As the school year ends Friday at noon, thousands of Israeli high school students will flood out of class and into what the article describes as a summer money machine, one that can quickly drain parents' bank accounts. In 2026, the long break is portrayed not just as beach time and ice pops, but as a mix of free time, peer pressure, and a strong urge to spend on everyday treats.
Many teenagers do work in summer jobs, waiting tables, flipping burgers, delivering orders, or running kids' camps, and earn a few thousand shekels. But the piece says this creates an “effect of summer,” where a teen with 3,000 shekels in the bank feels rich enough to spend like they own the mall. The money disappears on cafe visits, late-night delivery orders, sugary drinks, concerts, festivals, short-term subscriptions, and electric scooter rentals.
The article says a single show can swallow half a monthly paycheck once the ticket, transportation, merchandise, and drinks are added up. For teens who do not work, or who spend everything by July 15, the familiar summer refrain becomes, “Mom, dad, can I have money?” Parents are cast as the household’s emergency ATM, fielding requests for movie tickets, gas money for a Sea of Galilee trip, and food, even when the fridge is full.
To help families survive August without financial damage, the article offers two rules. First, set one fixed summer allowance instead of handing out money daily, so a child who blows it all in the first week has to wait it out. Second, use a half-and-half rule for expensive purchases, where the teenager pays half from work or savings and the parents cover the rest, to teach the value of money.
