<p>how much would students, esp. those from OOS, spend on personal expenses? personal expenses for me would be toiletries, medicines, food (not part of meal plan or not covered prepaid account), bedding, and electronics</p>
<p>Well Siglio, a lot of that expense is front loaded into the months before you move in. There’s a lot of variability. Some people will take advantage of the dorm & bedding items on clearance right now at Target & Bed, Bath & Beyond and have that in hand almost a year before they move in. Others will go to a high end store like Anthropologie and pay full retail for trendy bedding. So that category could probably run from $100-$1000+</p>
<p>My D got her laptop with her scholarship but she did pick up a printer ($100.) She stocked up on toiletries & OTC medicines before she left too, hopefully enough for the semester so that was probably another $100. She’s spent less than $50 this semester on non-meal plan or dining dollars meals but she has also been making biweekly trips to Publix that run about $20.</p>
<p>She’s spent far less than I thought she would.</p>
<p>Reading [Estimated</a> Semester Budget](<a href=“http://cost.ua.edu/undergraduate-budget.html]Estimated”>http://cost.ua.edu/undergraduate-budget.html) , I see that UA estimates (in note #7) that the estimated semester budget includes roughly $3000 for travel and expenses ($6,000 for the year). Luckily, this is the area where you have a large amount of discretion in lowering your costs. Assuming three roundtrips home per year at $500 roundtrip including airport shuttle and $50 per week spending money for 32 weeks of school, you’d spend $3,100 for the school year. Add in the cost of electronics (laptop, printer, iPod, etc.), (which you don’t have to buy each year) and you’re still under $4,000. I would place a strong note that these costs are very dependent on what you plan to be doing in terms of off-campus activities (eating out, concerts, etc.) and how much money you’ll be spending on food.</p>
<p>As a non-freshman student on a smaller meal plan who doesn’t use dining dollars, I’d say that I spend $2,500-$3,000 a year on personal expenses (including electronics and things for my dorm) and and $1,750 a year on travel.</p>
<p>the way i figured it was a lot of the personal expenses are things that we had been paying for anyway, so they are not really additional expenses. and even a good portion of their eating money … we have been paying to feed her at home/take her out to dinner. now we pay that to a meal plan so we save some on her not eating with us but spend money to feed her at school.</p>
<p>we are using free tickets and mileage to fly her home.</p>
<p>if you want to save some $$ pick up dorm stuff now when it is on clearance or when you find it on sale like rob said. you can spend as much or as little as you want on that stuff.</p>
<p>thank you guys!..would driving (parents) from CA to AL be cheaper than flying there? i know that’s true if i go to a school in the west…</p>
<p>i dont have a car, so i guess that makes things easier on my budget?</p>
<p>ps i am a HS senior now…so im not gonna be in college until next year! :)</p>
<p>To help with your expenses, you can ask for items for Christmas, birthday or graduation. </p>
<p>For my nephew’s high school graduation, I got this huge box. Inside, I placed a set of extra large sheets, a blanket, a set of towels, some new polos, some cleaning supplies, a laundry bag and various school supplies. He loved it, and yes, he is using that stuff this fall. I’ve also sent him a care package with all kinds of neat little stuff – his school is just 45 minutes from his home, but I wanted him to feel like all the other kids when they go to the post office and get a box from home.</p>
<p>So do not hesitate to ask Aunt So and So for linens. Or you could ask for a gift card to particular stores so you can pick out what you want and need. </p>
<p>As for the food portion, again, it’s a matter of your tastes. My son learned to like PB & J this year. Some nights when he’s insanely busy, that’s dinner.</p>
<p>Siglio: I’ve been assuming that you’re a guy…is that true? The reason I ask is because expenses (especially start up costs) are usually a little less for a guy because they don’t care as much about the bedding, etc. I strongly suggest stopping at Target & BB&B in the next week or two. I saw comforter sets (twin xl) marked down to $25. You know you’re going to need that no matter where you go; same with things like dishware sets (I bought d a 5 piece set last fall with a plate, bowl and fork, knife & spoon for $2.25.) Besides getting a good deal, you’re also spreading the cost over time so it’s not as painful.</p>
<p>As for the travel, that really depends. If you can fly via Southwest and watch for good deals, it might be a wash financially when you factor in parent time away from work, hotel rooms on the journey, etc. Southwest is also pretty generous with the amount of luggage you can take without paying. We drive so I’ll leave the experienced long distance parents to answer this part</p>
<p>We live in PA but flew to Alabama from VA (family reunion) via Southwest (no-fee luggage, 50 lbs. max/bag). There were three of us and we allotted 6 check-in bags (300 lbs.) for son’s things. H and I had a small carry on bag for the 2-night stay in Tuscaloosa. After calculating UPS/Fedex fees to ship large boxes, it came out cheaper to buy small but bulky items like wastebaskets and bulletin boards, breakable items such as plates and glasses, and paper products (tissues, paper towels, toilet tissue, napkins) in Tuscaloosa, rather than buying them on sale at home over a few months time and adding on the UPS fee to ship it there. </p>
<p>Larger items such as comforters/pillows/linens/towels were compressed in space bags and placed in check-in bags. We also compressed sweaters and a jacket to save space. Other things we brought from home were medicines and school supplies that were on sale over the summer. Because there was enough room between the 6 bags, he also brought toiletries and cleaning supplies. Printer was purchased online through Amazon and shipped free to Alabama. </p>
<p>While Target, Walmart, Sams Club were like a zoo when we were there, we had no problem finding the last few items we did not bring from home. In addition, we bought a small foldable hand truck at Home Depot in anticipation for large packages that son will have difficulty getting back to the dorm. </p>
<p>Before we left, we stocked up his pantry with cereal, drinks, hearty soups (emergency dinner), packaged fruit, cookies, etc. We got a Brita pitcher so he didn’t need to buy bottled water and brought a small thermos from home so he can bring water on the go. Stocked up fridge with yogurt, juices, milk since he is on the Silver dining plan (2 meals a day) and eats breakfast in his suite. </p>
<p>Son’s largest expense was the purchase of a bike and related expenses (tools, lubricant, etc). His daily expenses are minimal: laundry, occasional off-campus dining where Bama cash is not accepted, a book or two that were initially out of stock for his classes. As Rob mentioned, he is a guy and is content with the basics, so he does not need much. We find that he does not seem to spend much at all.</p>
<p>Another way to handle going from CA to Alabama with what you’ll need and you don’t want to spend a lot to ship; we saved a good amount checking stores clearance sections and when they offered free shipping we placed our order. This will have to wait until summer so Paty is set up to receive it but we had no trouble finding good deals.</p>
<p>Some people will take advantage of the dorm & bedding items on clearance right now at Target & Bed, Bath & Beyond and have that in hand almost a year before they move in.</p>
<p>YES!!! Right now there are a lot of “dorm items” on clearance at various stores…Target, Wal-Mart, BBB, Penneys, etc.</p>
<p>I had a lot of my kids’ stuff bought well in advance.</p>
<p>Also, some kids use their graduation money to buy stuff or ask for dorm stuff for bdays and other holidays. </p>
<p>Socal2bama’s shipping advice is good for things that you’ll be buying next July or so. :)</p>
<p>As for personal expenses…</p>
<p>Each kid is different. I have one son who is very frugal and eats most meals in the Dining Halls. I have another who only eats in the Dining halls a few times a week. </p>
<p>Both my kids have part-time campus jobs (tutoring) to pay for their extra expenses.</p>
<p>can freshmen tutor?</p>
<p>As RobD said, you could start shopping now. Target currently has of its dorm stuff on clearance for 50-75% off. Keep your eye out for good sales and have a place to store your “finds” until you are packing them for college.</p>
<p>You live far enough away from Alabama that it makes more sense to fly. This year, I ended up shipping 3 25-30 pound boxes of stuff (shipping was less than $100 total), and flew to Alabama by myself with 2 checked bags ($40-$60) and my laptop. The Publix (grocery store) near campus sells most essentials at reasonable prices and there will be a student night at Target where you can pick up anything else you still need. </p>
<p>I’m not sure about CA, but Southwest’s schedules (and often its prices) don’t work well for me flying to Seattle, particularly since Southwest doesn’t offer redeye flights. </p>
<p>I understand the need to control costs as much as possible, but I urge you to remember that sometimes it is worth paying a little extra money in order to make your life easier/more comfortable.</p>
<p>Yes…freshmen can tutor…</p>
<p>However, with your AP credits, you may start Bama as a sophomore anyway. </p>
<p>As long as you have AP credit or course credit with a good grade (I think like a B+ or better), you can tutor the class.</p>
<p>There is a campus jobs website available through myBama. Many of the jobs are only for work-study students. However, I got a job at the Housing office that was not work-study a couple of years ago through the site.</p>
<p>[Student</a> Employment - The University of Alabama](<a href=“http://jobs.ua.edu/student-employment/index.html]Student”>http://jobs.ua.edu/student-employment/index.html)</p>
<p>Bama tutoring jobs are not work-study. :)</p>
<p>if start as a sophomore, would scholarship still apply for four years? and would i still be able to do freshmen seminars etc?</p>
<p>how much are tutors paid?</p>
<p>As a parent of an OOS student who lives farther away than most, we decided that our son would fly to Bama for Outdoor Action and we would would drive all his stuff to college. If you live really far away, you may want to think in terms of four years. If you do this (like we did) there was a lot to transport. Anything that is currently in his dorm will remain in storage over the summers. This will make the following years a lot easier if you do not live near campus or have a car to run to Target etc, as needed. Consequently, this can make your first year a little more expensive.</p>
<p>Siglio, I can’t remember what scholarship you qualify for. I’m not sure if they’re all the same but my D’s is for 8 semesters. She came in with 25 credits (so a little short of sophomore status) but she is taking 2 freshman honors seminars. I think that since so many honors kids come in with generous credits, that the classes labeled “freshman” should really be thought of as “first year.”</p>
<p>Does applying for work-study affect your ability to get academic scholarships?</p>