<p>Can any current students give me an average of what they spend a month on School supplies, dinners out, movies, laundry, toiletries..the basic living costs. </p>
<p>What amount would be 'just enough'?
what amount would be un-doable?
what amount would be comfortable?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>It depends on your living situation. If you live in the dorm, you’re spending will be considerably less than if you lived in an apartment. </p>
<p>If you live in a dorm, you have a meal plan which means you can use your IBUCKS to purchase meals and other small necessities. If you like to eat out, watch movies, and attend sporting events, I’d say anywhere from $50-$100 would be plenty to survive on. This number can easily go up if you do a lot of shopping and eat out every night.</p>
<p>Living in an apartment will cost a lot more since you will have to buy groceries, pay utilities, etc.</p>
<p>OK, as a parent ill be covering cell phone, any medical bills and taking him grocery shopping twice a month (if needed) as well as giving him a $50 a week spending limit. He’s a freshman living in dorms with a generous meal plan. Enough to be comfortable, fairly social and not a lot left over for “partying”?</p>
<p>I think he will be extremely comfortable on $50/week. My ‘social’ son, living in an apt with us covering housing & utilities, groceries, cell phone, spent about $30 a week on average. Might have been because he had to spend his own money from summer earnings, but believe me…his social life did not suffer!</p>
<p>He will be fine with 50 a month. There’s really not much to spend money on unless he likes shopping or is planning on bowling/billiards at the union. Are you supplying money for laundry or does that come out of the 50?</p>
<p>It will be 50 a week not per month. Could he survive on 50 a month? wow! Maybe im giving him too much? He will be living in the dorm and that will be for laundry, supplies entertainment. I want him comfortable but not so comfortable he doesnt want to work or become self reliant!</p>
<p>Is your son a big coffee drinker? Is he going to want more variety in his meals than just the meal points food? Is he big into buying music/movies online, things like that? Is he going to pledge a fraternity?</p>
<p>My biggest expenses were dinners/lunches/late night pizzas when I wanted something other than dorm food…believe me, after a semester, you start to get sick of the same options (although good, don’t get me wrong!), and coffee/energy drinks for studying in the union or at the library. </p>
<p>Most guys I knew spent their money on ordering food. Late night pizzas, delivery on weekends, wings on Kirkwood, Chinese food, things like that.</p>
<p>I would recommend maybe starting him on $25-30 a week and seeing if he needs to keep bugging you for money. The ‘partying’ money won’t come until he can go to the bars :)</p>
<p>Hold the phone, what do we have to pay for during pledging haha</p>
<p>@skiddo–paddle, dry cleaning for your suits you’ll be wearing every day, energy drinks for when you’re up late working parties or driving, gas for cars, etc.</p>
<p>Oh 50 a week is plenty. I was fine on 100 a month</p>
<p>Yeah 50 a week should be more than enough for a freshman who lives in the dorms with a generous meal plan. You’ll have enough for late night Pizza X and other random things but I can’t really think of too many other expenses you’d incur.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! I have no idea if he’s interested in greek life. Fairly social was the wrong word. He still does not have a drivers licence because he’s too busy to drive or take drivers ed. He does not drink coffee, energy drinks or shop. Lots of dinners out, movies, plays whatever he can squeeze into his schedule and not waking up in time to eat breakfast. </p>
<p>I’ll start with $40 a week and 50 a month on his campus access for laundry and such.</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>