Realise how entitled the title makes me sound, but really hope I’m not taken that way.
A little background: I’m an international student in a country where teenagers working isn’t a usual thing, so I’ve had to live off my parents for casual spending money for a while now. I do have some savings from selling stuff online, but my parents want me to keep that in my local account for when I come back during the summer etc.
None of us have been to America beyond vacations, so we have no idea how much a kid needs to survive on a day to day basis. My parents asked me how much I would need per month but honestly I have no idea. Here are some things that my allowance would need to cover.
Occasional takeout/going out to eat (3/4 times a month? Not really sure what’s the norm, again, very different cultures lol, teenagers here usually go out 3 times a week because the food is really cheap here. I’m talking typical meals for 3-4 USD and buffets for 10 USD.
Clothes. I live in a tropical country so I don’t have anything appropriate for the NE weather beyond maybe September. I have 1 or 2 sweaters and a puffer+a coat but I’d probably need a few more sweaters/leggings/anything that isn’t t-shirts and shorts. I usually wear H&M and similar price-point clothes. Thankfully my school doesn’t have a dress code lol.
Snacks from the grocery store.
Toiletries, makeup, shampoo, etc. Drugstore priced, nothing beyond the basics. I have an electronic toothbrush and I’ll get replacement heads from home, so that’s covered.
Phone bills - I found a reasonable one from cricket, that’s 45 dollars a month with 5GBs. AGAIN, not sure if this is too much/not enough, since I’m used to my 13 GB student plan that costs like 30 USD, though I usually use about 4 GBs realistically, and I’m not sure how much I’ll be actually using my phone’s network since there’s wifi at school. I can Skype/iMessage my family so international calls aren’t needed unless there’s an emergency. I’d appreciate any recommendations on phone plans too!
Electronics are all covered.
School supplies. The occasional pen/filler paper?
Transport for taking the MBTA train into Boston etc. I have family friends living in Boston whom I’ll visit maybe on long weekends, or when I want to go out with friends. Also, does anyone have any advice on that? Is it better to get a pass/pay each time?
Anything else that a BS student might need.
I’ll probably be getting a bit more money for the first month or so for appliances like fans and lamps, books, and organization/storage stuff. Bedding is all covered. I’ll be using the laundry plan but that’ll be paid in advance, so no need for quarters/detergent.
I know this may sound super entitled since I AM getting a lot of my money from my parents, but believe me I am beyond grateful that my parents are paying for my education AND my allowance. While I don’t think I’ll be struggling to get by by any means, and I do think I’ll be able to live comfortably at boarding school no matter how much money I get, considering how food and most events are free in school, but I won’t want to salivate when all my dorm mates are eating late-night pizza, or to borrow others’ toilet paper, tissue paper, and notebook paper. Neither do I expect to get nor spend outrageous amounts of money.
Anyways, any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance!
Oops, I forgot to add, it would also include money that’d usually go into my school account since most probably I’ll be the one doing the reloading etc. Really I think the question I should have asked should be how much does a typical BS student need for school per month.
There is no way my child will be getting $300-$400 a month on spending money. I will be happy to send her stuff vis Amazon Prime but I can’t imagine why a high school student would need that much cash.
Mine gets $100 per month. We supply all clothing, but any “extras” (food, takeout, weekend trips) comes out of that $100. He found that wasn’t quite enough for how he wanted to live at boarding school. Well, he’s welcome to work this summer and save up some cash :-).
When my kid was a freshman, I gave her an allowance of $15 per week in her school account. Since then, she has paid for clothes, cellphone, and whatever personal expenses necessary during the school year from the money she earns at her summer job. I’m a big fan of summer jobs… it has given my kid more independence and confidence, and she has become a very savvy shopper and budget manager.
@MAandMEmom how much does your kid usually spend on Amazon prime? The circumstances of my family is such that I have to be the one managing my own finances and that includes any “necessities” that are usually provided for by parents. The only change here really is that I’ve been given access to more money, but I still spend the same amount that parents would spend on their kids. E.g. Before going to America I’ve always bought my own groceries with a monthly grocery allowance, and paid for medical bills whenever I went to the doctor’s or the dentist, since parents are usually working overseas. I’ve been thinking of getting Amazon prime when I go there and it’ll be a good idea to gauge a limit for myself, and I’d rather order stuff off my own debit account than use my parents’ credit card. and yes I agree no way should a high school student carry 300-400 cash! (in fact why,… would anyone… carry that much cash…) However would 300-400 be more reasonable if deposited in a bank account, if it were to include online purchases? I simply can’t call my mom who has a 12 hour time difference and ask her to help me order more Kleenex via Amazon every time, especially when she’s a non English speaker.
@CindyLWho dang, if 100 only invovled “extras” I’d be lucky! I have a necessities allowance that covers groceries and dentist appointments that is more than enough, but my “extras” allowance is usually 100 USD a month including clothes, and that’s when I didn’t go to boarding school and had to pay for school food. But that’s okay because I get to earn some money on the side running an online shop which honestly makes me feel SO accomplished and grown up HAHA.
@jhblue I think an Amazon Prime account will be perfect for your needs and they carry about anything you will require as a student. You will be able to get toiletries (shampoo, etc.), snacks, and school supplies that you can’t find or don’t want to get at the school store but my guess is that shouldn’t be to much money for an entire term or fall. The Amazon Pantry has everything you would need. Depending on your plans for athletics and/or other extra curriculars I can’t imagine you be able to trot into Boston more than a couple times. I feel like the students stay pretty busy with commitments on weekends but I leave that for current students to comment. I imagine giving my daughter about what skieurope spends. Of course, your situation is a bit different that you will be taking care of your medical and dental needs but I assume that you may have enrolled in the school-provided plan.
huh, I actually had NO idea that the school gives you toilet paper. (the more you learn!) My friends who went to boarding school here in my country always had to get their own kleenex and everything, but then again only two or three rooms shared one toilet. @skieurope would that also cover the cost of books? thanks! Also thanks about the advice on the pass, since here we have a train pass that you can top up each time you go but you get a discount if you’re a student, so I guess its quite different.
@MAandMEmom thank you! Actually that reminds me that I should get started on my insurance stuff… After reading your comment I think I’m gonna do the school plan after all, since my current insurance doesn’t cover my dental appointments and I still have a year left with my braces
JHblue: Read that insurance plan carefully. Braces are considered orthodontics here, and not dental. An orthodontist would need to work with your braces. I doubt if that is covered under the school dental plan, but I could be wrong… just be sure to read the details carefully so you know exactly what the covered expenses will be with that insurance.
If you go home for breaks, you can wait to have your braces checked then. And are you really a teenager, because you sound more mature than I am at 55! I hope boarding school - and whatever follows - is a wonderful experience for you.
And maybe @skieurope will take you under his virtual wing, because you sound like his successor as the resident super-competent international teen boarding student.
@JHblue No. The cost of books, any extra clothes, additional dorm decorations would be over and above, which is why other users have suggested Amazon Prime.
Anyways, thanks for the advice, everyone! I found this in my international students welcome letter:
I’m gonna minus 100 or so since I have a laundry plan and don’t need to buy detergent/pay for the machines, and not factoring in braces(Thanks for the heads up cameo43… somehow just can’t find the insurance plan under the medical portal but found a copy of the 2015-2016 one my school offers by googling, don’t think braces are covered but gonna have to call the school to confirm)
I’d say a rough 1100 per school year, so about 120 per month, and add 80 casual spending money per month, (based on the replies I got here) with a little extra for clothes and phone bills I’d say $250 a month sounds about right, IF I count school books, Amazon, phone bills and clothing purchases IN that amount, since I don’t think I want to have access to my parents’ credit card.
My parents wanted to add 50 dollars that’ll remain in the account and will be carried forward each month for absolute emergencies, in case they can’t transfer money at a moment’s notice. We also agreed that I should try out with that amount for a few months and we’ll adjust it accordingly if need be, whether it’s too much or too little, but I think this is more than enough to get by, with a little extra for the occasional Starbucks (omg we don’t get the pumpkin spice latte here so I can’t wait to try it!)
To any internationals reading in the same situation as me: I’ll update in a couple months (if I remember lol…) and let you know if it’s the right amount, so you can use this as a rough guide.
