When my daughter was in high school, we had some friends and relatives, particularly those who live in Ohio, who said “Why don’t you get the kid a car?”

“Do you have any idea of how much car insurance costs in Michigan?” I’d say. Yes our insurance rates went up when she became a secondary driver on my car; but they would have been even higher if she was a primary driver on a separate vehicle.

“Have the kid get a job. She could pay for her own car and insurance,” was usually the next comment.

“I’d rather she spend her money on things other than a car,” I’d say. (She did.)

Well, as The Detroit News reports today, even those teenagers who previously could afford a car are learning the lessons of Economics 101: Tough Test for Teens. Rising costs force many to stretch their dollars.

A snippet:

Detroiter Heather Pullen was just beginning to enjoy the freedom of driving a car and buying a piece of clothing or two each month, when the price of gasoline hit $4 a gallon.

The 17-year-old stopped driving her car to Consortium College Preparatory High School and the community center, because she can’t afford to fill it up. Trips to the mall and new clothes also are out. …

Precious Jones, 16, of Detroit, worked at Little Caesars all winter, but is jobless now. So she depends on her parents for her spending money. She typically asks for $50 a week, but that doesn’t means she gets it.

Lately, it takes more to buy the things she’d gotten used to, like meals at Olive Garden and clothes from stores at Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn.

If you have a teen-ager at home, you can help them figure out how to get the most for their money:

• Give them all those fast food and restaurant coupons that arrive in the mail and with the newspaper. Maybe you’re brown-bagging to work now, but teens want to enjoy social time with their friends. Help them do it with a little bit less cash.
• On a related topic, set aside all the miniature golf, movie and bowling coupons that may arrive in your house and give them to your teen.
• Help them get signed up for shopper discount or reward cards for places such as Kroger, CVS Pharmacy and Speedway convenience stores. There are often sales on candy bars and snacks where a member card gives the best deals. Sometimes shopper memberships are limited to one per household; in which case you could give them your duplicate card. Coffee shops also often have “frequent visitor” punch cards.
• If your child is on the honor roll, take advantage of the perks they’ve earned. Good grades sometimes mean discounts on car insurance.
• If you live in an area served by public transit, make sure the teens know how to use the bus service. My daughter was taking Lake Erie Transit across town by herself at age 12; but I went with her the first time.
• Help them work on DIY skills in the kitchen, garage, sewing room and wood shop. They’re learning life skills for when they will be on their own in a few years. Besides, crafty teens could sell their goods at the craft shows or on consignment.
• Make sure the teens know where the thrift shops are and what deals they can find at each place. They don’t have to buy all their clothes second-hand – just stretch the budget a bit. That way, the “best jeans” bought new from a department store are saved for appropriate occasions and less expensive clothes are worn on not-so-important days.
• Help teens make smart choices at the retail stores. Here’s an example: I pick out solid-colored T-shirts at retail stores for my weekend attire (plain shirts are much cheaper than licensed printed or graphic Ts). And my daughter heads immediately to the clearance racks when she is shopping at a retail store.
• If your teen plans to earn money from babysitting, get them signed up for a babysitting course from the American Red Cross or Camp Fire USA’s Super Sitter class (in the Monroe area, this has been offered through Monroe Public Schools community education). The course will cost some money up front, but that training will be appreciated by their clients.