Do any of your teenagers used their hard earned money to buy packaged food?

[Ferdie]

I find this so odd and am wondering if other kids to this. My ds earned $5 a few weeks ago. He spent the money at Target on a package of frozen mini-tacos, 2 containers of Pringles and a soda. A few week later he earned $15 the hard way, weeding a garden in the TX heat. He went out and spent part of it on queso dip, tortillas and a 6-pac of soda at Walmart. Do you think that is unusual?

[LibraryLover]

leaving my poor step bros outta this one. lol

 

Maybe he's just extra busy and extra hungry.

Edited August 14, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Parrothead]

I would when I was a teen.. It was one of those things, if mom said she wasn't buying that particular item or if money was tight and no snacks I'd buy my own and depending on mood would share or hoard.

 

 

ETA: With me it wasn't just junk food either. I'd buy the odd mango or Granny Smith apples (I was the only one who like those).

Edited August 14, 2010 by Parrothead

[A.D.]

I don't know if it's usual or not, but I would not like that at all. My stepbrothers used to do that. My mother had a tight control on the kitchen...she is a health food freak. They are both obese today, one was even kicked out of the National Guard.

 

I would say a health food freak controlling the kitchen has as much, if not more, to do with their obesity today than what they purchased as snacks as teens. When healthy behavior is not modeled, then future behaviors often become extreme.

[LibraryLover]

I would say a health food freak controlling the kitchen has as much, if not more, to do with their obesity today than what they purchased as snacks as teens. When healthy behavior is not modeled, then future behaviors often become extreme.

 

 

yep.

They had no idea how to moderate. None. Zip. Zilch.

Edited August 14, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Mynyel]

Well mine don't... however I bake a lot of goodies and such (homemade so I know what's in it) so they aren't "depraved" of stuff. (Course not syaing you deprave in anyway, just explaining)

 

My dd12 buys books... lots of books and nail polish. My ds8? Well toys, his karate T-shirt with the logo he wanted, games.

 

Oh wait I take that back...they did buy a peanut butter fudge shake form Sonic. So I guess the do buy some junk food!

 

Although again, we shall see....we only started the allowance thing a couple months ago, but so far they are doing pretty good!

[hsm6kids]

My dd 11 is really skinny and very active, all she ever thinks about is food and she can eat as much as dh. When she gets allowance she buys junk food, (chips, soda, candy etc. ) She usually shares with her siblings. She says she earned her treats and I agree. Her Dad has a ravenous sweet tooth, he has to have something sweet after a meal and he a very athletic man. I don't know maybe some people just really enjoy there treats like others really enjoy a good book. ???

[Gwenhwyfar]

Dd13 will sometimes buy things at the grocery store that she wants to have as "hers" only - regular groceries are generally fair game for whoever wants to eat them, so if she wants to have her own chips/crackers/block of cheese/cereal/whatever, then she'll buy them and it's paws off for the rest of us. ;)

 

edit: she also uses her own money if she wants to go out for pizza/burgers with her friends as well.

Edited August 14, 2010 by Gwenhwyfar
add a sentence

[Leanna Tomlinson]

My ds15 would buy treats, processed food, candy, chips etc. at every opportunity until I made him watch "Supersize Me" this spring. :D DS also had to do a research paper for his health credit on teenage athletic training. After that, he had a complete diet turn around and has been avoiding junk food all summer.

 

Incidentally, he has gained at least 20 lbs this summer, which is a good thing for his 6'5" 180lb (now) frame. He could use another 30 lbs., so my motivation in showing him "Supersize Me" was not about his weight at all. I was just afraid bad habits were being formed while consequences may be decades away.

 

 

I've got "Food Inc." next on our Netflix queue for reinforcement.;)

[kewb]

My kids will spend their hard earned money on junk food. They know I won't buy it and if they really want it they have to spend their money on it. When I was a teen I spent my money on junk food. It seems normal to me.

[ChristusG]

I could see my kids doing this one day.

 

I don't keep hardly any snack foods in the house. I want my kids to grow up with healthier eating habits than what I did. So I can see where kids would want to buy "junk" with their money if they do not get it very often.

[Danestress]

You can buy and eat what you want when you are out, but you can't bring soda home. If a kid brought in half a can he was in the process of drinking, I would not object. But I won't let a kid stock my kitchen with soda. So buy as much soda as you can drink while out.

 

I think I would feel the same about other really junky stuff, except it's not been a problem here - it just hasn't happened. Even my 22 year old would understand that he can't start buying Poptarts and keeping them around. We just don't eat that stuff, and we don't really have "separate food stocks."

[Mom22ns]

My dd will spend her cash on Frappes from McD's or Starbucks if I will get her close. She is a coffee fanatic (at 11!) and gets it only rarely at home. I will let her buy it occasionally, but won't drive her to either of those places often enough to make it a habit. :D

[sassenach]

My dd uses at least half of her earned money on junk food. Ice creams at the pool, candy from the corner market, ect. It is her money, so I don't stop her, but I have begun to point out to her (repeatedly) how wasteful her spending habits are. The natural consequence for this is sometimes she does not have the money to do something fun, because she has wasted it on food. It's frustrating.

[Carrie12345]

I don't have teenagers yet, but I don't think it's all that strange. I spent a good bit of money at the local convenience store growing up. I'd also give my mother money for her to pick up things from the grocery store, like my favorite oatmeal or special shampoo, so I didn't have to share with my sisters.

[Laurie4b]

I find this so odd and am wondering if other kids to this. My ds earned $5 a few weeks ago. He spent the money at Target on a package of frozen mini-tacos, 2 containers of Pringles and a soda. A few week later he earned $15 the hard way, weeding a garden in the TX heat. He went out and spent part of it on queso dip, tortillas and a 6-pac of soda at Walmart. Do you think that is unusual?

 

Par for the course around here. I buy dessert (and try to pick ones with some healthy component like the milk in pudding or ice cream) for the family but I don't tend to buy chips & other salty/fatty --partly for their health, partly for the budget.

 

My kids buy junk food with their extra $$ all the time, except for ds 1 who is on a bit of a health kick after karate instructor (NOT mom) shared about healthy eating.

[Ginevra]

I did this when I was a kid, although it wasn't necessarily junk food, it was just food that I wanted to have that my mom wouldn't buy. My mother was a famously bad grocery shopper. She didn't go often enough and she bought without a plan. I guess when the total was whatever amount she had, that's when she bought no more.

 

If my kids did this, I would be somewhat concerned because I don't want them to be anxious about not having food. When I was a kid, it stemmed from that - my mom's bad shopping procedures. It was feast or famine. Once I could control some of my own food by buying it myself, I bought it.

 

so they aren't "depraved" of stuff. (Course not syaing you deprave in anyway, just explaining)

 

The word you want is "deprived." Often confused, but they do not mean the same thing. :001_smile:

[justamouse]

NOt really. Although I'm a health food freak, and so was my mother, I allow my kids junk food on occasion. So to them, they'd shrug and just wait until I bought it. They save their money like fiends and pool it to buy huge things.

[missmoe]

My dd does sometimes. She experimented with some kool-aid not too long ago. It's not something I've ever bought, so I guess she wanted to try it. Turned out she didn't really like it.

 

My brothers and I bought food when we were kids. One big thing we bought was cold cereal. That was something we never had growing up. So as teens we would buy our own box.

 

I think its okay.

[AMDG]

I would use my work money to buy pop or fast food. My mom didn't buy pop, and we didn't eat out, so this was fun. I'm generally a health nut and pretty slender, but I still indulge myself in a "pig out" with friends every now and then. Let's be honest, taquitos and french fries taste REALLY good sometimes!

[Daisy]

It doesn't surprise me. My sister would buy a quart of whole milk (my mom only bought skim) and a candy bar and eat them both immediately. I was the unusual one who saved every last dime for something big. LOL.

[gingersmom]

My daughter just earned money doing laundry for the past week.

 

We were going to the skating rink and I told her I was not buying lunch, she could eat before we go.

 

She took $10 to buy chicken fingers, fries and snapple. She eats like a bird so most of it went to waste.

 

It was definitely a valuable lesson for her. She still misses the $10 :001_smile:

[Tutor]

Just today, my 9yo son spent some of the $10 he earned cleaning out the car and picking up the trash scattered by an enthusiastic raccoon to buy himself and his siblings ice cream and he also bought himself a soda. I'd say about 50% of my kids' money goes to buying food treats for themselves and friends/ siblings.

[katemary63]

My kids will spend their hard earned money on junk food. They know I won't buy it and if they really want it they have to spend their money on it. When I was a teen I spent my money on junk food. It seems normal to me.

 

:iagree:

[GraciebytheBay]

All of my kids spend some of their money on food. My youngers love going to the bulk section of the grocery store and buying $1-$3 worth of bulk candy. I try not to be too controlling, but I do have to tell them how many pieces they can eat or they'd down the whole bag! My ds18 buys Coke (keeps it in the other refrigerator) and other snacks that I won't buy. Sounds normal to me!

[Barb_]

My 13yo used to spend all her money on cookies, candy, doughnuts and soda until I got onto her about eating so much sugar.

 

Now she buys Ramen :glare:

 

I think it's a small way for kids to feel in control. Kinda like refusing to potty train.

 

Barb

[Jean in Newcastle]

My kids do most of my grocery shopping for me. They make the list, with input from me for things I'm out of, so there's one opportunity they have to put things on that they want (within certain healthy parameters). Then they do most of the actual shopping in the store so I often see things they want appear in the cart. But it is often things like berries, plums, a special yogurt. They know that they can ask (and I'll almost always say yes) to one not-so-healthy thing on the list. So no, my ds13 hasn't used his own money to do this because he knows that he can spend my money to do it.;)

[Peela]

Yes, mine have been known to do that. Especially since I don't buy a lot of processed foods. Ds regularly buys KFC with his hard earned money too- there is one a mile away.

Mine have also been known to buy exotic fruit, such as mangoes, dragon fruit, custard apples and chocolate dipped strawberries with their pocket money. They love fruit.

[Mom0012]

I would say a health food freak controlling the kitchen has as much, if not more, to do with their obesity today than what they purchased as snacks as teens. When healthy behavior is not modeled, then future behaviors often become extreme.

 

I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes. My mother was no health food freak. She fed us decently but on Fridays, I would go grocery shopping with her and get her to buy a big bag of Doritos, ice cream, doughnut holes and a few other things. My sister and I would eat it all that day and there wouldn't be anything left for the rest of the week.

 

As soon as I got my driver's license, I spent a lot of money on fast food and buying junk at the grocery store. I think it was just that first time freedom of being able to eat what I wanted to eat. I was able to manage my weight, but I ate all junk food. I didn't see the importance of eating healthy, so that's what I'd like to focus on with my kids. But, no, I'm not a health food nut here, either.

 

Lisa

[Ravin]

I will say this:

 

He's being a lot more frugal than the average. Instead of making a Taco bell run or grabbing whatever from the convenience store on the corner, he went to WM where he got a good deal more for his money--even if it was more junk food.

 

I limit the junk I buy, though I do buy some. I could see DD doing much the same thing once she's able to go shopping on her own and has money in her pocket.

[KidsHappen]

My older kids did but they were more likely to buy healthy organic food from the health food store than junk food. I still have really odd, exotic spices and sauces left that they bought.