We are also realizing that there are costs that we hadn’t fully factored in.
- Heath care. Our HMO is not in our D’s state, so getting a plan for her through the school was another $1800
- Flights and from school. Turns out there are a lot more breaks than I expected. Flights add up.
- Going with her for move in day. More ca-ching (mom’s flights, hotel, car)
- Textbooks. This I did factor in, but still it’s there.
- Extracurricular expenses (in her case associated with a sports team but would apply I assume to musicians too).
- If she does study-abroad, more ca-ching.
I kind of vaguely thought about these costs and they are much, much smaller than tuition+board, but we still feel every $100. She will work in the summer, but it won’t cover all of the above. So for kid #2, I factoring in a bit more room in our ‘what can we afford’.