Mom forces teenage daughter to give back her Halloween costume she bought with her own money

After her teenage daughter spent $80 on her Halloween costume, her mother thought it was a waste of money since 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 she wonders if her decision crossed a line.

The mother returned her daughter’s $80 Halloween costume, which she bought with her own money, because she thought it was financially irresponsible.

To share her story on Redditthe mother explained that her 16-year-old daughter and a group of friends decided to enter their high school’s Halloween costume contest.

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

Teenage girl with shopping bags 1MoreCreative | Canva Pro

“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 wasn’t happy with how much money her daughter was spending on something she would only need for a few hours. “(A) very irresponsible use of money,” she insisted.

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

The mother’s daughter was left without an outfit and her friends replaced her in their group costume.

“Her friends found someone else to take her place in the group and they won the contest and a $100 Visa gift card to share,” the woman said.

“My daughter came home from school angry on Halloween. She claimed she had to sit and watch her friends have fun and that she missed it all.”

teenagers wearing halloween costumes Kiselev Andrei Valerevich | Shutterstock

“I pointed out to her that after splitting the gift card it would be much less than she spent on the costume and that it was only a few hours, but she wouldn’t listen to reason.”

Now the mother says her daughter still gives her the cold shoulder, and she wonders if her actions were really wrong.

“My ex-husband told me I made her miss and she works so much she missed a lot of things with her friends and i could have given her this,” she wrote.

“But in the end I saved her $80. I’m just trying to teach my daughter how to handle money responsibly she could have gotten a cheap costume, especially since she would only have worn it for a few hours.

The average cost of a Halloween costume in 2024 has increased by more than 9% since 2022. That brings the cost of a costume to over $30. That’s the average, though. Does $80 seem like a lot to spend? Yes, but without details like accessories, makeup, and the cost of living in her area, it might have been a reasonable purchase.

Even if the mother saved her daughter $80, it cost her a core memory she should have had with her friends.

“Congratulations, you just strained your relationship with your daughter for $80 that wasn’t even yours. I hope it was worth it,” said one Redditor.

“Your daughter works. She makes money. HER money. Who cares if she spends $80 on a costume as long as her obligations are met? She can use it again some other time! Just being her parent doesn’t matter you have control over the money she earns from her work,” another user commented.

“What you wanted to teach your daughter: the value of saving. What she learned: Her mother cares more about money than her daughter’s friendships and happiness. Congratulations, your $80 lesson will encourage her to spend that money on rent, utilities and groceries at the first opportunity! Hopefully one of her friends will be her roommate,” wrote another.

There is nothing wrong with parents wanting that teach their children about responsible spending choices. However, there are ways to do this that don’t involve forcing them to return a costume or forbidding them from participating in a memorable activity 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 putting money aside for a new outfit or a new video game they might be looking for.

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

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

Let her live a little and buy the costume she worked so hard for!

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