Budget/ Spending $$ for college students

[Anonymous]

You will get all kinds of answers to this - our family decided that we want to ensure 2 things 1) kids are vested in their academics 2) not stressed out trying to do too much. We ask them to earn money over the summer to supplement their college fun money. They don't work during the semester as they have learning disabilities and studying takes a lot of their extra energy and time. We supplement as needed. One kid is in a more expensive place than the other - so it's not equal between kids but roughly 100-250 per month.

[Anonymous]

No allowance or anything like that here. Mine lives off campus, has a partial meal plan. We cover housing/food and travel back and forth from home. When she's home I will still buy her clothing basics, toiletries etc. She's on her own for that stuff at school for the most part, has covered her own travel to fun places during breaks etc. She is SUPER thrifty so on the occasion she asks me if i'll go halvsies with her on something I pretty much always say yes

[Anonymous]

+1 for none
Savings from summer jobs and paid internships pays for the spending money. When DC moved off campus we just took the cost of a dorm + meal plan and said that's the budget you have to stay within for your rent, utilities and groceries. Everything else was their responsibility. I'd occasionally zelle cash for a treat or whatever to celebrate something or to get extra take-out when studying for finals. DC was still able to contribute money to their Roth IRA (which we matched) so I don't think it was too burdensome to do.

[Anonymous]

I don’t provide any funds for her social life but she has a credit card linked to ours which she uses for toiletries, laundry detergent, etc.

[Anonymous]

So if your kids don’t make their own spending money, what do they do during the summer?

Also, aside from toiletries and other necessities, what are they spending hundreds of dollars a month on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None. He has a job, and he travels out of state to visit his GF regularly. We have been upfront since MS/HS about our kids getting jobs starting 16/17 for spending money.

Up till then, we gave them an allowance and taught them how to save and budget.

They have a meal plan that includes getting grubhub orders, and buying anything they need at the student store. If they need other extra toiletries not found in the student store, they can use my amazon account.

Those are necessities. Extras are on them.

Interesting- which schools incorporate grub hub in their meal plan? Is this new?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So if your kids don’t make their own spending money, what do they do during the summer?

Also, aside from toiletries and other necessities, what are they spending hundreds of dollars a month on?

Mine make it over the summer. Not the school year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a fascist cheap-ass parent like these other posters - I give my kid some dough for non-essentials, going out money and some travel/gas. He has saved up money from the summer but my message is that I support his school efforts and want him to focus on that instead of a part time gig. He's not out there spending it on hookers and blow, just a normal social life.

You mean you provide an entitled life style.

Your kid can't manage working PT and taking classes in college?

Nah, you're wrong. If you think giving a couple hundred bucks a month means entitled, you're just a Maga tool. Kid can work a job but doesn't want to because he wants to focus on his studies. I'm fine with that. Keep being a crappy parent, dude.

A couple hundred is not $1,000 per month.

[Anonymous]

None. We cover meals and housing, she needs to cover going out, shopping, snacks, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a fascist cheap-ass parent like these other posters - I give my kid some dough for non-essentials, going out money and some travel/gas. He has saved up money from the summer but my message is that I support his school efforts and want him to focus on that instead of a part time gig. He's not out there spending it on hookers and blow, just a normal social life.

You mean you provide an entitled life style.

Your kid can't manage working PT and taking classes in college?

Nah, you're wrong. If you think giving a couple hundred bucks a month means entitled, you're just a Maga tool. Kid can work a job but doesn't want to because he wants to focus on his studies. I'm fine with that. Keep being a crappy parent, dude.

A couple hundred is not $1,000 per month.

I never said I was giving out $1000 a month. Go back and read it again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if your kids don’t make their own spending money, what do they do during the summer?

Also, aside from toiletries and other necessities, what are they spending hundreds of dollars a month on?

Mine make it over the summer. Not the school year.

I meant if they don’t make money working during the summer, what do they do during the summer? It’s a long time off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None. He has a job, and he travels out of state to visit his GF regularly. We have been upfront since MS/HS about our kids getting jobs starting 16/17 for spending money.

Up till then, we gave them an allowance and taught them how to save and budget.

They have a meal plan that includes getting grubhub orders, and buying anything they need at the student store. If they need other extra toiletries not found in the student store, they can use my amazon account.

Those are necessities. Extras are on them.

Interesting- which schools incorporate grub hub in their meal plan? Is this new?

My son’s school uses Grub Hub. You can place your order ahead of time at certain on campus dining locations and pick it up when you choose. He’s at Loyola MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a fascist cheap-ass parent like these other posters - I give my kid some dough for non-essentials, going out money and some travel/gas. He has saved up money from the summer but my message is that I support his school efforts and want him to focus on that instead of a part time gig. He's not out there spending it on hookers and blow, just a normal social life.

You mean you provide an entitled life style.

Your kid can't manage working PT and taking classes in college?

Nah, you're wrong. If you think giving a couple hundred bucks a month means entitled, you're just a Maga tool. Kid can work a job but doesn't want to because he wants to focus on his studies. I'm fine with that. Keep being a crappy parent, dude.

DP. I am actively anti-MAGA and kind of agree that hufting a couple hundred for spending is an entitlement. Not that there is anything terribly wrong with a little entitlement. I just don't see why you jump to conclusions of fascist and maga (unless you are a right wing troll posing as inflammatory leftie) or to the conclusion of needing to hold down a job while taking classes. My kid works at breaks and summer. Hustles baby sitting, pet sitting, even busks if there isn't time for something regular during breaks. It's not a lot, but it's enough for spending money, if we cover the meal plan. I also covered my spending money in college. I thought that was the morm.

You are outside reality if you think $200 a month is an entitlement. I'm paying for my kid to go to school and learn. Implying that he can't "manage working PT taking classes in college" makes you sound like maga and a jerk. Accept it.

[Anonymous]

Neither of my current college students could find a job their freshman year (though they worked when they came home during breaks). We don’t have a limit on their spending. One kid rarely spends anything, but he’s at a school with a good dining hall; the other dislikes the dining hall and spends a lot on outside food. She pays for her own free-time stuff.

[Anonymous]

I went to HSYP and even there we had time for an 8-hour/week job. There are lots of studies showing that a part-time job is associated with doing better academically. It also teaches good time management. It's also a great way for kids to make friends and get some work experience. At many schools, work is academic (like research or tutoring other students) and looks great on grad school applications.

IMO the parents saying they send their kid to college to only study are suckers just like the parents who believe that their high school students need a cell phone in their room to do their homework each night.