A mum has sparked a debate online after sharing the story of how her teenage daughter refused to increase the amount she contributes towards their household bills. The mum said her daughter had “lashed out” at her for making the request while she thinks it’s reasonable given their situation.
The daughter was previously earning over £800 a month working at a major supermarket with her position meaning the mum could get discounted prices on food shopping.
While the 18-year-old was working at the store, earning just over minimum wage for around 30 hours a week, she paid £50 each month towards household bills.
But she has now left that job to take up a position at a fast food restaurant where her boyfriend works.
The mum, writing under username namenamename12, explained in a post on Mumsnet: “So she’s quit her job, she has got a new job lined up, she’s going to work with her boyfriend at a fast food restaurant, her boyfriend has gotten her the job and she starts next week.
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“She’s actually going to be earning less there than she was before, and to be honest I think the main reason she quit was that she wanted to work with her boyfriend. I think it’s a bad idea but she’s an adult, she can do what she wants.
“I’ve said to her since bills are going up and I won’t have access to the discount anymore I want her to contribute more – I’m asking for £75 a month instead of £50. Which is actually less than I would have saved with the discount, etc.
“But even still, she’ll be earning upwards of 500 a month, I get she needs to save but I feel like what I’m asking isn’t unreasonable.
“She’s lashed out at me and said that it’s not fair because she’s earning less why should she have to pay more, and that I’m being mean and horrible basically.”
The mum said the daughter has “more disposable cash than me” and told her daughter the previous discount at the supermarket counted towards her contribution.
The post has had more than 150 comments with some backing the mum’s stance while others think she is being unfair.
One person, user QueenoftheNimbleFlyingCat, said: “You are not being unreasonable, £75 a month! I would love her to be able to point to anywhere where she would be able to live for £75 a month. Do not back down. She should still be able to save with that amount.”
User hcarter8 opposed the mum’s viewpoint, saying: “I’ll never understand parents who make their children pay rent, whatever age they are, it just seems odd to me. You should never charge your child for something a parent should do for free.”
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He said: “A rise in both energy and water bills across the UK is set to have a knock-on effect on the price of consumer items on the shelves – and this impact will be felt by both businesses and customers alike.”
The consumer expert further explained: “Whilst we aren’t seeing bills go down for the foreseeable future, the cost of wholesale energy is going down for the first time since the world was engulfed in an energy crisis – largely down to the COVID-19 pandemic and conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
“Such developments aren’t likely to directly impact prices for commodities such as groceries or fuel for now, but certainly further down the line with shops already struggling to fill the shelves and grocery price inflation already at 17 percent in February.
“Grocery price inflation is an issue in the same bracket as energy prices for many Brits at this moment in time, and the fear is food and drink prices will rise substantially still throughout the year.”
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