Would you let your kids spend iTunes gift cards on silly in-app purchases?

I'd say let her use the card how she wants since it was a gift. There are a million other ways you can teach her the value of a dollar.

ETA: figure out what the next big toy she wants, and get her to "work" for it. A few bucks for chores here and there, and save her money

Let her waste it now, and she'll regret it later.

Lesson learned.

its a gift, let her use it how she pleases.

Since we're adults it's easy to realize that her purchase would be stupid as hell. But at the same time, she needs to understand that somethign like that will be gone in a few days and she'll have nothing left to show for her purchase, as opposed to music or something that will last longer.


I'll always remember I was in about 5th grade or so. Pogs were all the rage. I had saved up about $50 in allowance money and went to the comic store with my mom. There was a kid a little bit older that was trying to sell this MASSIVE tube, probably about 6' tall, filled with pogs to the store (he probably realized their popularity was fleeting). I begged and pleaded with my mom, I HAD to have it. Yet she refused. I was pissed at the time, but in a few months when no one GAS about pogs any more I was thrilled I didn't waste my money on it. That was over 15 years ago and I still remember it well.

I would lean on letting her buy it. Explain that you think spending it elsewhere would be more wise, but it's your gift card and if that's what is most entertaining for you, so be it. Just don't come running to daddy for more coins when your GC expires.

I'd let her know that since it's her gift card she can use it on whatever she likes. But I'd also make sure she understands that when she finds a new game in a few days she might wish she'd have saved that gift card.

Meh, I'd let her spend it however she wants. It's not like it's a couple hundred bucks or something. I don't know how old she is, but if she wanted to spend it on some other toy, would you care?

quote:

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Am I being too rigid on this subject? Should kids have freedom to spend their gift cards as they wish?

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yes

she will realize that it was wasted money when she wants to buy a song or a movie and can't because she wasted her gift card on stupid shite

unless of course you go ahead and still buy her that song or movie

An argument can be made that anything she used it for is a waste of money. On something like this, I would always tell them how I felt, but let them use the card as they saw fit, because it is their card. However, when they would come back a week later asking to purchase something that they could have with the card had they not spent it, I'd remind them and tell them I wouldn't pay for it.

Why are you so hung up on this?

It's her present. Adults spend money on in app purchases all the time