I know from when I was a student, that getting a job (unless you have to) is probably worse than not in some ways (good in others true), but on balance it allows you to focus on university more (I am aware that a lot of 18 year olds don't do this at all, that's another problem entirely though) which at this stage is really more important than some crummy ten a penny job.
I don’t quite know what to say really, I have learned financial responsibility myself, for instance when I was his age I had an allowance, rather than actually being given money specifically for certain things.
So for instance, say he gets £200 a month allowance, he has to make that work, if he can't budget within that, then it's a no go, teaches you a bit about budgeting and making what money you do have go as far as possible etc. That's how my parents did it with me when I was younger. I believe this worked well.
What I would do is buy him his first car, but ask that he run it with his allowance (if he has one, not ask for money all the time, but get given a set amount and make it work …or not) and make him think about balancing a budget a bit.
Then again, I suppose this depends on what he’s like as a person aswell. Some people need more of a shove than others I suppose, some people blatantly do try to take the mick and abuse generosity, some do not.
One thing my Dad always said to me was always use somebody else’s money if you can (banks, credit card company, whatever) …nothing wrong with living on credit etc (although the part about making it work for you, I missed at 17-18, using money to make more money isn't something most teenagers are really interested in) …that kind of life is something I have been heavily exposed to. But to be honest, in my own experience, it’s not really the best way to go about things, at least not for day to day living. I do think my Dad was right in some respects, but the subtleties and complexities of what he was actually saying have only been made clear to me post university really.
I don't subscribe to the, "oh my god debt" crowd, who wont even use a credit card, I think that's a bit restrictive, you can have nice things sooner than you otherwise could this way, but you do have to be careful, spending willy-nilly without any appreciation for what it takes to get x amount of money or how you will pay it back is a bad idea indeed. I have had and have made extensive use of a credit car since I was 18, no regrets there, I find it very useful.
I think I went a little off-topic in the end, more pontificating on different ways of looking at this stuff. I just find it interesting, I see quite a few attitudes on these forums that are quite different from some of the ones I grew up with.
For instance, why on earth would you 'want' a job? ...why would you work if you didn't have to? ...some sort of perverse sense of 'community' with all those people that do? ...I really don't know to be honest. I do know that work does not 'set you free' and it is not 'good for the soul' ...actually, unless you make a lot of money it simply is, it's something that has to be done, something that traps you if anything, keeps you grinding on in the rat race. Now making a huge amount of money is freedom, enough so that you don't have to answer to anyone, enough so that you do have 'freedom' and you don't have to worry about it anymore.
I believe you have to take care of yourself and your family, as no-one else is going to do if for you, but is mere survival enough today? We work for economic security and with that comes freedom, yet at the same time it can be a prison in of it's self. I'll cease the philosophising now anyway, I'm going too far off track with my musings, and not helping with the thread on the slightest I imagine.
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