What does your teen pay for?

[Mochadelicious]

Hello. Other than my introduction, this is my first post. I'm just curious what other parents of teens do when it comes to expenses like gas, car insurance, cell phones, entertainment, etc. Do you pay for these items or does your teen? Up until recently we've been (stupidly) paying for all these things but the drain on our account has been extreme. We finally got smart this month and told the kids they need to start paying for their own gas, food and entertainment. My oldest works part-time and goes to college but I think he could handle this financially as he doesn't have any other expenses and lives at home. However, my youngest who is 16 doesn't even have a job. So, needless to say I've recently been pushing him pretty hard to find one. I feel bad that we didn't start this earlier and my oldest got to have a couple of "free" years over his brother, but we just can't afford it anymore. Besides I think it will be good for them to learn how much things cost and help prepare them for when they move out on their own some day.