<p>Any guidance on a middle of the road amount of spending money for freshmen? I appreciate that there is a meal plan and it looks like many sporting events are free. Take out books from the equation....what kinds of things are there to spend money on and how much a semester is reasonable.</p>
<p>Biggest thing will be laundry. Also if you plan on doing things in or around Nashville, you might want to set aside some money for that (cabs, admission, etc.). Other than that you shouldn’t have many expenses. I think I got by on $200 or less.</p>
<p>the fuller meal plan required for freshman keeps them eating at the Commons a lot which is a pleasant fate actually. In the following years, you can reduce your meal plan and supplement more with off campus food which is quite plentiful and easy to get</p>
<p>I gave my freshman son $750 per semester. He felt that he needed more…</p>
<p>depends on what you’re doing at Vanderbilt. I know kids that who eat in the dining hall all the time and spend very little money. However if you enjoy going out to bars and clubs, shopping, and going out to dinner around nashville, $400 is the minimum. Also taxis eat commodore cash.</p>
<p>We put $500 her her commodore card the first year to cover laundry, incidentals, etc. She had saved about $2,000 from a summer job so that she was able to budget $200 a month for her own spending money (buying stuff, going out, etc.). She did a good job of maintaining that. While she does have a few friends with limited means, there are many more who are freely charging whatever they want on their parent’s credit cards.</p>
<p>My d’s financial situation was similar to that of minoafrau’s d. The cost of everything has gone up since my d was a freshman in 2005, but we found that $500 was an acceptable amount on her Commodore card, and her summer income covered her entertainment and other discretionary stuff.</p>
<p>As a junior and senior, she had a part-time on-campus job at the front desk in one of the dorms. I was skeptical at first, but it coincided with her best years GPA-wise. And there’s never a problem finding something to spend money on at Vandy, or in Nashville.</p>
<p>When I wrote my above post, I thought you were asking how much per month, not per semester. Spending money per semester will be much higher than $400/month. As a current student, I would say at least $1,000 on your commodore card and upwards of $400 in cash. You will see very quickly that there are many kids without a budget or have a very high budget. These kids typically live a different lifestyle and when they spend that amount of money it isn’t about indulging, it’s more about maintaining. I am lucky enough to not have to worry about money while in college, and it’s very easy to spend said amount. The restaurants and shops in Hillsboro Village (a walk down from the Commons) range from moderate to expensive. Cabs eat your money, $1.00 fee per extra person in the cab plus a running meter. Random purchases such as a new video game, opening a netflix account, posters, funny items that are relevant to your friend group, will cost money. If you drink, alcohol, of course is expensive. Donations, activities with your Dorm, food. These all add up! So think about your lifestyle and make a good estimate.</p>
<p>Apparently I am much more thrifty than I realized…</p>
<p>My parents would have killed me if I spent over $400/month.</p>
<p>Another way to estimate expenses is to look at Vanderbilt’s “cost of attendance” for 2011-2012. They report “books and supplies” at $1344, and “personal expenses” at $2318/year. I don’t know what is included in “personal expenses”. Here’s the link: </p>
<p>[Estimated</a> Costs for 2011-2012 | Office of Financial Aid | Vanderbilt University](<a href=“http://www.vanderbilt.edu/financialaid/costs.php]Estimated”>Costs: On-Campus or Off-Campus | Office of Financial Aid | Vanderbilt University)</p>
<p>Estimated Costs for 2011-2012<em>|</em>Office of Financial Aid<em>|</em>Vanderbilt University</p>
<p>My D was downright frugal! 
We put maybe $100 on her card each semester … she only used it for laundry & a couple other things. As far as spending money, she didn’t need all that much. She went to the grocery store & bought food she liked - kept it in her dorm fridge - and she always seemed to have plenty of rollover meal money to use for off campus food (even had to get gift cards with the leftover money). She went to free and inexpensive concerts/events. </p>
<p>Of course, we have always been careful with money, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. D’s friends had similar values & found plenty to do without spending a bunch of money. That is not to say that they never spent any … but they were careful with money & didn’t spend a lot, IMO. </p>
<p>I guess it depends on the student and his/her group of friends.</p>
<p>I am not including books in spending money. Book expenses vary, and if you can buy them used that is the way to go. We got some great deals … then D would sell them after the term was over & use the money for spending money the next term.</p>