Teens & Money Part 1: Designer Jeans, Coupons and Budgets

Dr. Marian C. Fritzemeier, Ed.D. © 2013

Author, Speaker, Educator

"Why do we always have to use a coupon to buy my clothes?" laments my eleven-year-old daughter. "I want them today."

"You know we have a clothing budget. We can get more for our money if we wait until the item is on sale and we have a coupon," I try explaining once again. 

"Everyone else's moms just buys their designer jeans even if they're not on sale," she retorts trying for the mother guilt button. 

The Budget

This conversation changed significantly one year later when our seventh grader was given her very own clothing budget. "Mom, do you have any coupons? I need some jeans," I proudly heard. She was allotted a monthly amount but could use up to three months of budget money at a time if necessary. Since our daughters were in year-round school, budget money for three months seemed reasonable.

Planning
No, we didn't just give our adolescents money and let them have a free for all. We talked about special events coming up, seasonal items like coats and swimsuits, what still fits from last season, do they need new undergarments, what about shoes, ways they can update their wardrobe inexpensively, and yes, how buying items on sale and using coupons saves money.

Care of Clothes
Because they knew the cost of every item purchased, they took great care of their clothes when they began doing their own laundry at age thirteen (see previous blog, Laundry or Writing?).

Special Events
As they entered high school and needed dresses for special events such as the winter formal and the prom, we paid for half the dress cost up to a certain amount. Young men will need additional budget money for winter formal sports coats and renting tuxedoes for the prom.

Designer Clothes
When they wanted additional clothing or designer clothing items that cost more, they used gift money or worked for extra money. Other families we know paid up to a certain amount for clothing items, such as a pair of jean or athletic shoes, and the young person paid the difference.

How Much Money?
I'm purposely not sharing how much money we gave them for two reasons. My daughter's are young adults and inflation has occurred since they were teenagers. Secondly, each family has an income; some may have a larger budget for clothing, while others families will have smaller budgets. You may think you can't afford to give your adolescents a clothing budget, but if you honestly track how much you spend on their clothes, shoes, undergarments, etc. it adds up quickly. The point isn't so much about how much you allot for their budget, but teaching them the principles of money management.

Resist the Urge to Rescue
When you transition the budget responsibility to your young adults, please resist the temptation to rescue them when they spend all their clothing money and need something. They will not learn to plan ahead and use their money wisely if you rescue them. Keep in mind that they will eventually learn to live with the consequences if you allow them opportunities to learn. And in no time, they'll start asking, "Do you have any coupons?" and you will know you've done your job.


1. Image from: Stock.XCHNG www.sxc.hu/.sale-1430736-s. Accessed 4/17/2014.
 

Laundry or Writing?

Dr. Marian C. Fritzemeier, Ed.D. © 2013

Author, Speaker, Educator

"What keeps you from writing?" questions keynote speaker, during a writers conference in late March.

"The Laundry," one mother replies.

The laundry? How old are your kids? I wonder.

The speaker wonders the same. "How old are your kids?" he probes.

"Four teenagers and one husband," she boasts.

I hear the audience's collective surprise. I haven't done my kids' laundry since they turned 13. Are you still doing your teenagers laundry? Is there something you do for your kids that they could do themselves? Is there something else you'd rather do with your time?

Milestones

My husband and I were committed to training our daughters to live independently and possess necessary life skills by the time they graduated from high school. Laundry falls into this category. We wanted milestones our children could experience in tangible ways affirming that they were growing up. Getting older requires more responsibilities, but it also comes with more privileges.

Privileges & Responsibilities

Starting at age ten, we negotiated with them both a privilege and a responsibility. Some years they chose the same privilege and responsibility while other years they differed. Each year they also went to bed 15 minutes later. For example, when they turned ten, they went to bed at 8:15 PM. The privilege they chose was getting their ears pierced. The responsibility was making family dinner one night a week.

Dinner Duty

"Make dinner one night a week?" a parent whines. "My kids can barely use the microwave."

Yes, make dinner every week. They can do this because I started training our girls in the kitchen before they were two years old. Pictures attest to pouring with measuring cups, cracking eggs, using a hand mixer, and spooning cookie batter onto a baking sheet. Of course they made a mess. But they also enjoyed eating foods they helped prepare while learning math skills and nutrition. By age ten, they were ready. We had our fair share of burritos, spaghetti, and hot dog casserole. As they got older, they began trying more complex family recipes and finding recipes on their own.

Gender Issues

I know what you're thinking. Your children are girls. You didn't raise boys. It's true, but we would have made the same requirements if we had had sons. They need the same skills for living independently as girls do. Serving as a male role model, my husband also began cooking dinner one night a week. Well, at least that's what he called bringing home take-out food for some of his "cooking" nights.

Finally, A Driver's License

But my favorite privilege and responsibility arrived with my daughters' sweet sixteen birthday celebrations. Since my oldest daughter was eight, I'd been counting how many more years until she'd drive. Driving a car comes with a multitude of privileges, otherwise known as freedom, but also a multitude of responsibilities, otherwise known as DMV laws.

New Freedom for All

This new freedom wasn't only for our daughters, but freedom for us as parents. Freedom from taking them everywhere they needed to go. The privilege: our car to drive as long as they maintained a 3.0 GPA. The responsibility: creating a family menu every two weeks and grocery shopping on a budget. We didn't plan a menu and do major grocery shopping for over four years until our youngest moved out. What could you do with all that extra time?

Back to the Laundry

I just got so excited about the privileges and responsibilities that I forgot about the laundry challenges. I know. You're concerned your teenagers will ruin their clothes. Most likely they won't for two reasons. One, you've spent years training them; and two, they have a clothing budget that started at age twelve. They might ruin clothes YOU bought them, but its less likely they'll ruin the ones they budgeted for and purchased. They know exactly how much each item costs and what it will cost to replace it. I'll address more on that topic when I write more on "Money Matters."

Laundry or ....?

So what would you rather do with your time?  Laundry or ... ? I'd rather write. And since I don't do my own laundry until Friday, today I'll write.

1.       Image from: Stock.XCHNG www.sxc.hu/ home-icons-1-1377720-s. Accessed 4/17/2014.