One of the ways to save money is to buy in bulk, as purchasing multiples of an item when it’s on sale is one way to lower your expenses over time. It’s obvious right? If you have a coupon, or if you have the chance to buy more than one of something at a discount now, your per-unit cost will be lower. Yet, even though buying in bulk can save you money over time, it’s […]

Just over six months ago, I wrote a post about an interesting parenting tactic for helping teach teens how to budget. At the time I wrote about it in a generic “what an interesting concept” type of way, but also thought my kids were still too young for that. Smash cut to today. I allowed my kids to get on Facebook when they entered 8th grade, and they’ve been sending me Facebook reels about this exact same concept. If you haven’t read that previous post, the idea is basically this: you figure out how much you typically spend on your child, average it out per month, give it to them, and let them learn to budget and spend it wisely. So I already had this in the back of my head. As in, yes, I think this is a good idea (or some modified version). And then – TRAGEDY STRUCK (a bit euphemistic here).  As my teens were getting ready for school, one of my girls RIPPED HER JEANS and was left in a puddle of tears crying, “I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!”  This was very frustrating for me, given that her drawers are overflowing with clothes, including SEVEN different pairs of jeans. Am I the only one who has found that sometimes I’ll take my kids clothing shopping, they find something they love…and then they never wear its home? Just me? I can’t think of much I hate more than realizing my kid has outgrown something that is still BRAND NEW WITH TAGS ON! So with all these thoughts swirling in my mind I decided it’s time. I’m giving the girls their own budget. In my prior Teaching Teens to Budget blog post, the idea was to give kids money for everything kid-related (e.g., sports registration fees, entertainment and fun, school events and extra-curriculars). But that felt like too much too soon. And, honestly, none of those things are the real problem. Our problem is classic teen girl stuff: makeup and clothes. Image source: Ron Lach/Pexels Here’s my plan: KIDS BUY: Clothing & Accessories 100% of all clothes, including: Shirts, tops Pants, jeans, shorts, skirts, bottoms Bras & panties & socks Tennis shoes, dress shoes, flip flops, boots, sandals, crocs Any accessories, including belts, jewelry, hair bows, scrunchies, etc. Pajamas/sleepwear Swimsuits and cover ups Jackets, hoodies, sweaters Hats & sunglasses Purses/bags/wallets Costume or special outfits (e.g., spirit week, themed days, holiday, school dance) Makeup & Skincare 100% of all makeup and skincare, including any associated items  primer, setting spray, makeup, clips or thing to pull hair back, etc. Face or lip masks Makeup remover wipes Acne patches Makeup brushes or sponges Nail polish, remover, files, etc. Toiletries Fancy shampoos and conditioners Hair masks Hair dye and related items Fancy hand soap, lotion, or body wash Styling products (gel, mousse, curl cream, heat protectant) Dry shampoo perfume/body spray Fancy lotions Bath bombs, bubble bath   MOM BUYS Clothing & Accessories NONE