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[quote=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.[/quote]

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