For Parties

Parties are more frequently given by girls than boys. Often the girl has to pay out of her allowance for the refreshments, games, and records. Although these parties may not occur as frequently as dates for which the boy pays, they generally cost more money than a regular date. When a boy takes out a girl he pays only for two. When a girl gives a party, she usually invites several other couples. Food costs alone can be great if she plans extensive refreshments.

No one can tell you how much you should spend for a date. That is something you will have to decide in view of your entire situation. It may help to know what other teenagers do spend for dates. The range is wide. Some dates cost nothing, and some cost quite a lot of money. One fellow (formerly a member of the armed forces) reported that he once spent $3000 on one date!

Dr. Ruth Connor and Edith Flinn Hall did a study on dating expenses of freshman and sophomore college students. They report that college students spend “$200 to $300 for routine dates, $500 to $600 for special dates, and $200 to $350 for big affairs.” A high school prom or college homecoming can be very expensive.

It’s a good idea to budget your date money so that you have enough money when the big prom comes up. Maybe for several weeks before the prom you can plan less expensive dates and save a little. If you explain the situation to your girl, she is usually willing to co-operate. After all, it’s a big event for her too, and she would like you to be able to handle it graciously.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?

With all of the expenses a teen-ager incurs he must have some regular source of income. It may help to know some of the different ways in which teen-agers get money.

Ask As You Need Plan

Some youngsters get along asking for money as the need for it arises. But this isn’t completely satisfactory for either the teen-ager or the adult. Teen-agers need some money tocall their own. They want to be able to get money without having to give elaborate explanations of what they plan to do with it. They dread the parental question, “What do you want it for this time?”

Young adults resent having to ask for every cent they need. Besides, this keeps them from developing a real responsibility for money. If they consider their mother or father as an endless supply of money, they never will learn how to budget their own money carefully. Then, when they marry, they may find that they are not capable of handling their finances.

This arrangement is not very satisfactory to parents either. They may feel they need to know what’s being done with the money they hand out, but it probably would make them feel even better if just one night they weren’t being asked for money. Some fathers get the feeling that they are loved only for their handouts. They may not seem to realize that teenagers don’t like asking for money any more than they like being asked.