After her teenage daughter spent $80 on a Halloween costume, her mother deemed it a waste of money because she would only wear it once for a few hours.

The mother took it upon herself to show her daughter that this was an irresponsible spending choice.

Now he wonders if his decision crossed the line.

A mother returned an $80 Halloween costume her daughter bought with her own money because she thought it was financially irresponsible.

sharing His story on RedditThe mother explained that her 16-year-old daughter and a group of friends decided to enter the high school Halloween costume contest.

The teenager works part-time five days a week and saves money for the costume.

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“I picked her and her friends up from the store and they showed me their costumes,” the mother wrote. “My daughter spent $80 on hers.”

The woman was not happy that her daughter was spending so much money on something she would only need for a few hours. “(A) very irresponsible use of money,” he insisted.

Even though her daughter used her own money to buy the costume, the mother forced her daughter to return to the store and return the costume.

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Mother’s daughter was left without clothes and her friends wore group costumes instead.

“Her friends found someone else to replace her in the group and they won the contest and split the $100 Visa gift card,” the woman shared.

“When my daughter came home from school on Halloween, she was upset because she had to sit and watch while her friends had fun, claiming she had missed everything.”

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“I told her that after splitting the gift card it would be much less than what she spent on the costume and that it would only take a few hours, but she didn’t want to listen to logic.”

The mother said her daughter was still acting cold towards her and she wondered if her actions were truly wrong.

“My ex-husband told me I made him miss and she works so hard she missed out on so many things with her friends and I could have given that to her,” she wrote.

“But at the end of the day, I made him $80. I’m just trying to teach my daughter How to be responsible with money “He could have bought a cheap costume, especially since he would only wear it for a few hours.”

Average cost of a Halloween costume in 2024 It is up over 9% since 2022. This brings the cost of the costume to over $30. But this is the average. Does $80 seem like too much to spend? Yes, but if it weren’t for details like accessories and makeup, as well as the cost of living in her area, this might have been a decent purchase.

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Even though the mother saved her daughter $80, it cost her an essential memory she needed to enjoy with her friends.

“Congratulations, you strained your relationship with your daughter for $80 that wasn’t even yours. Hope it was worth it,” one Reddit user commented.

“Your daughter works. She makes money. It’s her money. As long as her obligations are met, what does it matter if she spends $80 on a costume? She can use it again another time! Just being her parent doesn’t mean anything. You control the money she makes through her job,” another user wrote. he said.

“What you want to teach your daughter: The value of saving. What she learned: Her mother cares more about money than friendships and her daughter’s happiness. Congratulations, your lesson about $80 will encourage him to spend that money on rent, utilities, and groceries as soon as he can! I hope one of her friends becomes her roommate,” wrote another.

There’s nothing wrong with parents wanting Teach your children to spend responsibly elections. But there are ways to do this that don’t involve forcing them to return the costume and banning them from attending a memorable event with their friends.

You can involve your teens in budgeting so they understand the importance of saving money for certain expenses. encourage them set financial goals and set aside money for a new outfit or video game they might have their eye on.

While young people need to be aware of how to spend their money wisely, there’s nothing wrong with splurging occasionally.

If the woman is already working five days a week while her daughter juggles high school, she’s already proven herself to be responsible.

Let him live a little and get the costume he worked so hard for!

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Megan Quinn is a writer for YourTango covering entertainment and news, self, love and relationships.