The College Student's Bank Account

<p>I really respect all of you who indicated that you will be putting yourself through college, or are responsible for paying for things such as books, rent, etc. While my parents urdged me to take out a small student loan each year, they are pretty much taking on the cost of my education.</p>

<p>I will be going to school in the bay area (Berkeley), so I am jealous of the rest of you who can take advantage of the costs in rural America! I'm sure there are some great buys around town, and I know there are some excellent eats for super cheap. I don't plan on going overboard on spending, and now when I think of it, we are all on a budget, no matter the situation. Thanks for everyone's opinions!</p>

<p><3,</p>

<p>Izzie Bear</p>

<p>the norms at my school are: "Spend alot of money...we pay one of the highest tuition's in the country, what's another few hundred here & there?"</p>

<p>what school is that?</p>

<p><3,</p>

<p>Izzie Bear</p>

<p>GW .</p>

<p>I totally agree that the grocery shopping def. cuts into the budget! But I would go shopping maybe a little too much at the mall so that had an affect on my budget. But I survived on 300+ a month in a rural setting and that was with a bit too much shopping so i think that you'll be fine.</p>

<p>since i am a new college student my parents are starting by giving me $200 the first of sept and then putting in around $100 in my back account a month,since i am not sure what all i can buy or gamble away i can tell them either more or less. at my college we have a dining card (for lunch break and dinner at univ)that you can use at many food places outside of campus(pizza hut, 7-11 etc) not associated with the univ. ill also get money for skiing which is near by and money for the mall, like clothes,ps2 games and posssible dorm items(food, table whatever)
from anyone that goes to college know will $100 a month be too much or not enough???</p>

<p>I worked and made about 400/month. I spent it all. That included my car payment, car insurance, gas money, cell phone bill, food money (i had an apartment so i cooked for myself), and entertainment.. (the bar, the movies, concerts, etc).. a few months i spent more than $400, but I always had extra money in the bank to cover things like that. (about $1000, in case of emergency)</p>

<p>american dad - </p>

<p>$ 100 a month for all that you mentioned will probably not be enough. if you're calculating off campus food (although its awesome that your univerity offers connections with local places not affilated with the school), entertainment, clothing, dorm items, ski trips and video games this just isn't going to cut it. </p>

<p>however, if mall shopping and trips aren't a weekly thing, 100 might be so-so, especially if you're a minimalist and tend to go for cheap eats and inexpensive weekend fun.</p>

<p>but if 100.00 is in addition to the money youll be getting for the stuff stated above, then thats cool, but what else is there besides shopping, trips, and dorm stuff?</p>

<p><3,</p>

<p>Izzie Bear</p>

<p>But I think most of Boomer's meals will be on his MEAL PLAN. labout 95% of my meals were on my mealcard and my parents gave me $300/month my first year and I was able to cover business fraternity fees (about $50/month), dinners out (about every other week-which can get kinda expensive in DC), metro costs (like $5-$15/month), go to the movies here & there, and I'd take the train to NYC w/ friends sometimes for a weekend (stay w/ their family) so Yeah $300 sounds perfect for what you plan on spending.</p>

<p>Americandad- why is your name "dad" if your a student. lol. but anyway I bought a table w/ my roommate my freshman year and it was really worth it. If you plan on going skiing, you'll prob. need more. My parents started me out w/ $200/month and then when I joined a fraternity it increased to 300.</p>

<p>honestly, i think $300 is a good amount for many of us. some people get much more (or less), but the way i see, if you're the type of student who will be able to call your parents up and receive money above and beyond that set allowance for things that are more school and less fun oriented, then it should be fine.</p>

<p>i, for one, adore shopping, but i will be doing a good amount of shopping for clothing and dorm accessories before i leave. i know i am bound to pick up a few extra goodies once i'm stationed at school, but i believe i will have enough new items to last me at least a great part of the semester. i'm sure many of us are in the same situation. </p>

<p>remember - even kids from wealthy families are living on a set budget. they don't call us "starving college students" for nothing. college students love free stuff. why? because we dont like spending money. don't worry, your parents love you and want you to fit in and have fun. they wont leave you alone and poor in your dorm room.</p>

<p>P.S. American Dad is a fabulous show by the creators of Family Guy. </p>

<p><3,</p>

<p>Izzie Bear</p>

<p>Dear IzzieBear- </p>

<p>you have a cool personality. Please don't turn into a hippie when you go to Berkeley. if you ever feel it imposing on you, go straight back to Santa Cruz (or transfer to USC, UCLA, UCSB, UCSC, heck even UC DAVIS) You see? aahahaha.</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p>idiias</p>

<p>Haha...Aw thanks!</p>

<p>Hm..I actually haven't come in contact with too many hippie students at Berkeley. They might be hanging out in the co-ops but of course there are enough of them selling bamboo necklaces in the streets. But I like the funky, diverse atmosphere up there. </p>

<p>And just so you're aware - Santa Cruz has a lot of hippies! This is one of the easiest places to be vegan so there is a lot of the whole 'wheatgrass and recycled hemp' mentality over here. I wouldn't leave Berkeley for any of the other schools though. I researched and visited many schools and I know I shall be happy here. And hey - UC Davis is cute!</p>

<p><3,</p>

<p>Izzie Bear</p>

<p>What about athletes who don't have time for work-study jobs? We have to play during the summer, too.</p>

<p>i am a college athlete and last year i had 3 seasons (cc/indoor/outdoor track). true. you don't really have time to get a work study job; however, you end up travelling and competing for 1-2 days of your weekend, which means that you're not at school to spend the money on the weekends that your non-athlete friends are spending. i guess it saves you money in the long run.</p>

<p>I'm so lucky, my grand parents give all their grandkids 10k a year for college (to be spent only on college expenses). For my sister, who has to pay about 15 grand a year after scholarships, this helps a lot, especially since my parents do not have much saved for college. for me, this is an amazing amount of money, since I'm going to a public school, and my tuition is already paid by the FL bright futures program. this means that all the money I make from working does not have to go to school.</p>

<p>However, since the check I got is MINE, as in, in my own checking account, etc. I write all my own checks for everything: meal plan, rent, etc. This gives me the unique opportunity to see what I'm spending, and I try very hard to be as economical as possible, since I need to save money for grad school, and study abroad, both of which I am on my own for. Some things I have found that make things cheaper:
*buy your books from half.com if possible, not the university book store
*use ebay to buy some things, there are often great deals, especially on phones and electronics
*go to the dollar store to get detergent and other kitchen/bathroom items.
*use a visa check card and do online banking...that way you can see all of your purchases...
*AND if you get visa extras and use your card to pay for your mealplan, books, etc, your points will go up very fast!
*don't go to starbucks, get a coffee maker in your room! even an expresso maker costs the same as about 20 trips to starbucks.
*shop around for bargains. buying sheets and towels and stuff is cheapest at places like tj maxx and ross, and it is often the same stuff you find at department stores</p>

<p>I'm bringing the $1500-$1800 that I've earned this summer. My parents are also planning to send $400-500 a month for incidentals, at least first semester. I'll have work study too, about 8 hours a week, which should give me another $50-60 a week. </p>

<p>I suspect I may end up with more money than I need, but I'm going to college in a very very expensive suburb, so who knows. If it ends up being too much, I'll let my parents know that they're welcome to send less per month.</p>

<p>They've been extremely generous in my spending money, and are having me work during the year more to learn how to balance work and school than because they mind sending money. I can't imagine I'm going to need to spend all that much though- Wellesley will even pack you a lunch if you can't/don't want to come to the dining halls at lunch time.</p>

<p>I'll definately be working. I dont know what I would do...I like working. Of course I will have to get used to earning much less (less hours and less per hour) since now I've started making ~$270 per week (before taxes, paychecks weekly).</p>

<p>Chicago is going to be expensive and I dont want to use a lot of my summer earnings (the school expects me to pay them some of that though) or graduation money on day to day expenses. I prefer to save that money with my other savings and use it on more expensive purchases (computer parts, other expensive things, maybe a car if I decide I need my own some day). If I can earn $300 a month it should cover me (even living in chicago). </p>

<p>Maybe I can find a part time job as an evening-valet somewhere expensive downtown...It's a little far away from Uchicago for working but it has good tips and I have applicable experiance (right now I am running cars at a VW dealership).</p>

<p>*go to the dollar store to get detergent and other kitchen/bathroom items.
...except sometimes the toothpaste there is expired so be careful.
but i really agree w/ the starbucks one lol</p>

<p>my parents cover tuition, rent, books etc.. and give me 400 a month for food and spending... anything over that I have to work for</p>