how much spending money do you spend in one semester?

<p>besides tuition, travel expenses, textbooks, meal plan etc...how much do you spend on everything else per semester?</p>

<p>what other options does that leave?</p>

<p>out to dinner?
movies?
alcohol?
concerts?</p>

<p>... I think that's about it.</p>

<p>Basically, not counting the stuff you said not to count, you can very easily spend very little money (or no money) over an entire semester.</p>

<p>$100-$200 would probably be pretty reasonable.</p>

<p>Ha, funny, funny! I don't drink and I spent more than that. I spent $300-$400 first semester. You'll see movies, eat out, go to parties (even if you aren't drinking, there is usually a fee to get in, especially if it's a frat/sorority party), buy presents for christmas and peoples' birthdays, buy clothes for you on occassion. There are also other things that come up that will cost money. I don't think I could have gotten through first semester on less than $300 if I had been forced to!</p>

<p>I somehow spent over $1200 on non-school related stuff. $200 was for an iPod, and I spent about $100 getting to NYC and splitting a hotel with friends...but other than that, I have no idea where my money went, but it was such as waste, and I'm mad at myself for it, though I know some went to laundry. But since it was free money (scholarship), and I get another stipend this semester, I'm not going to dwell on it.</p>

<p>But yeah, I'm definitely planning on spending a lot less and keeping track of my money this semester. Gotta save up for plane tickets (thinking about heading to the Philippines next winter with a friend).</p>

<p>I spend alot per semester, but I still manage to save. </p>

<p>(Yes. It is possible.)</p>

<p>I only buy snacks, and pay the cover for this club I go to every once in awhile, + a few movies. Not much at all.</p>

<p>I spent about $250 during my last 10-week trimester, including about $75 worth of gifts. This was basically all spent on groceries (I had a full meal plan, but I love to cook) occasional fun stuff from Target, and eating out a few times.</p>

<p>I think $300-$400 is a good estimate. Of course, I'm a girl so it tends to be on the higher side...prob around $500. You'd be surprised at how many different things just seem to come up...and you think you can get away with spending very little but it's hard. Especially if you have a car...then it's gas...plus all the places you're going. And Target runs...Target runs kill me.</p>

<p>You know what's sad, I go to school in New York and I can easily spend 50-100 a week, guess thats the price you pay to live in New York :)</p>

<p>yeah....i ran through 200 in under 2 weeks, and i only ate out for lunch and the occasional coffee (plus a video game or 2 :D )</p>

<p>I probably spent about $400 last semester, which basically included seeing a few shows, going to Walmart for food/makeup/cleaning supplies/etc, going to IHOP and Pei Wei twice each, and a couple movie tickets. It's the ink for my printer that killed me more than anything else - $20 a pop! Plus my printer is having problems...</p>

<p>Of course, then there's another $450 for sorority dues, too...</p>

<p>All I can tell you is...WAY TOO MUCH.</p>

<p>It really depends...one semester, i spent a little over 700$, but about 300$ of that was on clothes/shopping. Going out to movies/parties/clubs/concerts/dinner/booze etc took up the remaining 400, and I can easily spend 60-80$ one weekend, or just 15$. </p>

<p>This semester, I'm trying to spend under 300$ though, which I think I can definitely accomplish as long as I don't shop (aka only shop with my parents when I'm home so they can pay for my stuff)</p>

<p>As you can see, you can clearly get by on very little money. You can also very easily spend a lot of money.</p>

<p>I'm tentatively planning on going to Euro 2008 + travel around Europe for awhile the summer after I graduate. So that requires saving. But it's not really an issue for me, I just don't seem to have many material needs. If you don't buy things unless you need them, you'll find you don't have to spend much.</p>

<p>Let me see here:</p>

<p>Gas: I usually use $50-$65 or so worth of gas per month. That does vary with prices, and if I'm making more trips than usual I will also use more. But in general I don't spend over $65 on gas per month. That gives me $260 for gas, which is a little less than one month's paycheck. (Gas isn't that expensive no matter what people say)</p>

<p>Food: The big advantage to living at home is that you can mooch off your mom. Hint: go grocery shopping for her. Since I have my own little place in the basement I occasionally will buy a thing or two but usually it all goes on my mom's bill. I really only eat out if I'm coming from work and am short on time, and my food for the month bills usually come to $25 counting groceries, candy, gum, and restaraunts. That makes $100 per semester.</p>

<p>Entertainment: Again, I play it smart. I ask for Pirates gift cards for Christmas. With $100 to spend on Buccos tickets, I can see a good deal of games if I get relatively cheap seats. My buddies and I buy our tickets at the same time and really the only thing to pay for is parking or a bus. Buy peanuts on the street, they're cheap there. I don't see a lot of movies because I have a buddy who works at a video shop and he can get them for free for me on DVD. I don't drink alcohol so I save HUGE amounts of money. On average I'd say maybe $15 per month on entertainment, or $60 per semester.</p>

<p>Clothing: This is my Achilles' Heel. I am addicted to clothing. I'll usually spend $50-$100 per month depending on what I get. A few tees, a polo, a woven, some pants...you name it I buy at least one thing to wear per month on average. $300 is the semester average here.</p>

<p>Books: As part of an agreement, and due in part to his lack of support during my growing up years, my once-deadbeat dad contributes here. He pays for every book. Unless I want a novel to read, but in that case I usually just go to the library, which is free.</p>

<p>Gym: This is free with my tuition. And it's a pretty good gym too.</p>

<p>Other Expenses: Stuff like saw blades, turnpike fees, bus fares, pencils, legal pads, etc usually adds up to $25 per month or $100 per semester.</p>

<p>So that makes $820, if that. That's about two and a half paychecks, so I have some surplus left over. That goes into my extra pot that I use in the case of a car repair. The extra pot is a savings account that has a 2.4% interest rate. It's also where I dump bonuses, gifts, and extra money that I may get from tech support or other non-work jobs. This way I not only can get a set of brakes or a tranny flush (both of which I will be getting soon), but also can save for other stuff (like if I wanted a new computer).</p>

<p>I spent maybe $1500 last semester on non-school related stuff...non-meal plan food, some clothes, alcohol, entertainment, etc...</p>

<p>I spent over $800 in my first semester. A lot of things were not the typical things you would spend "spending money" on, though. I had to buy a new cell phone because I lost my old one ($100), I had to replace my friend's hoodie that I lost ($50). I sent my mom flowers on her birthday ($50). I get my eyebrows waxed once a month ($100 over 5 months) and I got a good haircut ($80 including tip). There's other unforseen nessecities I spent money on that I didn't include - those are just examples.</p>

<p>I definitely unestimated how much money you have to spend when you aren't at home to ask your parents to help you out. My parents gave me $200 of allowance a month and I spent every last drop. Because I didn't really grasp the things I would have to pay for, at the beginning of the semester I did a lot of Walmart runs and trips to the mall and bought snacks, makeup and things I didn't really need. I quickly learned that you need to be thrifty if you want to do enjoyable things. </p>

<p>I don't have a car, and neither do most of my friends, so if we want to go somewhere not within walking distance there is cabfare, something that can end up costing you more than it would to put gas in your car if you go off campus enough. If you do get someone to drive you, they will usually ask for gas money.</p>

<p>Alcohol is another cost. If you are a girl you can usually drink for free at frat parties or house parties, though many girls I know have a theory that you are paying anyway because of the expensive clothes and makeup you have to wear to fit in. But a lot of parties, there's a cover charge. And if you don't want to go to a big party to drink, you have to give someone who's 21 money to buy your alcohol - usually plus gas money for their trouble. </p>

<p>Little things like paying to get your ID replaced, laundry, eating when you missed the dining hall meals can really add up. I'm supposed to pay for my own laundry but I usually charge it onto my student account, which is tacked onto my tuition.</p>

<p>I was definitely frivolous with my money this semester - I just didn't manage it properly. I have to save for a car this upcoming semester so things are gonna change!</p>

<p>^Lucky. All of our washing machines are coin-operated.</p>

<p>I'm off meal plan, and I managed to only spend about $350 on food for the semester. Other than that, probably about $150 on alcohol (since I'm the only one of my friends with an ID, I usually buy and hardly ever get paid back), $100 on various things like clothes, dvds, movies. And then another $100 on Christmas presents.</p>

<p>Groceries: $75/mo * 4 mo/sem = $300 (cook about 1/2 of meals. Eat lunch on campus with off-campus meal plan, which is a ripoff at $600/sem.)
Books & supplies: $450 (could shave this down to $75 for readers and supplies if I used the library reserve copies of textbooks instead of buying my books)
Other: $30/wk * 15 wk/sem = $450 (laundry, toiletries, eating out, movies, transportation, haircuts, fun trips, etc.)</p>

<p>That's $1200 per semester in cash/cash-equivalent expenses. If I lived in the dorms with a meal plan and didn't count books & supplies as spending money, this would be about $250 per semester in spending money. The above budget includes eating out twice a week; with a full meal plan, I would eat out less.</p>