<p>Can anyone tell me how much spending money a typical student (with a full meal plan) goes through each week? Please identify if you are responding as a parent or student.</p>
<p>Thanks, but I read that thread. I do not want a discussion of who should provide spending money or if the student's earnings should be matched. I would like to see concrete ranges of dollars spent by college students on a weekly basis for necessities to help S budget. That is, about how much is spent on incidentals such as toiletries, Sunday night dinner, laundry, and an occasional social activity. I don't want S burning a hole in his pocket, but I also want to make sure he has the basics covered. </p>
<p>By the way, S has worked every summer since he was 14. He is unable to work during the school year due to a long school day (8:00 a.m. to after 4:00 p.m.) and dedicates an average of approximately 15-20 hours per week to his sport. During the summer, he also dedicates well over 20 hours per week (a morning and afternoon practice/weekend competitions) which limits his ability to work full time. We expect him to use his earnings as spending money, but want to supplement it if necessary at a reasonable level. I am just trying to establish that reasonable level.</p>
<p>Our DS is a freshman. He is at Bentley just outside Boston. He is on an unlimited meal plan that also gives him $250/semster for food not in the main dining hall (i.e. the wrap/pizza place late at night or the coffee shop in the library).</p>
<p>We started giving him an allowance of $150 month. This was to cover expenses other than books (paid by grad party funds). This turned out to be too much. $75 seems to be enough. He goes into Boston most weekends to see friends and watch a movie or grab dinner. If he needs more money he goes into his savings.</p>
<p>Your mileage my vary.....</p>
<p>My son spends about $150 per month. He also raids the family supply of toiletries and school supplies every time he is home, so the real spending level of a kid who buys those things at college might be $25 to $50 per month higher.</p>
<p>I don't know whether this level is high or low. I know that my son and his friends tend to choose cheap forms of entertainment (second-run movies on campus, for example, rather than first-run movies in the community) because some of them come from poor families and are flat broke (it's a state university). On the other hand, my son hates the dining hall food and eats elsewhere far more often than necessary.</p>
<p>As the other poster said, your mileage may vary.</p>
<p>These are the kind of responses I am looking for. Please keep posting.</p>
<p>$200/month in Boston. She probably doesn't use $200/month typically, but saves up $$ to splurge in New York City/other trips.</p>
<p>We give $150/month to a child who goes to school where all on campus activities are free, and $180/month to one who has to pay for some activities (movies, shows, some sports events, etc.). </p>
<p>We pay for books, plane tickets to come home, and phones (as long as there are no extra charges). They pay for trips with friends and anything else not covered by room&board.</p>
<p>I would say $75-100 in Houston. But we need to buy our own dinners every saturday, so that's the biggest chunk of it. Plus, dating gets really expensive, since I would never ask my date to pay for everything all the time.</p>
<p>We are looking at starting our son on $100/month--that is with a 200 meal plan and $300 flexible dining dollars on top of the meal plan. Our view is that this will be entertainment and "extras" $$. I don't know if this is the right amount, but that is our current plan and we will adjust as necessary.</p>
<p>My S gets $75/month during the school year. He is fiscally pretty conservative. We recently discussed the amount, and he said it was nice to have, but that he is never waiting for it to be deposited. We pay for his books, r&b, & phone.
Before his freshman semester, we went on a Walmart run (his choice of store) and bought laundry and toiletry supplies on our nickel. All subsequent supplies, he needs to pay for.
This of course, also depends on how expensive the cost of living is in the particular area. S is in an urban location in the sf bay area.</p>
<p>Karp...I'll reply though I seem to go against the grain of many on the other threads. For the record, my children HAVE worked in the summer preceding college and since and have saved up a lot of money for spending money of their own. However, we ALSO give them an allowance. Our allowance is not instead of their own funds but supplements those. </p>
<p>First, we pay (along with financial aid and loans) for tuition, room, board. We also pay for books, phone, transportation home, and a clothing allowance (we have two teenage girls!). We send each child $225/month in allowance to use for all other expenses. Both go to college in cities (Brown and NYU). The one in NYC often uses subways. The one in Providence has a car that we pay insurance on. Her grandparent offered to pay for the parking spot. She has to pay for gas when she uses the car, other than for transportation home. If they want to take any trips or programs, they pay for them themselves. Both girls have saved up enough from their earnings for four years of college spending money that supplements what we give 'em. While it seems that many parents on CC do not give an allowance, I have a feeling that many of their peers at their respective colleges DO get an allowance (some even have unlimited funds or use of credit cards!). If anything, my kids may have less available funds than their peers who are not on financial aid, for example. </p>
<p>Again, my kids' allowance is not in lieu of them earning their own money, as each did so in summers and have saved up money. One has used her own funds for some additional programs she has taken. We always paid for their activities before college but now they have to pay for extra things like that themselves (though of course, they also have an allowance). For one of my kids on a varsity sport at college, where believe it or not, we have expenses we have to pay as the college does not pay for it all, my D has either had to fund it herself from her earnings, or she has had to get it as gifts for her birthday or holidays.</p>
<p>I'm trying to get a handle on this question also. My D will be in NYC without a meal plan. So we need to cover food, books, art supplies, and essentials in an expensive city. She's expected to use summer earnings for entertainment.</p>
<p>I don't give my kids a lump sum for books and art/music supplies. We pay for whatever books, art supplies, software, and music supplies are needed for their coursework. We have budgetted $500/semester for those per kid but just spend whatever it is that they are required to purchase...it can often be less than this total. They do not have to keep to the budget on that line item but we have budgetted a ballpark figure for books. For food, my kids have meal plans. However, you can come up with a figure you think they need per day to buy food. Otherwise, you can use the meal plan fees at a college as an example. The food budget would be dependent on whether the student is going to cook or eat out.</p>
<p>My son has spent $900 (his own money) the entire school year this year. So, that is about $26 per week (excluding the weeks he was home on break). He is on a full meal plan and does not buy his own books. By the way, he seems to be having plenty of fun.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses so far. I think I am getting a good idea of what he will need.</p>
<p>We pay for books, medical expenses, and meals. The kids pay for everything else (clothing, shampoo, toothpaste, gas, subway fares, movies, dating, school supplies, etc.) with a monthly allowance. Several years ago we monitored actual expenses and arrived at the figure of $185/month. This was an average over the year and included savings of $25/month. Both kids (college juniors, one in Boston, the other in Portland, OR) found this amount barely comfortable but both have chosen to get campus jobs to have extra money. I occasionally find it necessary to buy my son slightly decent clothing, like a dress shirt, so that he will be presentable when they go out.</p>
<p>Oh, as for books, the amounts have varied from $0 (professors put everything online for those particular engineering courses) to $445/semester (literature and theater history courses). And yes, ALL the books in the $445 were bought used.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help so far. My S will be attending Penn State. Books, beginning supplies and, of course, football tickets will be paid for up front. We were thinking of about $125/month for Sunday meals, toiletries, and entertainment. Any Penn Staters (parents or students) out there that can comment if this is a reasonable number?</p>
<p>We gave $125/month at Bates in Maine and Tulane in New Orleans. He didn't spend it all. We had thought it was going to be just "base" allowance that he would have to supplement from his summer earnings and savings. He hasn't needed it. He does turn out to be the frugal type. Not a fashionista, etc. But he and friends certainly do gad about in the city for music and night life.</p>
<p>Funny story: When all of the university food services were closed during Mardi Gras vacation week, he had asked if we would supplement his allowance since he would need to eat out a lot (obviously, no one leaves Tulane for Spring/MardiGras break ;) ). We agreed. He never needed it - he and friends somehow hoarded hamburgers etc from the food service and microwaved them. This technique lasted them 4 days of the break. "Frugal" may be too mild a word. :D</p>
<p>PS This amt is for "mad money" and toileties/incidentals only. We pay books, air travel home and cell phone base bill.</p>
<p>Thanks jmmom...I think we and our kids are on the same wavelength.</p>