Son has spent all his birthday money on fried chicken and doughnuts

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My 13yo confessed earlier that he's been taking his bank card out each day and has been buying sweets, drinks, fried chicken etc for him and his friends for the last few weeks. Only today he ran out of money.
He's spent about £150. We had no idea.
I thought DH would be really cross when I told him, but he just sighed and said that it's a lesson he needed to learn.
I had no clue he was even taking his bank card out. He's only had it a couple of months so was clearly giddy on his riches. Idiot!

Please tell me that other kids have done this? Im a mixture of cross, sad for him, and quite bemused right now.

Lesson learnt. It's not that bad. At least he got something concrete for his money. He knows he's done wrong. He was probably worrying about how to tell you. That's enough. Take his card for a bit. Your disappointment is enough.

@1994girl

"Who gives their 13 ysar old a bank card?"

I'm of the belief that ALL 13 year olds should have a bank card.

Sounds like he's learnt from the experience, which is great!

My friends dd did this during the summer, she was ordering pizza to be delivered to the park for her and her friends, she ended up spending all her birthday money. Tbh she was as pissed off as her Mum was, when she realised she had no money left. She asked her Mum for some to buy make up a week or two later and mum said no. So yes, it was a lesson learnt

It's fancy cold, fruit squash with small balls in it that burst in your mouth and have fruity liquid in them. Full of sugar and shite no doubt. I bought one to share with my dd and we couldn't finish it between us as it was so sweet

We had this too. I keep birthday money or any other lump sums he gets separate in a savings account. Because interest doesn't make sense when you're 12 I add 5% to the total at the end of every month. He's allowed to put his pocket money in to save too. But he has to ask to take money out. Pocket money is allowed to be spent on whatever including food, but I won't release savings for that kind of spending. It has to be something specific, so I might release it for a cinema trip but not hanging around after school.

I love bubble tea. Lol at health benefits though. Probably not as they are very sugary.

My teens regularly did stupid shit like this.

DS (18) just got his first part time job. Trust me, the power of having to work hard for minimum wage has sharpened his spending and saving skills rapidly.

DD (14) has recently developed a love for expensive trainers that I can’t afford. Better start saving that birthday money rather than frittering it on £10 milkshakes then, sweetheart!

revolut is not a bank and doesn't fall under uk banking rules.
i.e. you would be stuffed in case of fraud.

I rather like this story. You have a kind son!

Yes my daughter spent like she was a millionaire I think it was the novelty of buying something and paying contactless 🤣 she has well learnt from that

When I was 11 my friend was given 2 shillings ( that’s how long ago this was) a week to take to school to buy national saving stamps.
For months she spent half on sweets and only bought one stamp.
I always got some of her sweets and it was a sad day when she was caught out. 😂

This thread is exactly why I’ve never set up junior ISAs for my kids (where anything you save goes straight to them and you lose control of it). Even the sensible teenagers can do silly things when they first have access to money.

Exactly. Nothing wrong with it so long as you know you aren’t protected.

😂😂😂🙈🙈

It's his money to spend

it happens,he’ll be embarrassed enough. It’s a lesson learned and all that

My friend got thousands for his bar mitzvah and then we spent it ALL in the pub the next summer. I could get served at the age of 14 (this is the 90s). I'll never forget it, but I do feel quite sorry for him now.

Bless him for being generous.

Let's hope one or two of his mates reciprocate, eh?!

Mine have had bank cards since they were 12. They get £50 a month each for doing jobs and that gets transferred straight into their bank accounts. They use the cards like they would use cash. They’re pretty good with money, though the 14 year old does tend to have expensive tastes!

Revolut is brilliant. I love it for the same reasons as @rhetorician Their fraud prevention measures are pretty robust ime.

Not like 4 quid should.

My DS had a little Saturday job. He would come home with his wages (cash) give it to me and I'd transfer the amount from my bank to his, save him going into town to pay it in. He had a couple of hundred in there eventually then got to an age where the school allowed them into town during lunch hour.

He came home one day accusing me of stealing his money/not paying it in. I marched him to the bank and made him go in to get a print out of his account. Not only could I show him I had paid in all his money but could see he was taking out £10 here and there on a regular basis. Basically he'd spent all his money in Greggs. 🙄

I didn't get an apology for that but he was a little more careful with his money after. And I made him pay his money in himself!

My 11 year old has one! They have got to learn somehow!

Your DH is right. A lesson far better learned now than with his first student loan.

The one thing I would have been concerned about was potential coercion from the friends, but the update shows you've ruled that out.