<p>Can some of you experienced parents give me some financial guidelines? How much spending money does a freshman need to have if they are on the meal plan and going to a University which has campus life but is also a quick bus ride to a city? Don't include "set up costs" such as books and getting the dorm room outfitted. Just think about day to day expenses and entertainment/leisure expenses. I've heard the figure of $200 a month. Does that sound in the ballpark?</p>
<p>roughly $1000</p>
<p>if you are male.</p>
<p>expenses:
pay for girlfriend expenses
food
electronics
clothes
etc</p>
<p>If you search the Parent Forum, you will find numerous discussions on this topic. With opinions all over the map. From "I don't give them anything; they earn their own spending money" to $400 or more/month. My observation is that $200/month is the most common amount. We, personally, give less than that. Everyone's mileage appears to vary.</p>
<p>I think $200 a month is reasonable. But we are thinking along the lines of D getting a part time job for spending money. $1,000 - haha - wish I had that for 'spending money' a month.</p>
<p>My son said that he spent more than necessary his first semester b/c he needed to purchase some one time ticket items (ie: a cushion for the chair at his desk). I agree that $200/month is enough b/c my son says that he can live on $30 per week (he really spends a bit more, and is in a rural area). He earned his pocket money by working the last 2 summers and banking it.</p>
<p>Variables that I am considering, not yet mentioned: laundry, coffee/tea if not supplied by dorm/housing, extra meals if they miss the dorm mealtime, school activities ie plays-dances-sports-movies, computer/internet if not supplied by school, ecs such as community volunteer work...whether school is urban or more remote could be a factor also</p>
<p>It's interesting how these things differ between families. My family is from Europe, where it's pretty much expected of a student to become financially independent after graduating from high school (at a few months shy of 18, in my case). My parents helped me fill out the financial aid forms, but I'm not sure that they expect to contribute any money to my college tuition, let alone allowances or spending money... not because they're stingy, but because it simply isn't a part of their culture. The most I can reasonably expect would be a few gift certificates to my favorite clothing stores for my birthday and Christmas, and perhaps a few appliances (mini fridge and the like).</p>
<p>It's daunting, I guess, but I'll wait to panic until the financial aid packages start coming in. Suffice it to say that I expect to work quite a bit during my undergrad years. :eek:</p>
<p>we didnt give our D spending money.
Her work study job ( 8 hrs week) gave her enough money for personal expenses- we did set up an account at bookstore for emergency type items and books, although we also found books online
I think if you really want to help them out and they have room & board paid for- $80 would be plenty.
My D also worked summers- but all of that money went towards her EFC.
it really depends on the area- D lives in a city- and her college had many free entertainment opportunities, and she shopped at "the bins"</p>
<p>With emeraldkity on this one. Kids' spending money is generated by work-study, their summer employment and outside scholarships. DD also recently visited her scholarship/financial aid office with the intent of increasing her merit award at an OOS public. (Yeah right) She had her documentation - Dean's List (4.0), D1 athlete not on athletic scholarship, very, very visible on college campus and sure enough they re-did her aid award (again) and she now has more up-front money with less work study. Although her work-study job is great for med school/apps so she is keeping that one for all 4 years.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>The issue of how much spending money really depends on the school and location. If you're attending a school in a major city, expect to spend more. If you're attending a school where few kids are on financial aid, expect to spend more (even if your kid is one of the kids on financial aid). If you're attending a school with frats/sororities, and your child is interested in joining one, expect to spend more.</p>
<p>On the other hand, my daughter sold her much-beloved horse in order to earn her "spending money" for college. We were shocked to discover over Christmas that she had spent all of $150 her ENTIRE first semester (that's 13 weeks!) on personal expenses/entertainment! We assured her that it was OK to spend more and not deny herself but she made it clear that she really has NO NEED to spend more because most of the activities on campus are either free or very low cost, she doesn't drink or take illicit substances, there are free movie nights for students at the local cinema, she's found the local 99 cent store for snacks and personal items, she loves the 50 cent bargain days at the local thrift store, and her only real indulgence is chipping in $2.00 for Pizza delivery with her friends on Sunday nights.</p>
<p>Now, I can predict with great accuracy that my son, the spendthrift, would not get by on $150 a semester, let alone a month (or, God forbid, a week) even if he went to school in the most remote place on the planet. He'll find ways to spend money where ever he is. So, it also depends very much on the kid. :)</p>
<p>We ddin't "give" our S any "spending money." That said, his grandparents have generously given him a large cash gift every semester (which he deposits & has not spent). He also has all the money from his summer job, grad gifts & Eagle Scout gifts in his college checking account, where mostly it all just sits. He has spent a few dollars here & there--gifts for us & his aunt & books. He has never been a spender & still isn't. We purchased pretty much all his "set up" stuff & his student card to get him into all school sports events. He lives on campus & has a meal plan that allows him 10 meals/week + $510/semester. There is a bus/shuttle that costs only $.25 that he has caught from time to time to get into LA to explore. </p>
<p>When he's living in an apartment next year, not sure how his expenses will change, but will see. $200/month sounds pretty generous to me, if the student has a full meal plan (food can be a major expense).</p>
<p>Our kids earn their own spending money. That way THEY determine how much to spend and earn. Bottom line is that they spend LESS when it is their earnings...and more when it comes from us. DS goes to college in an expensive urban area. DD goes to one of those expensive schools with many kids with more money than she has. Both spend an average of $25 per week...some weeks nothing...other weeks $75. And we also asked that our kids pay for their own textbooks which they do from their summer earnings. Oh...DS now lives in an off campus apartment. We DO give him food money (we agreed to pay his room and board for four years). We send his rent plus about $175 per month...and that pays his 1/4 of the utilities and buys food.</p>
<p>Yea, long ago, we learned that the best way to keep our kids spending in check when we went on vacations was to give them each a lump sum & tell them that was their spending money for the entire vacation. They could spend it or save it as they chose. Inevitably, S would save nearly all or all of his money & D would spend most of it. They did spend more carefully since it was "their" money & not "bank of mom & dad."</p>
<p>My parents haven't given me spending money since I turned fourteen and was old enough to get a job. I'm in a city, but I need to take public transportation to get downtown. If I exclude set up costs (food, books, and things like transportation where I buy a pass at the start of the year), I spend $5, maybe $10, a week. Often I spend nothing. If I go downtown with my friends, I'll spend maybe $25, but we spend most nights on campus. If you're spending significantly more than this, you're either being irresponsible with your money or buying alcohol or drugs. Frankly, girls rarely need to buy their own alcohol, which cuts down my personal spending. I think providing college students with $50/week for spending money is entirely unnecessary.</p>
<p>Hmmm, I just realized after reading HImom's post that I could have predicted my older kids spending habits years ago if I judged them by how fast/slow they ate their Halloween candy. My daughter got far more candy then her brothers because she eats chocolate and nuts. My older son doesn't eat either, young son likes chocolate and will tolerate nuts. None of my kids are huge candy eaters and daughters Halloween candy would last probably a month. Older son would have his candy until Valentines day, maybe even Easter because he would hoard it. Young son puts his in a bowl for my husband and I to share with him!</p>
<p>On to college - daughter and older son both have campus jobs of about 10 hours a week. Daughter breaks even, doesn't really touch her savings from summer job. Son spends next to nothing and had 44 meals left on meal plan at the end of the semester, deposits several paychecks when he comes home for winter break.</p>
<p>D is pretty frugal with spending money. Maybe $30 a week including dry cleaning.</p>
<p>Cur; dry cleaning. That's where the kid throws the clothes over the chair and sprays a little febreeze on them, right? A few hours later, dry and ready to wear again! ;)</p>
<p>I about fell over also... Dry cleaning. When she lived at home, my D was real fussy about laundry and changing clothes several times a day. College changed that. She can somehow now wear the same pair of jeans for weeks. I am sure she has not used a dry cleaning service.</p>
<p>Hah. My son on the west coast is unbelievably thrifty. He told us that they had been eating a lot of cakes lately because they had cake mix on sale at Ralph's, 10 for $10, so naturally they bought 10. They buy rice in 20 pound sacks.</p>
<p>He lives in an off-campus apt with five other guys, all engineering students. I think they try to outdo each at being efficient, self-sufficient and cost-effective. </p>
<p>Where they are located, cargo shorts, sandals and t-shirts are year-round attire, and now a Junior S has built up an incredible collection of give-away t-shirts in the school colors. That's all he wears. We bought him a couple new pair of tan cargo shorts over winter break, when we saw how raggy some of them are.</p>
<p>Now, the joke is, I would be happy to send him money any time, but he seems determined not to ask for any. He has a non-athletic, school extracurricular activity that has a nice feature of spinning off cash payments and free meals. His FA for off-campus living spits out a cash refund at the beginning of each semester, and between that and his cash gigs, he doesn't need any "spending money" from me.</p>
<p>This subject of spending money has come up on numerous threads as noted above. I will say, the decision about where the spending money comes from and how much is an individual family decision. What works well for my family and kids may not work for others. Still....it's nice to have some opinions!!</p>