How much is a normal range for college students’ monthly spending?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son works in the summer to pay for things outside of room and board. I do let him order toiletries etc on my Amazon account. He usually earns around $5k each summer and from that he also pays for his car insurance and gas.

Car insurance?

Nope that is for parents til they graduate. Unless unforseen circumstances like parent job loss or illness.

Mine pays their own car insurance and gas.

[Anonymous]

I have a sophomore who was an athlete who had never had a HS or summer job, just some babysitting/gift type money when they left for college.

We gave $200/month for "fun money" in the debit account where we don't see the charges. Plus my kid has a credit card that I pay. It is hard to parse out because everything - prescriptions, books, toiletries, fast food, amazon orders, gas, activities, etc - is on that card, but it averaged about $1000 a month freshman year.

Kid is expected to pay for more on their own this year after having a summer job, but still gets the $200.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son works in the summer to pay for things outside of room and board. I do let him order toiletries etc on my Amazon account. He usually earns around $5k each summer and from that he also pays for his car insurance and gas.

Car insurance?

Nope that is for parents til they graduate. Unless unforseen circumstances like parent job loss or illness.

Not in my house. It’s an extra $2k per year that I don’t have. He works and that’s basically his only bill he is responsible for. I’m not a money tree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son works in the summer to pay for things outside of room and board. I do let him order toiletries etc on my Amazon account. He usually earns around $5k each summer and from that he also pays for his car insurance and gas.

Car insurance?

Nope that is for parents til they graduate. Unless unforseen circumstances like parent job loss or illness.

No way. Our kids have paid for insurance and gas since they got their licenses. How are you teaching responsibility?

[Anonymous]

We give our kids $100/month for fun money. And we pay for necessities (toiletries, etc). Otherwise, it’s whatever they save from summer jobs and p/t work at school.

[Anonymous]

Kid has worked summers since he was 15y and saved that (has about $20,000 saved.) $200/month gets transferred from his savings to checking for going out/gas to go see his girlfriend/etc. We kick in $100/month for toiletries, household supplies, and laundry (not part of housing costs.) He is free to transfer more out of savings if he chooses (it IS his money.) He is also working on getting an on campus job to add to savings.

[Anonymous]

Next year, they might use summer earnings, but the summer before freshman year was a bust for earnings. Between travel and surgery, DC probably worked about 2 weeks. We knew this going in and were fine with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore who was an athlete who had never had a HS or summer job, just some babysitting/gift type money when they left for college.

We gave $200/month for "fun money" in the debit account where we don't see the charges. Plus my kid has a credit card that I pay. It is hard to parse out because everything - prescriptions, books, toiletries, fast food, amazon orders, gas, activities, etc - is on that card, but it averaged about $1000 a month freshman year.

Kid is expected to pay for more on their own this year after having a summer job, but still gets the $200.

That is insane. Is it a southern public? The only friend I know who spends that range has a kid at a big public and greek fees plus booze are a lot of it.
We never spent close to half of that, more like 1000 per semester on top of tuition/room/meal plan/mandatory fees. Full pay at ivy though arguably the school has a lot of free speakers, parties, cheap movie nights and almost no books required to purchase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS about $300 per month; DD way more. Both attend colleges near major cities where we want and expect them to experience and take advantage of (professional sports, concerts, art shows, festivals, great food, golfing/boating/skiing, etc)

That's strange. If they both attend similar schools why does DD merit "way more"?

[Anonymous]

I have a new freshman and I told her I’d pay for TJs for dorm snacks, toiletries and such but things like concerts, matcha and any thrifting she does is on her dime. She has money from jobs and grad money in her bank account.