How much allowance money do you send your kid each week/month at college?

[Anonymous]

My DD is expected to buy her books and provide her own spending money. We will cover everything else (tuition, room, board, fees, and transportation (no car)).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine used to send me 1,200/month in 2001, so that's around 2k now.

Crazy! A kid in college needs a $24,000 income, when their dorm and dining are paid (or perhaps I misunderstand??)

My kid has a credit card linked to my account. I pay for things she "needs." She pays for things she wants/extras (with savings, from summer job).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine used to send me 1,200/month in 2001, so that's around 2k now.

Crazy! A kid in college needs a $24,000 income, when their dorm and dining are paid (or perhaps I misunderstand??)

My kid has a credit card linked to my account. I pay for things she "needs." She pays for things she wants/extras (with savings, from summer job).

Right? That isn't even low enough to be considered "poverty level" for a family of 3!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine used to send me 1,200/month in 2001, so that's around 2k now.

Jesus. I had plenty at $300/mo in 1999.

Class of 98. My mom sent me $30 a month.

[Anonymous]

I really find these answers shocking. I went to school in DC with a lot of rich kids and none of my friends worked during the summer. Well, they interned on Capitol Hill or volunteered in Africa and definitely didn't actually earn any money. Yet they were constantly going out to dinner/happy hour or whatever. I find it hard to believe no one on DCUM is subsidizing their kid's unpaid internship... all these "summer jobs" give me a break.

[Anonymous]

$500, which has to cover food (he lives off campus), renters insurance, books, parking, gas, clothes, incidentals, etc…

He pays his own rent and utilities with a part-time job. We pay tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I think the replies here are a self-selecting group. Everyone I know gives their kids spending $$, both when I was in college and now. And I grew up middle class (real middle class, not DCUM middle class). We had summer jobs, but it was not intended to cover all of our spending money at school.

It is amusing to see all of the “I’ll pay $80k a year for school, but I’m not going to give my kid $100 a month for pizza” types on here.

You and your friends and most of DCUM (including me) are significantly wealthier than the average family.

My mom was a single mom making ~35,000 a year. I went to college on 100% financial aid but she still gave me 100/month spending money back in 2000 (and everyone else in my peer group got significantly more than that). I definitely think the posters here are a bunch of self righteous cheap skates.

Thank you. “Middle class” pp here. For those questioning my credentials, my Mom was a teacher in a state not known for paying their teachers well, and my Dad had an office job but didn’t make much more than my Mom. No family money. Bought our tiny house at the peak of 70’s inflation and ended up selling it at a loss when my Dad got transferred. Most on this board would consider us LMC. I was a National Merit Scholar and was on scholarship and took out loans. Back then, you didn’t get loans for spending money. When I was in Law School, and could get clerkships that paid well, I did mostly pay my own way, but struggled to pay for decent food. Trust me, I wasn’t living it up on my parent’s dime.

Yes, I am well above middle class now. Which is why I have no desire to see my kid struggle. I didn’t have much of a social life and ended up driving home many weekends because I couldn’t afford to go out. I did find that it was different in law school. There were more “poor” kids and we were all in the same boat. Those of you who are sending your kids to expensive private colleges need to know that most of the kids will have generous allowances and a kid’s social life can be severely constrained when they have no $$. I just went on a tour at one such school, and the tour guide mentioned that the dining plan at the school provides some credit that can be used at local restaurants, which was a good thing, because it allowed kids with less money to join the groups of kids that were going out. So, that tells me that this is still a thing.

if they are working during the summer (as every college student should be IMO) why would they have no money? we don't give spending money, it is not a "struggle" for my kid to socialize using her money she used from working over the summer...LMFAO. she just worked a very very "basic" summer job (waitressing, lifeguarding) and saved something like $5000. if my kid--on a meal plan, housing and tuition covered--is "struggling" and lonely and "severely constrained" on that...well, I'd feel like I failed to instill basic budgeting in my children. what could she possibly be spending the money on?

DP. We think it is our responsibility to pay for all of a kid's expenses while the kid is our dependent. Whatever money they earn at a job or that they receive as gifts, we ask that the kid put the money into the bank and save it.

From middle school onwards each kid has had a debit card and an AmEx for their use without having to ask permission. It has all worked out. We'll cover for whatever they need now, pretty much no questions asked. Our kids are reasonable and no one has ever used their cards or cash for anything extreme.

Because our kids have saved their money, they are graduating college with pretty significant nest eggs. Because it is their money they know the value of it.

That, to us, is more important than this quibbling about how you'll pay for shampoo but you won't pay for a haircut, and you'll allow a pizza a month but G forbid the kid try to buy a beer with your money. How ridiculous.

We're in this for the long haul, and we're not looking for our kids to give us a financial break from our responsibilities.

Well said. We're the same. We haven't done the savings route but I think it is a good idea and we may update our practice for our next set as they come up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD is expected to buy her books and provide her own spending money. We will cover everything else (tuition, room, board, fees, and transportation (no car)).

. Plus 1

[Anonymous]

I transfer $100 every week into DD’s account for incidentals (she’s on a meal plan, in dorm) as a college freshman. She’s home for break and said it was too much so we’ll readjust. Since I’m in Southern California and she’s in Massachusetts, I wanted to give her enough for things we may not have thought of. Rest for tampons, shampoo, etc - occasional night out...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Debit card I assume.

I haven't read all the responses but I would suggest that your child get a credit card. If you think they are not responsible enough to handle it, you can set a limit and track their spending/payments online, but it's a great way to start building a credit record, and also credit cards provide more consumer protections than debit cards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine used to send me 1,200/month in 2001, so that's around 2k now.

Crazy! A kid in college needs a $24,000 income, when their dorm and dining are paid (or perhaps I misunderstand??)

My kid has a credit card linked to my account. I pay for things she "needs." She pays for things she wants/extras (with savings, from summer job).

Why not? I'm their daughter and they could afford it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really find these answers shocking. I went to school in DC with a lot of rich kids and none of my friends worked during the summer. Well, they interned on Capitol Hill or volunteered in Africa and definitely didn't actually earn any money. Yet they were constantly going out to dinner/happy hour or whatever. I find it hard to believe no one on DCUM is subsidizing their kid's unpaid internship... all these "summer jobs" give me a break.

This was my experience, as well, which is why I believe that these responses are not representative of the real world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid works during the summer, but no way do those earnings last longer than a couple of months in college. We absolutely send our kids spending money every month - usually between $100-200. The last thing we want is for them to constantly be worrying about money.

Exactly - I would rather send them a couple hundred bucks when they need it and they can focus on the grades. I don't assume it's for heroin, needles, snuff films, condoms, pot, grain alcohol, meth lab supplies, etc. It's just to get a pizza, some clothes, take a girlfriend out to see a movie. I don't get why so many people forking over $300k for college have a tough-love aneurysm over $1000-$1500.

+1

For me it is about transitioning to being financially independent. They only work in the summary so plenty of time to study.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I send $200 per month. I pay their tuition, room and board, car, phone etc. The $200 is for if they want to order pizza or go out to dinner with friends. The rest of their spending comes from their own savings.

Same. Although I'll help buy them clothes here and there too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mine used to send me 1,200/month in 2001, so that's around 2k now.

Crazy! A kid in college needs a $24,000 income, when their dorm and dining are paid (or perhaps I misunderstand??)

My kid has a credit card linked to my account. I pay for things she "needs." She pays for things she wants/extras (with savings, from summer job).

Why not? I'm their daughter and they could afford it.

So many reasons why not, honey.