.

Our ds is nearly 14 and looking for a job. He sees the freedom and independence that a job gives dd even despite having an allowance and he is keen to get one. Once he's established earning and a bit older we will give him a similar allowance.

mattressspring · 22/08/2022 13:50

Mine got £20 a week but that barely covered a trip into town plus lunch. I'm surprised at people expecting their teens to clothe themselves on similar amounts, less even.

zighead · 22/08/2022 15:43

You are all very generous!
My 16 year old DS gets £32 a month and never asks for extra money. He also manages to pay £8 a month for his phone data from this and any trips out. I do buy his toiletries and pay for any clubs or school expenses.
He gets money for Xmas and birthday from relatives so will buy the odd item of clothing then but he is not interested in designer clothes thankfully.
He starts a part time job this week so I'm hoping that he will be able to get a good amount saved up for university in two years time.

pigalow27 · 22/08/2022 16:42

DD is 17 at private school but we are really scrimping for fees for final year. She us our only DD at school as our older DD has graduated and has a good job. She gets £100 a month for socialising and some make up and clothes. She gets quite a lot of clothes and essential toiletries bought by us and we pay her phone contract and all school expenses. It's not loads but she manages. She has agreed not to have driving lessons til we finish paying school fees.

pisspants · 22/08/2022 16:56

Mine gets £16 a month and I pay for her phone and also £20 a month towards clothes. I feel I am very on the tight side but she doesn't go out much and this has been enough.
She's been babysitting for the past year which has helped top up her funds and recently got a Saturday job which will bring her about £400 a month so she now feels like she's absolutely rolling in it but is being very careful with it and I'm trying to encourage her to save half.

LyndsyStw · 22/08/2022 17:16

My 15 year old gets £10 a week, but also has football tickets bought for him, an xbox subscription paid for, mobile phone and Sky Sports which adds up to a fair whack every month. He definitely wants more, and would like to work but can't get a job as not 16 yet.
I wonder if I should give him more, but tbh I feel like he will just spend even quicker! He has quite expensive taste so birthday / Christmas money is gone within days

Faeriepath · 22/08/2022 17:18

Mine gets £60 a month, covers clothes and going out. Not that she goes out much. Her phone contract is covered by us too.
At state school.

VacayingInTheHamptons · 22/08/2022 17:27

Once our son started college at 16, we gave him £200 to cover transport, lunch, most clothing, socialising. We paid his phone and some basic clothing. When he got to 17 we also paid driving lessons and now he can drive he pays petrol and we pay insurance. He works part time as well, more hours over the summer, just a few when he’s at college.