<p>I apologize if this has been asked before. Trying to get an idea of what my D will need in spending money during her first year at college. She'll have some money from grad gifts, work, savings and I'm sure I and my ex will supplement (OK - I know I am going to have to negotiate here with the ex - perhaps, main purpose of this exercise! : ) ). But I want to get an idea of what type of things they spend $ on, including just some extra cash to have some fun. She is going to a small college, in a small town. I expect most activities will be on campus (closest airport and train are 1 1/2 hours away). She expects to join the outing club and I would expect that there will be some costs associated with weekend or day trips. </p>
<p>What would you estimate for the following? What else should I consider, excluding tuition and books?</p>
<p>food/snacks (in addition to full meal plan):
laundry:
social activities - movies, concerts, parties:
travel home (OK, I know I need to figure this out on my own; she's going 9 hours away, she won't be coming home much!)</p>
<p>My friend gave her son $150/mo. He goes to a similar type school. He doesn't spend it all and is saving some each month for when he will travel during breaks and semester abroad. Have no idea if there is a difference in what girls and boys spend and what this particular boy spends his money on.</p>
<p>Any insight will be helpful. I know there will be big differences based on the kid, where she is at school, etc. Just trying to wrap my head around this!</p>
<p>My D’s meal plan allowed for an average of 14 meals per week. She got about $300 per month for additional food, toiletries, Metro fare (in NYC), and socializing. She is not much of a party-goer or clubber. Because she was required to attend many shows as a theatre major and some of these are pretty big tickets, we provided some additional funds for that as well as art supplies, etc. We started her out with additional funds for setting up her room.</p>
<p>Sorry KLM, but this is one that you will probably need to figure out as you go along. It just depends too much on your daughter. My daughter is a senior at this point and has had a part time job for the past year or so, but during her first year and a half we sent money on a regular basis, probably in the area of $150 - $200 per month. It seems that as soon as we sent some, 90% of it would be gone and she would limp along until the next “installment” arrived. She never really figured out how to pace her spending.</p>
<p>If I sent my son $150 a month he would have to decide what to do with the leftover $145 at the end of the month. Just doesn’t go through money the way his sister does.</p>
<p>People can tell you what they have done but in the end it is going to depend on your daughter and her spending habits. The good news is you and your daughter will figure out how the game is played within a few months of starting college. From there it is nothing more than helping them decide how they want to manage their assetts.</p>
<p>My son had the most expensive meal plan because he does eat breakfast most of the time. I knew that he would at the very least get his morning cup of coffee (a gourmet brand of coffee is offered at my son’s school as part of the mean plan and there are about 5-7 different flavor choices each day)!</p>
<p>My son does have laundry costs included in this R&B so he does not need a budget for that and I loaded him up on laundry detergent so he would not purchase this at the bookstore at an inflated price.</p>
<p>I paid for travel home, and he came home twice and we visited him twice so I am not including those costs.</p>
<p>He saved $2000 from graduation gifts and PT summer work. He spent every dime of that, but this ALSO covered fraternity dues. He also had work study and earned about $160 per month. This was enough, but we did send a small (I do mean small) amount of money every now and then (ie: when we knew he had a date that week we helped him a few times).</p>
<p>The most expensive cost was his fraternity dues, but worth every cent since he is very happy with Greek life.</p>
<p>What does she spend like now? Are you going to stock her up with a semesters worth of toiletries when she gets on campus, or will she have to pick up things as she needs them? Is she planning on going Greek? Is she going to a different type of weather than she’s used to at home, where she may need to purchase new clothing items as the year goes on?</p>
<p>My D spent far less when on campus than she did while home in HS; probably around $100/month. Her BFF who is in a big city spend lots more than she did in HS, but there were lots of things to do and lots of places to shop ;)</p>
<p>Hahahaha! Sorry, I only laugh cause it gets asked a LOT on CC and usually people fall into the “we give our children bags of money!” or “We don’t give our kids a cent, unlike your pampered, lazy spawn.” </p>
<p>The real answer is that this varies widely by school, location, and income level. I can say that when I was in college, $100-200 could stretch very far, often for multiple months. For girls, you’re going to have some expenses boys do not (certain toiletries, for example). Girls will also probably do their laundry more often and have more of it. If you expect her to be saving some of her spending money, then you’ll have to adjust for that, or she will. </p>
<p>For flights home, that’s going to vary a lot depending on when you buy. I like to use Kayak to search for fares and then check with Bing.com whcih has a fare predictor that will give you some idea if fares are likely to go up or down from their current prices. </p>
<p>You might try starting her out with a certain amount, like say $100-200, keep in mind that the first month or two of school is usually the most expensive, especially if you want her to use her spending money to buy things she’ll need to stock up her dorm room. Pretty soon, you’ll get an idea if she needs more or less. </p>
<p>A college student on a meal plan, without a car, can do a lot on $40 a week, or even less if they don’t go out to eat that much.</p>
<p>That’s about the size of it, though! People who give, justify. People who don’t can feel all superior about it. FWIW, we’re in the “unlike your pampered, lazy spawn” category. But, I can say, if the kids needed to fly home, I would certainly be buying plane tickets. </p>
<p>Seriously, it’s all so individual. I don’t know that you’ll be able to get even a ballpark by asking here.</p>
<p>I go through about $100-200 a month not counting books (which I pay for) or the meal plan (which I don’t pay for), but I spend money I’ve made through jobs and awards (my parents don’t send me any money except for coming home). I’d imagine my parents would want me to spend less than I do, though. Most of my money goes to snacks and laundry, though I do rarely go out to the movies. Not drinking alcohol or coffee saves quite a bit of money, though…</p>
<p>My plan is to let my daughter have access to her savings account. It is somewhere between $1000-2000 This is where we have put her gift money over the years. It will be her spending money for the year. She is responsible for “refilling” it by working over breaks. I will pay for travel home and books and initial dorm supplies. This is how it worked for me and it worked well. I don’t think she will blow it as she is very careful about spending her own money (unlike mine) and it will give her the incentive to work over the summer.</p>