amount of money you spend on your kids...

[MamaRuthie]

do you have a limit on how much you will spend on particular things for your kids?? do they know that limit??

struggling with this with ellie at the moment I guess that's part of the deal with teenagers lol. what used to be a $20 pair of shoes is now an $80 pair of shoes and what used to be a $10 top is now a $50 top. im thinking about setting price limits on what I am willing to spend because where will it end? lol

what do you do??

 

[cybele]

I don't really have a numerical figure as a limit, but I do distinguish between wants and needs. I fund needs, I do not fund wants, that's what after school jobs/ odd jobs around the community/ saving up money you get for your birthday and so on is for.

My 17yr old needs a new pair of shoes. He does not need a $200 pair of doc martens, he wants a $200 pair of doc martens. I will buy him shoes, and I will take the cost on a case by case basis, but $200 shoes solely for the point of fashion isn't going to happen.

My 14yr old needs a haircut, she also needs to get her roots done, but she doesn't need to have hot pink hair, she wants hot pink hair, so she has to pay for the upkeep of that. I of course will pay for haircuts, but a slathering of hot pink dye every 2 months is something that she needs to fund herself.
Same goes with clothes for her, yes she needs a new pair of bathers, no she does not need this for $90 (this was seriously what she showed me last week as the bathers that she oh so desperately needed):
http://blackmilkclothing.com/collections/swimsuits/products/dem-guts-swimsuit[/URL]
I am willing to buy her new bathers from your average run of the mill surf shop for $30, you could even push me up to $50 for a really nice pair, but $90 for organ bathers is not going to happen.

That's my thing. I don't set a numerical value, I go on case by case, but I have my limits, particularly with teenage fashion things where I say "No, you are going to have to fund that one yourself".

 

[TabascoNatalie]

Cybele, that swimsuit is GORGEOUS, now i want it

Speaking of prices, it is really common sense. What you buy for yourself, you can buy for your child and vice versa.
Only my DH is a very bad example. He buys himself all sorts of expensive crap with Harley-Davidson logo.

 

[cybele]

"Well boys when you grow up and have motorbikes, you can buy all sorts of expensive crap with the Harley Davidson logo".

Truthfully I was very tempted by a jacket once, but that would look insanely wanky when paired with my cheap honda bike.

 

[mom2many]

A better way to do it is to set a at amount for say school shopping. Give them what you're willing to spend on them and let them shop, but make it clear that that is all they get and what is included in that total. So clothes, shoes, accessories etc.,

My limit on shoes is $40, anything above that they can figure out on their own.

 

[akmom]

Oh. My. Gosh. I want that swimsuit. I can't believe you said no! That is so unique and educational and totally worth it. What does the back look like? Does it have kidneys?

 

[cybele]

No idea, I assume it would.

I don't have an issue with the swimsuit, I have an issue with the price tag.

 

[MamaRuthie]

that swimsuit made me laugh

mom2many I like your idea of a set budget that she has to work with I think we might go with something like that

 

[Xero]

That swimsuit is awesome. hahaha

 

[cybele]

Well, seeing as it generated so much interest I will update and say that she got paid yesterday by the place she is working for during the holidays and she pretty much burned the whole thing on that swimsuit, plus these:
http://blackmilkclothing.com/collections/star-wars/products/artoo-and-threepio-leggings[/URL]

 

[Xero]

Haha!! Your kid has fantastic taste in apparel. xD

 

[cybele]

I don't know where it's come from, but it sure is fascinating. I don't know how she even finds half the things she owns.

 

[IADad]

We talk about wants v. needs, try to be sure we are encouraging impulse buys, and if something is beyond what we want to pay for a "want" then we work on creative solutions ranging from "You have money, if you want it, buy it, but remember you spend the money, it's gone..." to we'll let you work it off with X and such over Y period of time. He does quite well fulfilling his commitments to us, so we'll do it again, sort of a pre-teen credit rating.