DR. WALLACE: Now that it's a new year, my parents have told my sister and me that we will no longer be getting an allowance because the prices for everything like food have gone up and they used all their available money for our holiday gifts this year.

Now we won't be getting any weekly money at all. I'm a guy who is 16 and my younger sister is 14 and a half years old. We use our allowance to socialize with our friends at the mall, to get snacks or go to a movie together. Now all of this will stop because we won't have even five cents to work with anymore.

I understand that times are much tougher than they used to be and that prices of everything are way up, but I still think we should get something, even if our allowance is cut down by 50%, for example.

What do you think about this? Is it fair? Can we do anything to convince our parents to at least give us something? — No More Allowances, via email

NO MORE ALLOWANCES: Times are indeed tougher now than they were a year or two ago. Inflation is both real and persistent and it has affected both the national economy and many consumers in various ways.

Your parents are obviously strained a bit with their household budget. This is likely the reason they are stopping your allowances. I suggest that you think about this situation from a different perspective. Instead of asking for even a reduced allowance now going forward, I recommend that you take a new position.

Ask your parents how you and your sister might be able to help the family. I don't know what business your parents are in, but perhaps you can volunteer to help them with some of your free time. If paperwork is involved, you might be able to file paperwork for them. If research is needed, you and your sister might be able to search the internet to find new ideas or leads that could help. The idea is to see if you can help in a way that would both benefit your parents and give you a potential window to "earning" an allowance.

In lieu of this, you might ask your parents if you and your sister could find part-time jobs like babysitting in your neighborhood or cutting lawns (in the spring and summer) and clearing driveways of snow in winter if you live in a state that has lots of snow. You could even offer your parents to share some of your earnings by contributing to the family food budget, for example. The idea is to find a way to earn your own allowance in a manner that is acceptable to your parents.

This type of arrangement will also teach you and your sister the value of money earned for work, which is a good concept to absorb and experience at a young age.

I WANT TO MAKE HIM PAY FOR WHAT HE'S DONE

DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend just broke up with me and it both broke my heart and made me really mad. We are both 18 and have jobs so I think he intentionally waited until just before the holidays to dump me so that he would not have to give me any holiday gifts or take me to any expensive holiday dinners and outings.

I hear through other friends that he's not even dating anyone else right now, so this makes me feel even more that my theory is right. During the whole time we dated he was always on the cheap side, so this now really confirms things for me.

You have heard a lot of stories about relationships and breakups, so what I want to know is what you think the best way is to get back at him. I'd like to find an outlet for my anger that also dings him pretty good at the same time. What do you suggest in my situation? — My Holidays Are Now Heartbroken, via email

MY HOLIDAYS ARE HEARTBROKEN: I'm sorry to hear that you did not like the timing of his actions. Relationships often come and go, especially for teenagers, so your situation is certainly not unique. What I do find somewhat unique is your focus on "getting him back" since you feel slighted by both his actions in ending the relationship and the timing of him doing so.

I suggest the best course of action for you is to simply live your life and ignore him completely. Don't ask your friends what he's doing anymore and think instead about what you've learned in this relationship. The good news is you are now one relationship closer to finding a truly compatible person that you will be very happy to be with.

Vengeance of any kind for any reason often backfires. I've heard many tearful stories from teens and others who wanted to implement an act of revenge only to later truly regret their decision. Some of the stories were truly horrific and many times unintended consequences occurred that went far beyond an original desire to "get even." Please take my advice here seriously and simply move on. He actually has done you a favor by saving you further time in a relationship that was likely never destined to succeed anyway. You're now free to locate and experience new dating opportunities and better days are in your future. Focus entirely now on looking forward, not backward.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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