Clothing budget for teen (13 y.o) DD

[Anonymous]

Would love some advice from anyone who's done this. First, what is a reasonable monthly amount in this area? Second, what rules do you put in place for what child can purchase? TIA!

[Anonymous]

Well we pretty much kept the same general budget we always had which was cost of school clothes, cost of seasonal basics, and extra curricular. Typical come in under $500 for the year.

If our daughter wants something outside of that to keep up with the latest trends she pays for it with her allowance/babysitting money. If she uses all that money on clothes or accessories shes out of luck until next time.

As for what she wears we are pretty open ended so long as private areas are covered and no offensive language.

[Anonymous]

800a year. Worked with daughter to budget any new big purchases such as winter jacket, choral concert, Christmas outfit etc. The rest was hers to buy what she wanted. My only requirement is that se is dressed appropriately for the weather and appropriately for her age.

[Anonymous]

You might want to specify what kinds of brands your DD likes and what you typically spend on mall trips. There is a wide range of incomes reflected here so it would be helpful if you are more specific.

[Anonymous]

OP here. My DD likes to be fashionable-- mainly likes stuff from Abercrombie. Money is really not an issue for our family, but we do want to teach DD how to live within a budget.

[Anonymous]

I would say 1000 dollars a year is reasonable with the provision that a certain percentage be for clothes that you approve of (i.e.: holidays etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. My DD likes to be fashionable-- mainly likes stuff from Abercrombie. Money is really not an issue for our family, but we do want to teach DD how to live within a budget.

This is a great way for her to learn budgeting that she can apply to later life. I find this website has some good resources: http://www.gailvazoxlade.com/articles/kids_money/prepping_kids_pt1.html

[Anonymous]

I have a middle school DS who grows too fast to set a "budget" when it comes to clothing ... I just buy new stuff as he moves up in size. I normally buy name brand on sale -- almost all his stuff is from Abercrombie or GAP, but I don't pay more than $25 for a pair of jeans or $15 for a t-shirt. For school uniform clothes, I pay a little more, but I usually get those on sale, too.

I feel like clothing is a basic item I'm obligated to provide as a parent, so I don't make him pay for it. I do set limits, though -- if I'm paying, I get final say on what he wears. So far, I have only ever had to invoke this rule when it comes to shoes -- his taste in footwear runs toward the hideous and expensive. If he wants ugly-ass $100+ shoes, he can save up his pennies and buy them himself. I'm not paying that kind of money for something that offends my eyes.

Where I did have to implement a budget was with his video game and app habit. He was annoying the crap out of me begging for games and apps, so I finally sat him down and explained that from that point on, I would pay for food, clothing, academics, sports, health care, etc. ... the necessities of life. I'll also continue to pay his cell phone bill as long as he maintains his GPA. But anything else he wants, he has to buy/earn himself.

He now gets a weekly allowance in exchange for completion of a list of daily chores. That's his money to do with as he pleases. If he wants to save up for something big, he can. If he wants to blow it all on $1 apps and potato chips, he can. But I'm no longer giving him MY money to blow on his iTunes and Xbox Live habit. If he wants to earn extra money, I have a long list of household projects he can help out with.

This approach has solved 90% of the nagging issues in my house.

[Anonymous]

I think it's natural for parents to provide the basics. But paying for "extras" whether they are apps, games, or clothes can be a good exercise in budgeting.

[Anonymous]

When I was growing up in the late 1980's, my dad gave me $50 a month to spend on clothing. That was my complete clothing budget. He never bought me clothes otherwise. It worked out well because it I wanted an expensive pair of Guess Brand Jeans that was all I could "afford". I really liked having the budget because my dad never told me no. It was up to me to determine what I wanted to spend.

I would think today a child would need at least $100/$150 per month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was growing up in the late 1980's, my dad gave me $50 a month to spend on clothing. That was my complete clothing budget. He never bought me clothes otherwise. It worked out well because it I wanted an expensive pair of Guess Brand Jeans that was all I could "afford". I really liked having the budget because my dad never told me no. It was up to me to determine what I wanted to spend.

I would think today a child would need at least $100/$150 per month.

Between Old Navy and Macy's, my 12 yr old could do quite well on $50 a month. Probably not including shoes, but otherwise, she'd do great with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a middle school DS who grows too fast to set a "budget" when it comes to clothing ... I just buy new stuff as he moves up in size. I normally buy name brand on sale -- almost all his stuff is from Abercrombie or GAP, but I don't pay more than $25 for a pair of jeans or $15 for a t-shirt. For school uniform clothes, I pay a little more, but I usually get those on sale, too.

I feel like clothing is a basic item I'm obligated to provide as a parent, so I don't make him pay for it. I do set limits, though -- if I'm paying, I get final say on what he wears. So far, I have only ever had to invoke this rule when it comes to shoes -- his taste in footwear runs toward the hideous and expensive. If he wants ugly-ass $100+ shoes, he can save up his pennies and buy them himself. I'm not paying that kind of money for something that offends my eyes.

Where I did have to implement a budget was with his video game and app habit. He was annoying the crap out of me begging for games and apps, so I finally sat him down and explained that from that point on, I would pay for food, clothing, academics, sports, health care, etc. ... the necessities of life. I'll also continue to pay his cell phone bill as long as he maintains his GPA. But anything else he wants, he has to buy/earn himself.

He now gets a weekly allowance in exchange for completion of a list of daily chores. That's his money to do with as he pleases. If he wants to save up for something big, he can. If he wants to blow it all on $1 apps and potato chips, he can. But I'm no longer giving him MY money to blow on his iTunes and Xbox Live habit. If he wants to earn extra money, I have a long list of household projects he can help out with.

This approach has solved 90% of the nagging issues in my house.

I like your approach.

[Anonymous]

Whats a reasonable car budget?

For some its $350 a month for some its $3,500 a month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whats a reasonable car budget?

For some its $350 a month for some its $3,500 a month.

If you're talking about a car payment, I think both are too high for a 1st time driver. We bought a used car for around $2000 for our son, he has a part time job to pay for the gas. I'll occasionally fill up his tank but for the most part, he keeps the tank full. We bought the car and pay the insurance though. If your kid needs to drive long distances for a specific activity, I'd set the budget accordingly.

[Anonymous]

15:19 Car payment was just an example of "reasonable" budgets not a comment on on new drivers.

My household income as about $250k, my sisters is $2.5 million. We have different ideas of what is a reasonable spend on certain items.

She will tell me that a $5k handbag was a great deal while I would feel better spending $300 dollars on a handbag.

If my household income was $50k, I would think about a $30 handbag.