<p>I'm going to be a freshman at UMD this year and my parents and I are trying to figure out how much I should get for spending money. I'm coming to UMD with a full ride so while of course I'll be hoping to not spend too much money, a certain amount of spending should be totally fine. So I'm just wondering, how much do you tend to spend, per week or per month, on fun stuff at UMD and in the DC area? (one of my best friends is going to GW plus I'm a Gov major so I just love the vibe of the place, so I might be spending a lot of time in the city) I'll probably get a job when I get to campus (more for the experience than the money, though having extra money to either spend or save for grad school will definitely be a plus)but I don't want to work a lot of hours while I'm still getting settled in, and my parents are fine with giving me some sort of allowance since I chose the cheapest school. I have no idea how much spending is involved in college life, so I would love any input on how much people at UMD tend to spend on personal expenses while at school. Thanks for any advice that you have! :)</p>
<p>I’m just bringing my debit card and using my banks atm on rte 1 to get cashhhh, parents are paying for textbooks and most dorm stuff thank god. I’m a Gov major too and definitely hitting up DC for some funn.</p>
<p>CP is a relatively cheap place - once you get to DC, it will be a lot more expensive in terms of food, merchandise, etc. I would say $400 a month is plenty, if you go out every weekend to DC and get two meals a day there, plus some other purchases. In the beginning you’ll probably spend more, and then it’ll taper off…but on campus, it’s definitely cheaper so I’d budget even less for that!</p>