"All genuine learning comes through experience."  

John Dewey- Education Expert

As parents, we tend to get frustrated with our kids because they don't know the value of money and are not grateful for what they have.  The truth is, their attitudes are natural by-products of a life with everything provided.

How can our teens learn value if everything they get comes at no cost?

Teaching your teen how to get what they want with a limited amount of money is one of the most important lessons you can teach.  And there is no better time than with back-to-school shopping.

To help you from feeling overwhelmed at the thought, I have put together a chart you can use to create a budget for your teen.  Simply decide how many pieces from each category you feel are reasonable for your situation and the price range of those pieces, then add up the dollar amount for each category and give* that to your teen for the shopping trip.

Remember, giving them the money and letting them decide how to spend it does not mean they can purchase clothes that you would not approve of.  Further, if they waste their money on expensive shoes, (I am speaking from experience here) do not provide them with additional funds.  The lesson on wasting money is painful now but will hurt a lot more when they are an adult, so let them waste money and suffer the consequences of not having all they need.  After all, they can always work to earn more money.

*I recommend loading the money on a Visa Gift Card that they can manage on their own without too much fear of loss or overspending.