Learn value of saving, not spending (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Learn value of saving, not spending

11:10am Friday 8th August 2008

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AN iPod here, a phone there. How about new shoes? Bags?

Every modern teenager and even children feel pressurised.

Teenagers have so many pressures on them today – they have coursework, homework, family issues, friends to deal with, extra-curricular activities, girlfriends and boyfriends.

But what about image?

Teenagers are renowned for being obsessed with their image.

And it’s true, we are. But it’s not just us doing it; the media makes us feel pressured into buying new gadgets and accessories. Did you know that the average 13 to 21-year-old re-models his or her phone every nine months?

That’s a lot of money! And it’s the same for many different electrical items.

But where is all that money coming from?

Many students save up their lunch money for the weekend.

Even that sometimes isn’t enough. In the 13 to 16 age bracket, students can’t get paid jobs and some families don’t have enough money to give out pocket money.

All that pressure teenagers are under leads to crimes like theft and robbery.

The media glamourises all that is expensive, but the people seeing these adverts and music videos simply don’t have the money.

So it’s a circle: see the advert, want the goods, can’t get the goods quick enough, must find some way to get that item.

Let’s pull together to stop this glamourisation, and save some money.

What happened to savings accounts? All over-14s should have a bank account, and learn how to save their money.