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Little Jo's picture

How many of you have ever had to dip into your kid(s) savings to pay for something? I'll explain why later.

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Anne 8102's picture

When did that happen?

~ Anne ~

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other." -Walter Elliot

Little Jo's picture

But I'm serious, kids get christening money, birthday money, ect. How many of you have ever taken it to pay a house bill. And I'm not talking about Child Support.

JO

sacto_madre's picture

BM currently owes SS $82.00 for emergency loans she has taken from him. I havent ever touched my bio kids money - I would rather eat ramen or nothing than dissapoint them.

My money is tight right now - my 18 yr old left me $5.00 in my truck because she used it to go back and forth to work. I took the $5 and deposited back into her checking account.

For single parents who do not receive support - I could understand things getting tight and dipping in but should probably avoid it. It's hard to save when you dont have anything to save.

Anne 8102's picture

My MIL used to have savings accounts for all the grandkids and BM was always asking her for access to it so she could get stuff "for the kids." My MIL is smarter than that, though, and wouldn't let her into it.

~ Anne ~

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other." -Walter Elliot

Anne 8102's picture

I know this is horrible, but my kids blow it so fast that it wouldn't be available even if I wanted to dip into it. But they are only 4 and 9. Lately we've been trying to work with our son on saving his money, rather than spending it.

We buy savings bonds regularly for the purpose of giving them to the kids someday and there was one time that we got desperate and cashed some in. It was when our one and only car died and the repairs were more than we could handle on short notice. It was our money that we were putting aside for them, so I guess that's a little different than money they got from other sources. Or maybe not, I don't know. My husband is horrible about grabbing five bucks out of our son's room when he needs lunch money, but he always gives it right back after the next trip to the ATM.

~ Anne ~

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other." -Walter Elliot

Mocha2001's picture

My mom did that to me quite a bit growing up. I don't think it really bothered me much as a kid, but I have sworn that I would have to be to the point of being evicted, or eating nothing but rice before I'd take any of SS' money.

~ Katrina

OldTimer's picture

When SS and I had to go somewhere, but I didn't have any money, and we discovered that the car was out of gas. I remember that it was very important that we get somewhere to met DH... suffice to say, SS was the one that came up with using his allowance money he remembered in his wallet, plus some birthday money he had to put gas in the tank. Of course, we paid him back the next day.

SS is usually pretty darn generous when it comes to finances. There have been several occasions during the school year where he's pitched in to pay for his lunch for the day at school and we've paid him back when we pay his allowance. But he's more than happy to 'help out' and tells us all the time he's got money we can use if we need it, etc. Makes him feel important, like he's helping us out but we just say Thank you, but it's not necessary. I don't recall ever needing to other than the gas situation.

Wink StepMom

Man has the intelligence to change his life,
Sometimes, he just fails to use it...

goingcrazy's picture

... Ok Ok... Guilty. When my ex walked out on us, he also walked out with our company bank account balance. Stupid me, never thought to take his name off that one!!! You know, the only one with LOTS of money. I was flat broke and had to hit my daughter's piggy bank for $20 for gas money. Got a commission check a couple days later and put it back, plus interest. ONe other occasion, my brother mailed my daughter a $50 check for Christmas, but didn't send SD anything (although she and DH had only moved in a month prior and we had not married yet) I thought this was wrong, so I cashed it and gave each girl $25. Thought it was the better thing. Other than that not much else.

dbsojo's picture

We've done it once. But it was gone and replaced while SS was with Ms. Perfect. He never knew it was gone. We felt a little bad, but after $95 a week (for one kid) in child support, we were f-ing BROKE. And you can't make money if your gas tank is on empty. Guilty as charged.

Imustbcrazy's picture

And I would not have been so upset about it, BUT~ She was not working, not even LOOKING for work. She had a live in boyfriend that was not working and had a 3 yr old son living with them too... which later I found out she loaned him 1500.00 to fly to Florida to get his son, and hotel blah blah blah... so in a sense she took out of SS savings to pay for her boyfriends vacation. PISSED, I was!!!! She eventually paid it back. It was about 700.00 or so. If none of those circumstances came into play I would have just been mad that she didn't ask for help from us if she was in trouble. After all was said and done, DH and I had a talk with her (more like a lecture) and told her that if she is in trouble WE should be the first people she comes to and if we can (or deem a justifiable cause) we will help her.
Daddys Gurl-

Life is as sweet as you sweeten it.

Nymh's picture

BM did. She "borrowed" almost all of his money that we have here in a safe for him. She still hasn't paid it back.

*~So sayeth Nymh~*

steph77's picture

She borrows from them and they know they can pretty much write it off. We have some savings here for them and when it's in cash form (before we make it to the bank with them) we will sometimes "borrow" a little cash if we need some that night.. then it'll be put back before they ever know it was gone. We keep a running balance written down by them so they know how much they had in there and they will never worry that any is missing. It also teaches them to balance a checkbook. Smile So, we only borrow it temporarily once in awhile when we really NEED cash but have no time to get to an ATM. They don't know we do this, nor will they ever...