<p>Hudson, I’m sorry, I must have misunderstood. I thought you were talking about the area in general, not a specific town/city within the metro area, as you said “up this way.” </p>
<p>In my town, not only do most of the parents pay for everything, the kids get really nice cars too.</p>
<p>My oldest is in his third year of undergrad studies. He chose a National Merit Scholarship package that gave him full tuition, housing, a laptop, study abroad money and a stipend each year. We agreed to pay for food, fees, books, flights home, cell phone, car insurance and most of his clothing. He does not have a car at school, so his insurance is low. He does have a job on campus that nets him some spending money. We have spoken with him about his tentative plans following graduation. He may continue onto law school. We told him that we will not have much money to give him for any additional schooling as his younger brother graduates from HS in two years, but if he gets an own apartment, we will help out with furnishing it.</p>
<p>DD1 got a full tuition scholarship so we paid everything else, no car, she paid incidentals with a part time job in the library. DD2 chose a school where she didn’t get a full scholarship so she gets a Stafford, we pay room and board and cell phone, she pays for book and incidentals, no car. In both cases their medical was covered by my family plan.</p>
<p>We pay tuition, room, board, books, fees with money from each child’s 529 plan. Also basic cell plan, car insurance, on our medical plan, basic clothes. All entertainment and unnecessary clothes they purchase. Plus travel, other than to/from home which we cover. Each had a part-time job during HS. DS had jobs during college to earn spending money. He is a spender, though I have made him contribute annually to his Roth IRA (we match his funds.)</p>
<p>DS spent 2 quarters abroad junior year. School gave him money for board (room included), he had some earnings (though not what he should have saved), and we gave him some more money every 8 weeks for travel/expenses. Unfortunately, he blew through the board money, savings and first installment in 6 weeks. We did not increase our portion and it was a BIG lesson for him about spending. His travel was minimal during his time in Europe, but that was discussed up front and became his loss.</p>
<p>He took out loans for grad school after he used up his 529. We currently cover his car ins, he is on our medical, car repairs, travel with the family. For his birthday, he wanted shoes. Slowly, he is learning…</p>
<p>We paid for tuition and fees (after merit scholarship) room and board and books, and the $10/month to piggyback her on my cell bill. She didn’t have a car. We paid for travel home
at vacations. When she moved off campus as a jr we sent her a monthly amount for food and rent and utilities (much less than we had sent older sis in more expensive city). Not work/study eligible but always found jobs on and near campus. Graduated with no debt plus about $1000 she had saved from jobs.
YMMV, she went to school in a very very rural and affordable location. Plus she thinks it’s fun and PC to shop in thrift stores.
At graduation we gave her a frame for her diploma and a card mentioning that she had no student loans. It wasnt a big hit, but six months later she sees what her friends are facing and has thanked us.</p>
<p>Our son is a sophomore, and this year we are only on the hook for his tuition and health insurance. He pays everything else. Actually, the tuition that “we” pay is from savings started on his behalf at birth, and from his bar mitzvah/high school job savings. He goes to a state school, which is cheaper than privates, and has high paying engineering summer internships that cover his costs during the school year.</p>
<p>Kollege kids are poor. so they don’t pay for stuff. they bum it.</p>
<p>We paid the balance of S’s COA for college (after the generous merit award he received). He & D are also on the family cell plan as well as H’s medical insurance plan. Because his aunt gave a very generous gift when he started college, we did NOT give him any spending money (he had her gift as well as money given to him from when he was born through the day he started college as gifts for various occasions & savings from summer jobs). We also paid lodging and rent for sophomore year but I don’t recall paying either for his JR year–told him if he needed funds to please make a budget and we’d discuss it. He never did so we never gave him any money (he did have summer earnings from his internships every summer that he could spend as he saw fit).</p>
<p>For D, she got a job on campus the day after she arrived there which she held for 3 semesters until it was eliminated due to budget cuts. We have paid her COA. She has not asked for much spending money either, as she tried to use her earnings. We are looking forward to her graduating this May & hopefully getting a job shortly thereafter. We will help her with rent & food until she is able to get a job. She still does have a savings account that was started with gifts she was given from when she was born through the present as well. We haven’t decided whether to top up her account to make it as much as her brother’s or not (he did receive a LOT more than her, as he was our 1st child, but then he did get tons of merit aid & she was full-freight). Will have to figure it out soon–maybe it will be food & lodging while she’s job-hunting.</p>
<p>Both kids are graduating debt-free and grateful for it!</p>
<p>The deal we laid out for our kids at the end of 8th grade was that they would have skin in the game for college. This involved the subsidized level of Stafford loans each year (~$20k), term-time job and employment/internships during the summers.</p>
<p>We pay tuition, R&B, $9.99/mo. on the family cell plan and tickets home. Will also procure groceries at Costco, a suit, new underwear and socks on occasion. Neither kiddo has a car. They are both on our health insurance.</p>
<p>S! turned down a 100% free ride, but has been paying 40% of his freight at UChicago, between merit, Stafford and employment. He has skills that pay well, and has paid summer rent and expenses every summer in order to work in Boston and Chicago doing interesting stuff. He will graduate with $$ in the bank to launch himself and will have his own health insurance, etc. when he starts work in the fall.</p>
<p>S2 turned down partial merit and is also doing Staffords and employment. He’s not paying as much as his brother did, but is contributing what was expected. If he lands an internship that is important for his career but doesn’t pay, we will encourage him to take it. Fortunately, a lot of those opportunities are in our area, so he can live at home. </p>
<p>Both are responsible for books, personal expenses and a chunk of tuition. They both live pretty frugally, as they like the idea of graduating with some $$$ in the bank to get started. We will not be funding grad school.</p>
<p>They know they are darned fortunate. They know DH and I were zero EFC kids and they have cousins whose college (or not) decisions are based entirely on economics.</p>
<p>I’ve been extremely fortunate that my mum pays for tuition, room and board, meal plan, cell bill, car insurance, etc everything… She also is paying for my study abroad this summer.</p>
<p>I pay pretty much only for large pieces when shopping (ie purses…)</p>
<p>Our oldest is out of college but when he was in college between his summer earnings, scholarships and loans, he was able to pay for almost all of his costs for school. He had an on campus job, not work study though, that he made enough for spending money. We bought his books, minimal. We paid his cell phone, he was still on our insurance but didn’t have/need a car on campus, he was also on our medical insurance, etc. I usually bought his clothing, but not always. For our other children, it will be the same thing, they will have to pay as much as they can through summer earnings, scholarships, loans and we will take care of the rest up to what we told them we would pay.</p>
<p>No mater how much you want to do for your kids, it is important to let them shoulder some of the responsibility themselves. When someone has to work to pay for something they will appreciate it more. That is a pretty basic fact of life. When someone is handed everything they will not feel that it is so important as opposed to getting it themselves.</p>
<p>Letting your kids pay for stuff and having them work through college is an important part of life. It will save them from that rude awakening that comes when college is finished and all of a sudden they have no clue how to take care of themselves. they don’t realize how much they were costing all that time or how much effort it took to keep paying for all of it.</p>
<p>the kid that pays some of her way will likely be more careful with keeping on top of grades and keeping her spending down as much as possible. That is the same type of student that will probably have no trouble becoming fully independent once they have graduated. They already have a job and moving up in hours at work or getting another one is not something unusual for them. Their not being coddled was training for life.</p>
<p>I pay for my schooling/housing/transportation. Mom sometimes helps with food.</p>
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We pay for everything. Room, board, sorority fees, medical expenses, car ins, cell plan, books, etc… [?quote]</p>
<p>No cars, but we do the same thing. Room, board, Greek fees (son), medical, cell phones, books, and $X per month allowance that they can spend on their personal entertainment (going out to dinner, movies, downtown, etc.). They know they’re lucky.</p>
<p>Our goal is that DS graduate without debt - a goal that he understands has required sacrifice on our part and which he clearly appreciates. Currently we pay tuition, room & board, books; his health and phone are incorporated into our plans. He pays out of savings/earnings all incidental expenses or food outside of the board plan. We also just asked him to pay the air fare for an unplanned (but happy) trip home to help him think in terms of budgeting. He will be taking a course this summer but is expected to earn money after this and we will reduce contributions toward housing, books accordingly.</p>
<p>My parents pay for my health insurance, car insurance, and cell phone.</p>
<p>I pay for school (anything that FA and loans don’t cover), apartment, car, gas, books, credit cards, any trips I want to go on, study abroad, etc. </p>
<p>I take out Stafford loans, but not the full amount as I was blessed with good FA and merit scholarships. I also work 30+ hours a week during the school year and well over fulltime in the summer. I don’t spend much money so I save it for the future and splurge occasionally on short weekend trips.</p>