<p><<< Our rule is that we will continue to pay her car insurance as long as she doesn’t get any tickets for a moving violation. If that happens, the car will come home and be parked in the garage and she’ll have to depend on the kindness of friends for rides. I really believe if kids learn how to handle their money responsibly during their teen years, they will act responsibly with money as adults. >>></p>
<p>That’s a good idea. I know of other parents who use a different technique. They pay for half of their kids’ insurance and if their kid gets a ticket or is involved in a “fender bender” then the kid has to pay for his half of insurance PLUS any insurance increases, PLUS any deductables for the repairs.</p>
<p>I hate to see people commenting on whether parents are/are not “doing the right thing” by paying for gas…or anything else for that matter. Every family is going to handle money differently and what works for one will not necessarily work for another. In my household we (the parents) take care of all the auto expenses (payments, gas, insurance, repairs) and, hang on to your hats, we pay for the cell phones too!::gasp::! Because in our world those things are a necessity. D currently has a bf who works on cars and has been taking care of routine maintenance for her so perhaps we can get points for that…
I guess if money is the deciding factor in good parenting I could say we have not bought clothes, or many other personal items, for my D since sophmore year of high school (true), but that doesn’t reflect on our parenting either, it’s just the way things have worked for us.</p>
<p>I think it is interesting the decisions people make- some of them we just fall into-
for instance we moved to the city when we had kids- away from the hoity toity suburb as I perceived it- but we didn’t realize that the school districts were so different- and it wasn’t as big of a consideration as being able to walk or bike places.
And it is true I can walk or bike places in the city, but my kids have never attended a “neighborhood” school, and usually that meant that I had to drive them or we carpooled.
I would like to see better public transportation, not just because it could be a money saver, but to reduce the awful traffic ( and the pain of paying for parking) and maintance costs as well.
biodiesel and hybrid cars are very popular, I expect that at some point we should see more govt support for alternative modes of transportation. I would rather see that, than allowing oil companies to drill on public land</p>
I totally agree with this statement…Things truly DO work differently with different families. In our family of 8 on one income, dh and I pay for nearly everything for our kids. Surprisingly, despite that, my kids are super cognizant of financial stuff/money and are often the first ones to turn something down because it is “too expensive.” S has ASTOUNDED me this year in terms of how LITTLE money he’s needed for living expenses at college–not what I expected AT ALL.</p>
<p>My kids have always lived within the constraints of what we could afford…my S drove a 1980 Suburban to and from high school, and the NEWEST car in our family is a 1993 Suburban. Despite the fact that we cover more expenses than many parents (and even most parents that WE know), my kids do not feel entitled in the least, and they always express gratitude for that which we have chosen to give them.</p>
<p>Parenting and family choices are not “one size fits all” items. I can (and often DO) respect others for choices that are VERY different than the ones we made. Great parents come with all types of different philosophies/beliefs/behaviors.</p>
<p>~berurah
p.s. We also pay for cell phones, clothes, shoes, etc.</p>
<p>We run our cars into the ground, if possible. The 3rd car is always the oldest, and the one that the kids have used to get to school/jobs/activities. This year, with 2 at college, and S2 not yet a driver, we took the 3rd car off the insurance except for the Christmas break. We have save sooooo much on gas, as DH is taking public transportation (tho driving to the parking area where he gets it), and S2 goes in a friend’s car to school (S1 drove both of them last year, so it’s his turn to drive). This summer we will pay for all the gas because they are primarily using the cars to get to jobs–and will be driving DH to the public transportation. Luckily the jobs are pretty close by.</p>
<p>Both of our S’s have worked at a grocery store since the day they turned 16. We bought them each an old vehicle with lots of miles. We have never paid for any of their gas or entertainment costs since they have been working unless it is for a school function. They each have a debit card and are in charge of managing their own money to cover their expenses. We pay for insurance. S1 backed into a tree shortly after getting his license and we made him pay most of the cost of the repair. He also had a small “incident” in the grocery store parking lot the week before graduation last year which resulted in our monetary grad. gift to him being reduced by half. He now has his car at college and pays for the gas out of his monthly allowance that is part of his rotc scholarship. We did pay for the parking sticker!</p>
<p>my parents pay for my gas for driving between college and home. My car is at school, but I can count on 1 hand the number of times I have driven it locally this semester (and it probably totals 5 gallons of gas, max).</p>
<p>I did pay the $205 to park my car on campus though (and the only reason I can have my car on campus is because I do volunteer work that requires it).</p>
<p>I didn’t start this thread so that people could “judge” the decisions of others. I started it to find out if the higher gas prices were causing different trends within families. I love to hear how other families handle various issues. Not to judge them but to find out if there are “other ways” to handle things that we (H and I) have never thought of. I learn from the ways that others do things. I can’t always do things that others do if it is not affordable. We pay for clothes, cell phones, tuition for Catholic high school, and for “extra chores” (chores beyond routine stuff). Our kids don’t have their own cars and their social lives are not too busy since their school and sports keep them soooo busy.</p>
<p>I realize that some live in areas that have fab public transportation (I am soooo jealous!!! ). I have never lived where such is the case. </p>
<p>When I lived in southern cal, many people lived 40+ miles away from their jobs (80+ round trip! over 400 miles per week!) and the traffic doesn’t allow for “good gas mileage” on the “bumper to bumper” traffic on the various freeways. I just can’t imagine how much these people are paying each week for their gas!!! </p>
<p>I wonder if the gas prices will have an impact on the housing prices since families will have to allow several hundred dollars a month just for gas or need to move closer to their jobs.</p>
<p>For you parents who pay for all your children’s expenses, do your kids have jobs? Are they active volunteerers? I pay for everything because I bring home a sizeable paycheck after taxes. If I played sports and was unable to keep a job, my contribution would be much less - although I would have a track phone for emergencies only, as opposed a $60/month verizon bill, and would NOT be allowed to drive wherever/whenever <em>I was given that ultimatum when I chose to start working</em></p>
<p>My parents bought me a used car a few months after I got my license and I got a part time shortly after that. They told me that I was expected to earn my own money to pay for gas and matainence. With gas prices right now (its about 2.89 around here) they occasionally will hand me a $20 or fill my car up as a treat. I have run out of gas about four times in the past six months because I didn’t have enough money to fill up, which is part of why my parents are making me leave my car at home when I go to college for the first semester. I just can’t afford it, and since my stepdad drives a huge diesel truck and my mom drives an Expedition, there’s no way they could fund that.</p>
<p>my little sister has only driven her car to school maybe five days this whole school year. she says it’s a waste of money to use gas to go there when the yellow bus goes there for free. (can anyone tell i live in the same area as kathiep… haha). </p>
<p>her car is a 96 or 97 honda civic which she bought herself last summer. she whacked it into a speed limit sign a few months ago when she got a flat coming home from work, and my dad “mended” her dent and repainted it for her… all for about $100. she says she’s saving up her money this summer to have the car repainted. Her estimate is about $1000. </p>
<p>my sister works 35 hours a week during the summer at her full time job… and she has a part time job that she works at year round 9 hours a week. so in the summers she actually works 44 hours a week (Which is the maximum a minor can work)… so it shouldn’t take her too long to get her $1000. </p>
<p>I realize everones financial situations are different, i guess it just amazes me to see parents paying for all this stuff when at my house we all have to pay for all of it… including our cell phones… and it’s not like my parents can’t afford to pay for our insurance gas cars or cell phones, it’s just that that’s our responsibility.</p>
<p>The reason that I pay for the kids’ cell phones is because I want them to have them (they could care less). Since they didn’t want them, why should they pay for them? They don’t use them to “chat” with pals (they’re boys). I call them more than they call anybody. If they had “begged” for them and I didn’t have a need for them to have cell phones, then they would have had to pay for them.</p>
<p>i never wanted a cell phone, but i was told that when i’m out driving i need to have a phone incase something happens… (I can change flat’s myself, but just incase there was an accident or i would be late or my car breaks down) and since it’s my choice to drive then i need to pay for the cell phone… as an expense associated with driving… if i wouldn’t drive, i never have any need for a cell phone. I only recently started using it to talk with friends on, and I’ve had the thing for like six years now. I hate talking on phones. :P</p>
<p>I guess i never never looked at it from any other viewpoint.</p>
<p>I’m young enough to have the cell decision with my parents but old enough to remember life before then. Yes, cells are massively convenient, but are not necessities. That, IMO, is something that everyone forgets.</p>
<p>When I was in high school, cells were expensive - maybe $50 for even a basic, basic plan. It wasn’t until I hit college that they became remotely affordable. Guess what? None of my friends had them; then a few got them, and paid for them with their own money. Parents don’t see a cell phone in a car as a necessity - again, convenient and can enhance safety - but this isn’t the license plate or registration, people.</p>
<p>I always paid my own cell. My parents were initially against it - esp. my dad, who has had car phones since the dawn of time. Or maybe slightly before then. Basically, they didn’t see the need for them, even though I traveled frequently. Eventually, they see that this is a good thing - they can reach me when I’m out of the house or out of the state. I’ve kept the same number for the past five years, which is great for my family. But I’ve always paid it myself and most of my friends have, too. </p>
<p>So very easy to forget that cell phones are not necessities. They might save money, but that does not a necessity make. (Basically, it’s cheaper for me to not have a landline and pay long distance to call nearly everyone; esp. where I am now, almost everyone has cells with their home state numbers.) The “maybe possibly sometimes” safety factor doesn’t make them necessities, either - AAA can be a great safety thing that saves money, but no one considers that a necessity.</p>
<p>yeah… i agree with her. i should reword what i saida bove, if it was a necessity my parents would gladly pay for it. i mean, they want me to have one because i drive and stuff like that, however they’re not about to roll over and pay it for me… because it’s not something i absolutely need to have… it just makes them feel better because i drove 2 hours to college… i got my cell phone when i went to college, didn’t have it in high school and i drove then. it also functioned as my phone in college because I didn’t want to pay to have a land line.</p>
<p>We cover my son’s gas for driving to and from high school. He goes to high school that isn’t in our school zone. There is a bus for it, but he would have to get up an hour and half earlier to catch it. He worked hard to go to that school, and I’m happy to cover his transportation expenses for it. Other than that, he pays for his own gas. He has a part-time job and savings from babysitting and lawnmowing. </p>
<p>I think it’s interesting to read about how other families handle their children’s finances and their reasoning for it.</p>
<p>When S got his car (used,paid for by us) it was made clear he would be paying his gas costs,as his sister did when still dependent on us.
He has had a small p/t job for the past two years and pays his social/gas expenses from that.
This summer (after Hs grad) he applied for and got a dream job with a minor league baseball team…starts Friday…which entails a bit of a commute,eating up more gas $.Its his choice, so he’ll buy one less latte,or go to one less movie.</p>
<p>The necessity of cell phones and kids is debatable. I dont think that they are necessary if kids just use them for “chatting” with pals whenever some minor thought comes up.</p>
<p>But, cell phones have become more necessary since pay phones have largely disappeared.</p>
<p>And since my kids don’t really “want” them, I can’t expect them to pay for them (since I’m the one who wants them to have one.) </p>
<p>If a kid just needs one for rare “car emergencies” then get a trac phone. MUCH cheaper than paying for a monthly bill.</p>