When you need money

Well, maybe you haven't actually got any yet, but it's never too early to start thinking about money! Think about all the things you like to do, and you suddenly realize that there is a money factor in there somewhere. Things to think about:
How much money do you get, if any? Work, allowance/pocket money, benefits?
How much money do you spend each week?
Banking costs.
Mobile phone bills.
Transport: do you drive, catch public transport, use a bike?
How much do you spend on clothes?
Entertainment money: movies, games, music, sport.
So, the sooner you understand about managing money, the better it will be for you.
When you were a little kid you didn't really need money - you might have asked for things and you might have even got them, but you didn't have to worry about getting the money to buy them. As you got older, you may have been given pocket money.
Maybe you were given some to save and some to spend.
Now you are in your teens, you will want to spend more money on things you want to choose yourself, like clothes, music, make-up, sports stuff, collecting things you are interested in and just going out to have fun with friends.
So how are you going to get the money and learn how to manage it?
Negotiate an allowance
If your mum, dad or whoever looks after you, is willing, you could negotiate an allowance.
You could decide together what you are going to pay for, decide what it will cost, then you could be given that amount to manage for yourself, eg. for clothes, lunches, mobile phone, movies and presents.
Budget
Having a weekly, fortnightly or monthly allowance can help you to make good choices, manage your money and get what you want. To help you do this you need to have a budget.
List everything you have to pay for and work out how much it will cost. Once you've done this then you can be a little creative.
Work out what you need for lunch every day. You could choose to make your own (but it's only fair that you offer to pay back what you use from the fridge!)
Work out what you want in the way of clothes, then start looking for bargains in sales and have a browse around op shops so that you can spend less and get more!
Check out the cheapest phone deal - it may be that if your friends have the same deal you can talk with them free. Check out the topic Mobile phones for more.
Look for cheaper nights at the movies, or hire DVDs and share the cost with a group of friends.
Check out 'Shopper dockets' - they often have good deals that you can share with friends too, eg. a 'two for one' coffee or meal means that you and a friend pay half price each.
Shop ahead for presents when the sales are on or during school holidays, when you have the time to look for bargains.
If you get your act together, you may even be able to save up for something that you want to buy in the future. (Source: cyh.com)