How much?

[gretle-hohn]

I was not sure if this should be in body and soul or technology so I decided to put it here.My daughter who is 17 (18 in june) has a mobile-phone and she told me that she needs 10 pounds a week for it and that,that is the amount her friends get for theirs.I felt this was a bit much so I asked her friends parents how much money they give their childrem for theirs mobiles.They told me that their girls got 10 pounds each week.Do you think it would be mean to only give her five a week?

[bednobs]

gt hr to get a job and pay for her own credit!

[missjef]

Why isn't she paying for this herself? I have always paid for my own mobile top-up, i have just turned 18 and don't see why you should be giving her money to top up her phone?
Does she not have a job? Maybe she should get one so she can pay for things like this herself.

[B00]

lol, totally agree with bednobs- she want's money? At her age she should be earning, be it part or full time.

[4getmenot]

If you buy her a 02 pay as you go off e-bay you get 300 free messages each month. Its so much cheaper. would be easier to get her a deal where she can either get free calls or free msgs. But then a 17yr old can only probably be trusted with a pay as you go. Although have they not got a job? after at least 18 surely she should be paying for luxeries herself

[4getmenot]

When I was 18 not everyone had mobiles but I always learnt from brownies to always have a 10p in my pocket for an emergency. :-)

[eyeshade]

Absolutely, don't spoil them or else they won't know the value of saving for something they need, it will always be purchased on credit if you keep supplying! go with the above.

[cascarelli]

Awwww, 4getmenot, sweet!!

40 pound a month??? Tell her to get a job and pay for it herself!

[China Doll]

Old enough for a phone... old enough to finance it.

And as my folks used to say 'you've been with them all day, what else can you have to talk about?!'

[4getmenot]

Yer but even so I remember going out spending all night with my mates then going home and getting straight on phone to same people to talk about what we�d done that night and what we�d do the next day :-) But I always asked the bill payer first :-) But you�re right I�m sure she is old enough to get a job. If not or she�s too busy then she�s too busy to chat and if you have to pay surely its up to you how much. You can also get tariffs that can cut the phone off if she goes over a certain amount.

[Alixw]

If you really have to give some money towards the phone, you could get one of those contracts that i think T-mobile dom where you fix the amount she can spend - i.e �5 a week. Then if she wants more, she can top it up herself. Other than that, the pay as you go's where you get free texts is a good idea. You're alovely mum though for offering to pay even some of her bill! I would never have got that!

[PinkFizz]

�10 a week?? I'm with Vodafone and I put about �20 a month on my phone.Then out of that I allocate �10 as txt credit only as I then get twice as many txts.The rest I leave as calling credit.

[TheTemptress]

sorry but i agree with the rest, im horrified at 40 quid a month for a payg phone. you could get a business tariff for that!!! my daughter is 19, full time student with 3 jobs. i dont give her a penny and she has worked since she was 15. ive seen her sitting in all weekend and all her friends going out but she learns that next month she has to budget herself. the way i look at it is she is getting free electricity, board and all the other luxuries of home so thats why i dont give her anything. if you really feel you must, i would think 10 quid a month was very fair.

[BlueHeaven]

I know an 8 yr old is not old enough to have a mobile, but when I got my new one, I gave my old one to my 8 yr old. We have very strict rules on it's use. She is not allowed to take it out of the house, it is just so she can text her Auntie and her Granny, and play the games on it. I topped it up with �5 when I gave it to her, and told her that when it runs out, she will have to pay out of her own money (she gets money for chores, from grandparents, etc). She thought this was fine. So if an 8 year old can happily fund her own mobile, why the heck can't a 17yr old?! I worked part time from the age of 15 while I was still at school, and all through college, and was always expected to pay for my own luxuries, which has taught me a lot about money - perhaps your daughter should get a job, fund her own luxuries (and no matter what anyone thinks, a mobile IS a luxury) and stop expecting handouts from you.

[loukr]

don't pay for her bills, she's 18..!!!

I got my first mobile when I was 13 and I've always bought credit myself, always used to be with my pocket money, but now it's from my job. I'm 18 and I put �15 on my phone a month, and I usually stil have credit left over by the next month, on top of this I get 300 free texts, that's �30 worth, and 150 free evening and weekend calls which I never use up, the more you top up the more free call time and texts you get.

If your daughter doesn't have a job tell her to get one and pay her own way, otherwise when she leaves home she'll expect even more from you, and I don't want to sound harsh saying that but it's true, my sister tries the same thing but she never gets her own way!! hehe :D xx

[noxlumos]

All of my kids from 8 upwards finance their own phones, although some of them are not payg, but they pay me for what they use, don't be topping up for her, she can sort that out herself at her age.

[Carakeel]

Well gretle-hohn, I agree that you shouldn't be paying for your daughter's phone. My kids always had jobs and were proud to be earning their pocket money. I must say they all found odd jobs for themselves at fairly early ages without me having to prompt them. I think you really need to sit your daughter down and tell to act her age and take responsibility for her spending. No way should you be paying her phone or any luxury items for her.
Gretle - may I ask where your name comes from? Are you by chance from Germany?

[gretle-hohn]

Thank-you very much for your answers.My daughter does have a job but because we are now on a low-income she has to give the money she earns to us to keep for her univeresity education which we could never afford.We used to have high income jobs but have both now been made redundant so she has suddenly had to go from being comfortable to poor. I am glad top know however that it is not just me who thought 10 pounds a week was far too much.I was a bit worried I was being mean he he.

[loukr]

I'm sorry.. but if you and your partner are now on low income jobs.. then surely she should know better than to ask you for �40 a month for her phone.. thats nearly �500 a year, on phone calls?? abit ridiculous if you ask me! get her to goto your local car phone warehouse or link, and find out information on tariffs etc.. :D