Kids and the electric bill

[wattsupdoc]

Originally Posted by 30-xtra high
it's the parents job to support their children.. i don't go buy a dog.. and make it work on a farm herding sheep for food.., .
This is the problem with most young people today,

they think everything is owed to them. As parents we only really owe our children.
Food in their belly
A safe place to live(doesnt have to be a nice place)
Clothes on their back(dont have to be popular clothes)
Proper medical treatment
A general education.
everything else is optional. Do I give my son more? Yes

But I dont HAVE to!

 

[reefforbrains]

I would thank my lucky stars they didnt pick up welding for a hobby. When I got my new Stinger and Plasma cutter I was kicking my bill over 1000 a month for the first months going crazy on projects that had been backing up.
Hailides do take a bite out of the powerbill, but I wouldnt make them pay. If they wanted to start a business or frag farm, with banks of 400w's or 1000w's then they are footing the bill, but basic hobbiest usage I dont care about.

 

[viper_930]

Originally Posted by grumpygils
There is no way it upped it $100. I have 2 X250s, 3 X 175 W MHs and over 1000 W PC/VHO and mine is not up over $100. At least I don't think so because my wife would nail me on it.
Mc
It really isn't at 100, I just tossed a number up. I calculated my usage and it's about 50-60 bucks/month. And that's only with two tanks with one 150 watt halide on each. Pumps take a lot as well, since they're run 24 hours/day.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by ViPeR_930
It really isn't at 100, I just tossed a number up. I calculated my usage and it's about 50-60 bucks/month. And that's only with two tanks with one 150 watt halide on each. Pumps take a lot as well, since they're run 24 hours/day.
Viper, ya know we luv ya, but what are your parents asking you to pay? The $50 a month for the extra electric? Not to pry my dear, but you did bring it up. Do you have to pay rent or enything else?

 

[viper_930]

Well honestly I'm not really sure. My dad claims I cost him 100/month, but using a kill-a-watt meter and my trusty calculator I came up with about 50 some.
I don't mind paying up, I guess I was just wondering if he was the only one who bills their kid for electricity. My mom thinks he just saw how much I was making selling frags and wanted a piece of it.

 

[scubaguy]

Viper, I would pay. I know it stinks but wait till you move out and you start paying all the bills your parents pay. It is tough on parents now days to give the kids a lot of what they WANT, not need. Do both your parents work? I work and my wife is a home maker. It is rough having a one income family in todays world but I work hard. I even work harder so my kids get what they have. It is just nice to chip in and help and your parents will appreciate it. I mean your parents are not telling you that the hobby is getting out of hand and that you need to stop.

 

[beth]

If I could affort it, I'd pay for it. I'd consider it as money well spent towards the education of my child. However, $100 is a big increase for many households, so it would just have to depend.

 

[seasalt101]

Tobin got this larger tank while in between his first and second cancers & since he can't work right now it has put a strain on $$
so parents need to consider the financial obligations beforehand,i have to say no the child should not have to pay to keep a gift from a parent but if they purchase it on their own then they should be held responsible for the extra costs of the tank(and don't get the kid a huge tank and it won't be a huge change on the utilities)

 

[30-xtra high]

Originally Posted by TriggerPhish
so 30 xtra high would you pay your child's speeding ticket and court costs if he/she gets in trouble? Parents are responsible for certain things in a childs life beyond those boundaries (set by parents) it is then the childs responsiblity. as a parent I definatley love to assist in my childs hobbies, they are important. but making the child pay is also teaching the child a valuable lesson.
I like your perspective though, it makes me think :thinking:
well my child will not have a car until he/she is 18.. so your first one is out.. and i will pay for the first court case.. then my kid will not leave the house for anything fun or in public except for school and church..
my father has raised me (still is) very strictly with almost no room for error, such as having to go to court, and he has set the same rules for me as i will do for my child.. no car till i'm at least 18, any trouble = house arrest.., so as long as my kid is doing the right thing (which i will make sure s/he is).. sure, i'll pay for whatever they are doing such as hobbies and other things of the sort...

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by ViPeR_930
Well honestly I'm not really sure. My dad claims I cost him 100/month, but using a kill-a-watt meter and my trusty calculator I came up with about 50 some.
I don't mind paying up, I guess I was just wondering if he was the only one who bills their kid for electricity. My mom thinks he just saw how much I was making selling frags and wanted a piece of it.

Yeah, unfortunately that is how it goes. I can't realy blame your parents, you are making money off of something that they are footing the bill for. In my house growing up, we all had to pay slightly if we were working. $20 a week. My oldest bother got the best deal. He is a corrections officer. He was making over $600 bi weekly when he first started and had to pay the same as everyone else. I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters I am the youngest. I wasn't working yet, (I was like 8 when he started at the prison) but my other siblings were working crap-mediocre jobs, paying the same amount he was. My brother stayed in the house until he was 25! Why not with a deal like that! No one ever bothered him, he just came home to sleep. I can see them charging you something for the electricity bill. Wait until you have your own place. You are not that young, it is comming soon.

 

[tahoetanks]

We helped my stepson set up his first reef tank a little while ago. We live in Nor Cal so our electric bills are always heinous. I haven't noticed a change in that. What my biggest concern would be, is how long the kids would stay interested in it. My ss stayed interested until I made him do water change and tank maint. all by himself. He now hates the tank and wants to just move to fiji.

 

[joojoo]

It's funny I found this thread today. My MHs just came in the other day and when my dad saw them he brought up the electric bill, lol. They aren't set up yet, but when they are I'm pretty sure we'll be having a talking... Now, I'm only 20, I bought my own car, pay for the insurance... and all the tickets

, and I pay half the bill for my cell phone, not to mention my school bills... Wow, reading all this back to myself, how do I have any money left over for a tank, I work at Walmart!
So until my new lights are setup, they have never mentioned electricity to me.

 

[bs21]

i think it is a good idea to have a teenager get a job to support their hobbies. money management is one of the main issues with people these days, especially those coming out of college and living above their income. Definately a good way to start learning responsibility in the workplace but also with your budget.
Viper: this may not apply to you as you allready have responsibilities but in general for others.
p.s. The electric company is a bunch of PIRATES!!!