Appropriate Allowance for Freshman in College

[Anonymous]

My kid easily has $5-6k saved up from summer jobs before he started college. He has no need for an allowance. What are your kids doing in the summers prior to college that they don’t have their own money?

[Anonymous]

lol so the 750 i got each month wouldn't fly here, huh? I opted out out of the meal plan and just used friends extra meal swipes. Life was good. Oh well, I did work professional internships over summer and winter breaks to earn more money ( i had to pay for books and any travel that I went on).

I am always grateful for the fun I had in college thanks to my parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:lol so the 750 i got each month wouldn't fly here, huh? I opted out out of the meal plan and just used friends extra meal swipes. Life was good. Oh well, I did work professional internships over summer and winter breaks to earn more money ( i had to pay for books and any travel that I went on).

I am always grateful for the fun I had in college thanks to my parents.

PP here..I calculated the cost of the highest meal plan ( i ate a ton) and asked my dad to just give me cash instead..it ended up saving my parents money. It was a win win. I didn't have money stress and it saved them about 1k if I remember correctly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid easily has $5-6k saved up from summer jobs before he started college. He has no need for an allowance. What are your kids doing in the summers prior to college that they don’t have their own money?

We traveled nearly the entire summer as a family. There was no time for jobs. Somehow my kids have survived and are not only living independently, but in their late 20s and making more than SES feds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the people on this board claim they give their kids no spending money, but the vast majority of kids I know did (and do) get money from their parents (and I grew up very middle class). Let’s just say the sample here is self-selecting.

We’re budgeting around $300 per month. Based on current spending, I don’t think DC will spend it all. We’ll see how it goes.

Huh. We must run in very very different middle class circles. Because in my "very middle class" circle at college (Virginia Tech) I would say I was in the definite minority as someone who had 100% of tuition, room, and board paid for. $300 spending money on top of that? yea, no.

Did I say that 100% of tuition, etc was paid for? I paid for college with scholarships and significant loans, and my parents still sent me spending money. And, yes, I worked in the summer, but didn’t come close to being able to live off what I earned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:What do your kids do in the summers prior to going to college? My kid easily made $4K last summer as a 16 yr old. He saved around half of that. He will probably make the same this summer and next so by the time he starts college, he will have $6K or more saved. I'm not giving him an allowance. He is not 6 yrs old unable to make his own money. I had to use my summer earnings to pay for my books and as my fun money and he will do the same.

What exactly did he do in 8 weeks to make $4,000? 🤨

He worked part-time at the pool cafe at the country club down the street. He could’ve made a lot more than that if he worked FT. Those jobs went to the college kids. Also, he worked from Memorial Day to Labor Day so it was more than 8 weeks. Most pools are open then.

Most schools are back in session in early August now. A lot of kids are lucky if they can get in 8 weeks, and that assumes zero family travel.

Oh no, no family travel? You sound like a diva. I feel sorry for your kids. Most kids would be embarrassed that their parents give them an allowance in college when they are completely capable of earning money themselves.

At least my kids having reading comprehension skills. I guess you were too busy working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do your kids do in the summers prior to going to college? My kid easily made $4K last summer as a 16 yr old. He saved around half of that. He will probably make the same this summer and next so by the time he starts college, he will have $6K or more saved. I'm not giving him an allowance. He is not 6 yrs old unable to make his own money. I had to use my summer earnings to pay for my books and as my fun money and he will do the same.

What exactly did he do in 8 weeks to make $4,000? 🤨

He worked part-time at the pool cafe at the country club down the street. He could’ve made a lot more than that if he worked FT. Those jobs went to the college kids. Also, he worked from Memorial Day to Labor Day so it was more than 8 weeks. Most pools are open then.

Most schools are back in session in early August now. A lot of kids are lucky if they can get in 8 weeks, and that assumes zero family travel.

Oh no, no family travel? You sound like a diva. I feel sorry for your kids. Most kids would be embarrassed that their parents give them an allowance in college when they are completely capable of earning money themselves.

At least my kids having reading comprehension skills. I guess you were too busy working.

What college kid would be embarrassed about getting money from their parents? Every friend of mine who had to work during college hated it..

[Anonymous]

My son lives off campus so we give him the roughly $2000 per semester we’d be paying for a meal plan for him to buy food. We also give him $50 per week for incidentals. He hates spending his own money so he shops at Aldi and another discount grocery store near his school, and he buys clothes at goodwill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do your kids do in the summers prior to going to college? My kid easily made $4K last summer as a 16 yr old. He saved around half of that. He will probably make the same this summer and next so by the time he starts college, he will have $6K or more saved. I'm not giving him an allowance. He is not 6 yrs old unable to make his own money. I had to use my summer earnings to pay for my books and as my fun money and he will do the same.

What exactly did he do in 8 weeks to make $4,000? 🤨

He worked part-time at the pool cafe at the country club down the street. He could’ve made a lot more than that if he worked FT. Those jobs went to the college kids. Also, he worked from Memorial Day to Labor Day so it was more than 8 weeks. Most pools are open then.

Most schools are back in session in early August now. A lot of kids are lucky if they can get in 8 weeks, and that assumes zero family travel.

Oh no, no family travel? You sound like a diva. I feel sorry for your kids. Most kids would be embarrassed that their parents give them an allowance in college when they are completely capable of earning money themselves.

At least my kids having reading comprehension skills. I guess you were too busy working.

What college kid would be embarrassed about getting money from their parents? Every friend of mine who had to work during college hated it..

Mine would. He'd also be embarrassed to admit he spent the whole summer traveling with his parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do your kids do in the summers prior to going to college? My kid easily made $4K last summer as a 16 yr old. He saved around half of that. He will probably make the same this summer and next so by the time he starts college, he will have $6K or more saved. I'm not giving him an allowance. He is not 6 yrs old unable to make his own money. I had to use my summer earnings to pay for my books and as my fun money and he will do the same.

What exactly did he do in 8 weeks to make $4,000? 🤨

He worked part-time at the pool cafe at the country club down the street. He could’ve made a lot more than that if he worked FT. Those jobs went to the college kids. Also, he worked from Memorial Day to Labor Day so it was more than 8 weeks. Most pools are open then.

Most schools are back in session in early August now. A lot of kids are lucky if they can get in 8 weeks, and that assumes zero family travel.

Oh no, no family travel? You sound like a diva. I feel sorry for your kids. Most kids would be embarrassed that their parents give them an allowance in college when they are completely capable of earning money themselves.

At least my kids having reading comprehension skills. I guess you were too busy working.

What college kid would be embarrassed about getting money from their parents? Every friend of mine who had to work during college hated it..

Mine would. He'd also be embarrassed to admit he spent the whole summer traveling with his parents.

Good job raising a kid with 1) parents he is embarrassed about, and 2) insecurity about spending time with #1.

[Anonymous]

I got $20 a week in 1997. A beer at the local car was $1. Adjust accordingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do your kids do in the summers prior to going to college? My kid easily made $4K last summer as a 16 yr old. He saved around half of that. He will probably make the same this summer and next so by the time he starts college, he will have $6K or more saved. I'm not giving him an allowance. He is not 6 yrs old unable to make his own money. I had to use my summer earnings to pay for my books and as my fun money and he will do the same.

What exactly did he do in 8 weeks to make $4,000? 🤨

He worked part-time at the pool cafe at the country club down the street. He could’ve made a lot more than that if he worked FT. Those jobs went to the college kids. Also, he worked from Memorial Day to Labor Day so it was more than 8 weeks. Most pools are open then.

Most schools are back in session in early August now. A lot of kids are lucky if they can get in 8 weeks, and that assumes zero family travel.

Oh no, no family travel? You sound like a diva. I feel sorry for your kids. Most kids would be embarrassed that their parents give them an allowance in college when they are completely capable of earning money themselves.

At least my kids having reading comprehension skills. I guess you were too busy working.

What college kid would be embarrassed about getting money from their parents? Every friend of mine who had to work during college hated it..

Mine would. He'd also be embarrassed to admit he spent the whole summer traveling with his parents.

Good job raising a kid with 1) parents he is embarrassed about, and 2) insecurity about spending time with #1.

Oh please. Teens don’t want to spend the whole summer with their parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do your kids do in the summers prior to going to college? My kid easily made $4K last summer as a 16 yr old. He saved around half of that. He will probably make the same this summer and next so by the time he starts college, he will have $6K or more saved. I'm not giving him an allowance. He is not 6 yrs old unable to make his own money. I had to use my summer earnings to pay for my books and as my fun money and he will do the same.

What exactly did he do in 8 weeks to make $4,000? 🤨

He worked part-time at the pool cafe at the country club down the street. He could’ve made a lot more than that if he worked FT. Those jobs went to the college kids. Also, he worked from Memorial Day to Labor Day so it was more than 8 weeks. Most pools are open then.

Most schools are back in session in early August now. A lot of kids are lucky if they can get in 8 weeks, and that assumes zero family travel.

Oh no, no family travel? You sound like a diva. I feel sorry for your kids. Most kids would be embarrassed that their parents give them an allowance in college when they are completely capable of earning money themselves.

At least my kids having reading comprehension skills. I guess you were too busy working.

What college kid would be embarrassed about getting money from their parents? Every friend of mine who had to work during college hated it..

Mine would. He'd also be embarrassed to admit he spent the whole summer traveling with his parents.

Good job raising a kid with 1) parents he is embarrassed about, and 2) insecurity about spending time with #1.

Oh please. Teens don’t want to spend the whole summer with their parents.

Yea they are so bummed to spend a month in the Maldives and hang in Nantucket the rest of the time.

[Anonymous]

My parents gave me no allowance when I was in college, though they paid for all of my tuition and for housing and a campus meal plan.

Unfortunately, I also failed to ask for money for things like off-campus meals, etc., until my junior year, by which point I had spent most of the relatively meager savings I had going into college. After that, they started sending me money each month to cover expenses besides the ones we had already anticipated. I probably should have asked for it earlier.

Will try not to make the same mistake with my kids, but I also don't know that I need to be subsidizing their entertainment budgets -- food, obviously, yes, but random nights out? Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do your kids do in the summers prior to going to college? My kid easily made $4K last summer as a 16 yr old. He saved around half of that. He will probably make the same this summer and next so by the time he starts college, he will have $6K or more saved. I'm not giving him an allowance. He is not 6 yrs old unable to make his own money. I had to use my summer earnings to pay for my books and as my fun money and he will do the same.

What exactly did he do in 8 weeks to make $4,000? 🤨

He worked part-time at the pool cafe at the country club down the street. He could’ve made a lot more than that if he worked FT. Those jobs went to the college kids. Also, he worked from Memorial Day to Labor Day so it was more than 8 weeks. Most pools are open then.

Most schools are back in session in early August now. A lot of kids are lucky if they can get in 8 weeks, and that assumes zero family travel.

Oh no, no family travel? You sound like a diva. I feel sorry for your kids. Most kids would be embarrassed that their parents give them an allowance in college when they are completely capable of earning money themselves.

At least my kids having reading comprehension skills. I guess you were too busy working.

What college kid would be embarrassed about getting money from their parents? Every friend of mine who had to work during college hated it..

Mine would. He'd also be embarrassed to admit he spent the whole summer traveling with his parents.

Good job raising a kid with 1) parents he is embarrassed about, and 2) insecurity about spending time with #1.

Oh please. Teens don’t want to spend the whole summer with their parents.

Yea they are so bummed to spend a month in the Maldives and hang in Nantucket the rest of the time.

Don’t your kids have friends? That’s all I wanted to do in the summer. I hardly see my kid between his job and his friends.