The recent cost of living crisis has meant that money isn't easy to come by for many families. There may be times when you have to miss out on going somewhere that all of your friends and classmates are, such as the cinema or a school trip.
We've asked some sixth form students to tell us about times when they've had to miss out on doing things with school mates due to money, watch this video to see what they had to say.
Have I ever missed out on something in school because of money?
Yes, I definitely have.
Definitely.
Yeah yeah.
Yeah. Every now and again, I guess in sixth form we go down the shop. And sometimes I can't really afford anything.
It's not a great feeling missing out. Um, especially when a lot of your friends are going.
I'd say maybe feel a bit lonely. You know, everyone else is doing this thing, and you can't join in.
I think it's always a difficult decision to make, whether you want to be a part of everything with everyone else, or have money for yourself to get things you actually need. And I think I've always struggled with that.
When I was in my last year of secondary school, my mum had a bit of financial problems, which led me not to be able to go out a lot, so I missed out on going to fun activities that had something to do with money.
A couple of school trips I've had to miss out on because of money. A lot of the time our first instinct is to sort of complain to my parents and go, oh mum, but it's really important. I really want to go. But obviously that isn't the issue that she doesn't want me to go necessarily.
What happened was I would stay at home and sometimes my friends would offer to pay for me. But I felt a bit ashamed. I felt a bit upset because I couldn't do the things that I wanted to do.
I think some of that shame comes from the fact that you want people to think a certain thing about you. Like I said, we're in a world where people make a lot of judgments about you really, really quick so you don't want people to, for whatever reason, think that you don't have money. And I think that shame is a big part of that. And I've definitely felt that before.
Later on, I realised that I can do things without having money. Um, and my friends also understood that at the end of the day, as I grew up, I realised that there are certain things that happen in life that you can't always control. So now I understand why I couldn't do the certain things that I couldn't do. But I also don't regret not doing those things because I learnt from it.
I guess money is a big deal to a lot of people, but it's also not the end of the world. If you miss out going somewhere once because you'll have plenty of opportunities in the future to do that.
Maybe some people have more, but it doesn't make you less as a person. I think your value is the same as any other person, depending if you're like, got lots of money or not. I think that's really important.
How does missing out make you feel?
The students we spoke to told us that they had sometimes had to miss out due to not having enough money available to them. William said that when he goes to the shop at lunchtime that he sometimes can't afford anything. He told us that missing out due to money can make him feel a bit lonely. "Everyone else is doing this thing, and you can't join in." You can find more advice on what to do if you feel lonely here.
Eva told us that they've missed a couple of school trips because of money. Jade said that she has sometimes missed out doing fun activities with her friends as her mum had some financial problems. She said "My friends would offer to pay for me. But I felt a bit ashamed. I felt a bit upset because I couldn't do the things that I wanted to do." Financial journalist, Iona Bain told us that you should try to be the proactive planner in your group of friends. "You could suggest things to do that don’t cost a lot, for example cooking or exercising together. You don’t have to spend loads of money to have a great time." She also recommends taking advantage of student discount schemes that are available to you.
How to have fun for free
Mari says, "I guess money is a big deal to a lot of people, but it's also not the end of the world." and Carys told us, "Maybe some people have more, but it doesn't make you less as a person."
Jade says "I realised that I can do things without having money." We've made a 'bucket list' that contains loads of fun activities, lots of them are free or low cost, you can find the list here.
If you want to make some extra cash to help with your finances, Iona Bain has given us some some ways that you can earn cash as a teenager.
If you need support
You should always tell someone about the things you’re worried about. You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher, or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you’re doing.
If you’re in need of in-the-moment support you can contact Childline, where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There are more links to helpful organisations on the BBC Bitesize Action Line page for young people.
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