I HAVE a great deal of sympathy with the teenagers who know the price of an iPod but have little idea of the cost of day to day items (February 16). As one young person pointed out, "no one teaches them useful things like how to apply for a council tax rebate".

The truth is that many people struggle to manage their personal finances which have become more and more complex with the introduction of things such as child tax credit, pension tax credit and the complexity of modern banking and credit.

Do you really know how to read your bank or credit card statement, and what the bank would charge you if you went overdrawn?

How many people are aware that research suggests it costs £2,916 a year (girl) or £2,790 a year (boy) to raise a child from the age of one to 16?

Or that the monthly cost of running a car (£438) is more than the monthly cost of an average mortgage (£417)? Or that the cappuccino and sandwich you grab on the way to work each day costs you £99 each month?

As adults, we are simply expected to be able manage the household finances. We talk freely about sex, religion, politics and football...but we don't talk about managing our money.

One of the reasons that many parents don't teach youngsters about handling money is because they struggle to understand it for themselves.

There is a real need for people to have access to basic information from impartial sources about money management.

Our charity Family Matters York offers short courses on budgeting and managing personal finances to local communities, social groups, student groups etc. Telephone (01904) 651781 for further details.

Mel Griggs,

Family Matters York,

The Spurriergate Centre,

Spurriergate, York.

Updated: 11:05 Friday, February 18, 2005