<p>Has anyone tried to calculate how much, if any, they save when a kid is away at college? I'm thinking of things like food, hot water, electricity, gas, high school fees, music lessons, etc. I'm trying to get at how much new costs there are versus just a shift in costs. For example, how much of a college's "room & board" can I say is offset by a reduction in my weekly grocery bill?</p>
<p>whatever savings I have are FAR surpassed by what it cost to send the kid to school, put a roof over his head there and food in his stomache. He’s in NYC and not on a food plan anymore. I give him the cash equivalent of a 19 meal per week plan, nearly 4k for the school year. </p>
<p>OTOH, I do WAY less laundry and do use less utilities, but if the annual savings was more than 500 on that I would be surprised. My food costs for myself are $40 wk, vs the $130 wk my son gets while he’s in school.</p>
<p>I’m getting a new roof and that costs less than feeding my son at school.</p>
<p>The real savings start when he graduates and gets a job. When the phone bill is in HIS name. I may have this thing called disposable income. I’ve heard it exists, but I’ve never had any</p>
<p>Two are out of the house, one will leave in August & son will be here with H & myself. Maybe the heat, electric, & grocery bill will go down! I just never really saw it with the older two gone, maybe because heating oil, food & gasoline keeps going up! Then again, D2 graduates & doesn’t have a job lined up, so she may be living here. I don’t think there are going to be any big savings until Son goes off to college in Fall 2010 & that would only be if no one else has moved back in!</p>
<p>We have really saved this year with three of them out of the house. Our electric bill has gone waaay down, the gasoline bill is much better (and there is always gas in the tank, imagine!!). Also I buy far less in detergent, soap, toothpaste, shampoo and other sundries. I don’t think I bought much at all as I buy in bulk, large sizes, and it just is lasting a long time for us. </p>
<p>S1 is home for a visit this week, and the food, drink is disappearing. Did a few loads of clothes, gave him a few bucks to pick up some stuff at the grocery store and he added some extras (had the grace to call and ask) . He was flat broke so if we did anything, it was from my pocketbook, and though we didn’t do anything extravagent, yes, we did spend some money. And I had to fill up the tank an extra time. Not to mention dropping him off tomorrow will be another tankful of gas, at least. Plus the milk and OJ disappears very quickly. He’s awful about lights so I’m sure he cost us that way, plus another one taking showers each days, nice long ones. I’m glad to see him, glad he is here, but, yes, he certainly does cost us money. Multiply that by 3 and it is a nice savings. I know my grocery bills have dropped a lot. Certainly not enough to make a big dent in the college costs, but it is a bit of a savings.</p>
<p>$50/week when my son left… negligible when my daughter left. Partly because my son was always more of a homebody – so if he’s home, he eats (a lot) in the house – whereas daughter was always out & about, eating over at somebody else’s house.</p>
<p>I’m looking forward to a decrease of $3000 right off the top in sports fees for next year when D goes to college. Actually, she stopped her activity last month and it’s already a relief! Plus, the daily “mommy please get me…” lists will go away - that’s at least $15/week - thank goodness there’s a drugstore on campus and she’ll be responsible for her own sundries. :)</p>
<p>Oh yes, the EC fees. Senior year for each kid was particularly expensive. Of course we want the senior pictures, they should go to senior activities like prom, trips, etc. It can really add up. Not to mention the costs of applying to colleges and visiting them, and all of the test fees. </p>
<p>Although my college freshman was active on campus, he paid for everything out of pocket, but he feels that the costs of activities is very reasonable at his school. Not like high school in the NYC area where even a night at the movies is expensive. Also, he is working about 12 hours a week, and that gives him plenty of pocket money. </p>
<p>Am writing checks for sports camps for the two younger ones this summer. So far I’ve only committed them to the pretty much mandatory ones associated with their school teams. Still expensive. I would love to sign the youngest up for some great enrichment programs that his friends are in, but the costs are really up there. And next year my high schooler is going to be a junior which marks the start of the college costs. I also have to start getting their tuition planned out. Sigh. Yes, you do save on a college student in that area. My college kid is not doing any activity that costs money this summer. He’ll be working 3 jobs to MAKE money as he is determined to pay his part of the college costs without borrowing next year or junior year, and also has his eye on some programs that he wants for the summer after next. He is planning to make enough money this summer and during the school year so that he can be free next summer and pay for some program himself as he fully knows what we are trying to do in the big family picture.</p>
<p>That’s right! Totally forgot about how cheap tickets to venues are through the college vs. these $100-200 HS trips…I may go crazy and take myself out to dinner once a month, lol!</p>