Reasonable allowance for college freshman?

[Anonymous]

Our children are pretty responsible so we just have them credit cards and told them to charge whatever was reasonable. Turns out DS was far more responsible than DD who averaged over $1k/month. In retrospect it might have been better to give them a cash allowance.

[Anonymous]

I’d give her $250 that needs to last until Christmas. This will focus her on her studies and keep her from roaming too much. She shouldn’t need much of anything off campus the first semester.

[Anonymous]

Why can’t these coddled snowflakes live for a few months on Ramen or Cup Noodle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$200/mth

You want her to be able to socialize

Why? If the parent is paying for tuition, food, dorm, etc.--why do they also have to provide money to "socialize." My parents didn't give me a single penny in college besides the 3 things I just mentioned. I had to pay for books/supplies, clothes, toiletries, and yes money for social things.

I don’t GAF what your parents did.

My kid want to go out if his friends are going out and he goes to a wealthy city college so his warning are not enough for concerts, golfing, basketball games, football games, festivals, weekends in Nantucket, boat rides, table service (no we can’t afford that) … you do you I’ll do me,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will probably give mine $100 on her account for laundry, vending & occasional school cafe and another $100 for off-campus groceries for the semester.
She is on a full meal plan and has some flex dollars as a part of that account. I will make sure she is stocked to begin with.
Bus transit is free w/ student ID, no need for Uber unless she wants to
If she wants to dine out or buy clothes, she can pay for that with summer earnings. She already does. I will make sure she has some base wardrobe on me.
If her account is low, I can always help out.
If there is something she needs that is a necessity (health stuff, cleaning, toiletries, groceries), I can always transfer to her account, or she can order on my Amazon/Target if needed.
Books are covered by her FA.

I just don't get the $200/$250/mo allowances if the kid has a full meal plan. Though, I suppose if you have the money....

Um do you have a kid in college yet? The food is generally terrible and dining halls close by 8 pm often. My DD Often had to order Uber eats because she had just come up for air from classes and studying and the dining halls were closed. Plus sometimes she just wanted decent food.

Sounds like she needs to manage her time better and get to the dining hall on time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$200/mth

You want her to be able to socialize

Why? If the parent is paying for tuition, food, dorm, etc.--why do they also have to provide money to "socialize." My parents didn't give me a single penny in college besides the 3 things I just mentioned. I had to pay for books/supplies, clothes, toiletries, and yes money for social things.

I don’t GAF what your parents did.

My kid want to go out if his friends are going out and he goes to a wealthy city college so his warning are not enough for concerts, golfing, basketball games, football games, festivals, weekends in Nantucket, boat rides, table service (no we can’t afford that) … you do you I’ll do me,

I'm glad you kid is getting an education, at least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Um do you have a kid in college yet? The food is generally terrible and dining halls close by 8 pm often. My DD Often had to order Uber eats because she had just come up for air from classes and studying and the dining halls were closed. Plus sometimes she just wanted decent food."

I really don't get this. Has it changed that much since we were students? In my dorm 35 years ago, they always had a salad bar and a sandwich/hot quesadilla table. (California!) If what they served that day was awful or for some reason you didn't feel like eating it, you could just eat a hearty salad and load it with proteins, or make a sandwich or quesadilla. And if there was a day during the week when you were scheduled for a class during a meal, or it was too far to return to your own dining hall, you could eat in a different dining hall. In the worst case scenario, you could have the cafeteria people pack a lunch for you, or even set aside a plate for your dinner. They were usually cleaning up or starting food prep for the next day until about 9 at night.

None of this stopped us from ordering pizza almost every night. You paid by how many slices you ate. Today, an 8-slice pizza in the neighborhood near UMD costs about $20 with the tip and delivery fee. It is cut into about 10 slices, so $2/slice. That doesn't add up to hundreds of dollars a month. If someone had a car we'd pile in about every other week and search for a taco truck. Some of my favorite memories are of the times someone's parent would send them a $20 bill. Back then, $20 would buy enough tacos al pastor to feed four hungry students! We also had a frozen yogurt shop on campus and you could sometimes convince the kids on your hall to take a break and walk over there for a $3 cup of mango fro-yo.

It sounds to me like lots of kids order out because they're bored. That's fine, and to be expected. But instead of doing it budget style, they're ordering expensive meals from Uber Eats at $25 a pop. Same with the expensive coffees that some kids drink daily. I plan to give my kid about $50/month for "walking around money." But I have no problem telling my kid that he can pay for expensive stuff like Uber Eats out of his own money that he earns, just like I do now while he's a teen in HS and living at home.

What makes even less sense are the kids living off campus in an apartment with a full kitchen. They have no excuse for not liking what is served, since they are their own cook. And they have a freezer where they can keep some ready-to-eat meals stashed for days when they're too tired or busy to cook for themselves.

This

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$200/mth

You want her to be able to socialize

Why? If the parent is paying for tuition, food, dorm, etc.--why do they also have to provide money to "socialize." My parents didn't give me a single penny in college besides the 3 things I just mentioned. I had to pay for books/supplies, clothes, toiletries, and yes money for social things.

I don’t GAF what your parents did.

My kid want to go out if his friends are going out and he goes to a wealthy city college so his warning are not enough for concerts, golfing, basketball games, football games, festivals, weekends in Nantucket, boat rides, table service (no we can’t afford that) … you do you I’ll do me,

Wow that’s a lot! Any time left for studying?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can’t these coddled snowflakes live for a few months on Ramen or Cup Noodle?

+1

[Anonymous]

The problem with no job first semester is getting used to having no job. And, replacing work time with party time. I think a job is good. Can you just let her ask to go clothes shopping on credit card here and there, and credit card for books, and do a cash budget for just incidentals? Maybe $200/week min. I blew through 100 in a weekend in the 90s. Kids like to do activities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d give her $250 that needs to last until Christmas. This will focus her on her studies and keep her from roaming too much. She shouldn’t need much of anything off campus the first semester.

Except friends. Need friends. And they will go eat lunch and dinner together, attend festivals, movies, take road trips. That costs more than roughly $15/week. I'm not sure that buys 1 diet coke per day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$200/mth

You want her to be able to socialize

Why? If the parent is paying for tuition, food, dorm, etc.--why do they also have to provide money to "socialize." My parents didn't give me a single penny in college besides the 3 things I just mentioned. I had to pay for books/supplies, clothes, toiletries, and yes money for social things.

I don’t GAF what your parents did.

My kid want to go out if his friends are going out and he goes to a wealthy city college so his warning are not enough for concerts, golfing, basketball games, football games, festivals, weekends in Nantucket, boat rides, table service (no we can’t afford that) … you do you I’ll do me,

Your kid is living above his means. Is his name Tom Ripley?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$200/mth

You want her to be able to socialize

Why? If the parent is paying for tuition, food, dorm, etc.--why do they also have to provide money to "socialize." My parents didn't give me a single penny in college besides the 3 things I just mentioned. I had to pay for books/supplies, clothes, toiletries, and yes money for social things.

I don’t GAF what your parents did.

My kid want to go out if his friends are going out and he goes to a wealthy city college so his warning are not enough for concerts, golfing, basketball games, football games, festivals, weekends in Nantucket, boat rides, table service (no we can’t afford that) … you do you I’ll do me,

Wow that’s a lot! Any time left for studying?

S night-th

Come on people …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I plan to make my kid pay for this stuff out of summer earnings. We aren't there yet, so I can't report back yet.

But nobody "has to" order Uber Eats.

I agree and I have told her I'm not paying for it, BUT if she wants to order pizza one night after a hard day, I'm happy to give her some money for that. I don't want them to burn through their savings at college. I gave my DS the same amount and he never spent it but was happy it was there in case he wanted to go out to a decent restaurant with his friends. To each their own, why it has to become a fight on this board, I don't know. You do you, I'll do me. I give my kids $200/month. That is what was asked by the OP, hold the judgement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will probably give mine $100 on her account for laundry, vending & occasional school cafe and another $100 for off-campus groceries for the semester.
She is on a full meal plan and has some flex dollars as a part of that account. I will make sure she is stocked to begin with.
Bus transit is free w/ student ID, no need for Uber unless she wants to
If she wants to dine out or buy clothes, she can pay for that with summer earnings. She already does. I will make sure she has some base wardrobe on me.
If her account is low, I can always help out.
If there is something she needs that is a necessity (health stuff, cleaning, toiletries, groceries), I can always transfer to her account, or she can order on my Amazon/Target if needed.
Books are covered by her FA.

I just don't get the $200/$250/mo allowances if the kid has a full meal plan. Though, I suppose if you have the money....

Um do you have a kid in college yet? The food is generally terrible and dining halls close by 8 pm often. My DD Often had to order Uber eats because she had just come up for air from classes and studying and the dining halls were closed. Plus sometimes she just wanted decent food.

Well then she needs to get better at scheduling and getting to the Dining hall on time. For late night snacks, she should keep a couple pieces of fruit lying around.