Clothing allowance

A few months ago we started giving Sara a clothing allowance. She is now 15 years old, and it seemed appropriate to start giving her some financial independence and ownership of her choices concerning style and fashion. With the decision of giving her 'clothing money', as we say here in The Netherlands, came the immediate challenge of determining the right monthly amount, and the agreement of what sort of clothes she would buy herself and what items we would still pay for. I had no idea!

So I consulted two of my friends, mothers of Sara's best friends, who already give their 15 year olds clothing money and who are much more sensible and prudent when it comes to financial affairs than I am ;). Both told me they give their girls an allowance of 75 euro per month, which includes pocket money and excludes the purchase of winter coats, bras and sport/gym clothes. This amount was derived from the 'Nibud', a Dutch independent non-profit which advises and informs about household finances.

According to this organisation, research shows that for children ages 12 and up, ALL clothing (including socks, underwear and a winter coat) costs 56 euro per month. On average, teenagers (independent of their age) receive around 50 euro per month as a clothing allowance, and most of the time this excludes items like sports- and/or swimwear. So settling on a budget of 50 euro monthly for clothing seemed fair.

Pocket money

We also decided to start giving Sara regular pocket money. (Beforehand, we would just transfer some money to her bank account every now and then.) Consulting Nibud again, I found out that 15-year-olds in the Netherlands receive between 22,- and 30,- euro of pocket money per month. Adding that to the 50 euro clothing allowance, we arrived at 75 euro per month just like her friends.

We pay her the amount in the beginning of the month on her bank account, and we decided that she would pay herself for everything except necessary shoes (so not the fun and fashionable extra ones), necessary coats, and necessary sportswear. So for example, Sara really would love a new horse riding helmet, but the one she uses (my old one) is still functional. So I'm not buying this for her -- she can save for one or wait till Christmas or her birthday. But if for the winter she needs a pair of sturdy, warm shoes, this is something we would help her with.

Shopping consciously

It's been really nice to see her independence and I must say she is shopping in a conscious way -- she doesn't over-consume at all. She loves buying second hand clothes, sometimes cutting off parts to create fun crop tops or shorts. She creatively combines clothes in different ways and uses accessories like scarves and belts to revamp older, 'boring' clothes. (And she also knows the way to my wardrobe, haha!)

If she buys something new, she considers it carefully first (often still consulting me, which feels nice). She looks at the washing label and checks if the fabric is natural, preferably organic -- choosing quality over quantity. She also has asked me to show her how to mend things, which I highly appreciate as I love giving clothes a second live. It shows me that now she recognises the value of clothing even more than before!

Tell me, do you have teenagers and do they get pocket money and/or a clothing allowance? Did you get clothing money when you were a teenager? (I did, but I must admit I always missed the seasonal trips to town with my mum!)

xxx Esther

PS Sara's list of great books for teenagers