What is a reasonable allowance for a student at a rural college

[Anonymous]

Thinking about the allowance amount for our son this fall. What is a reasonable amount for a freshman with a full meal plan living on campus. He will have his car so gas should be in the figure. I am not including books in the allowance.

[Anonymous]

My DC spends about 350/month, including extra charges for on campus food (snack bar, cafe not included in meal plan) and bookstore purchases (not books). But a girl so includes some clothes and probably way more personal care products than a boy. Not including prescriptions and gas. We do $200/month in a lump sum at the beginning of the semester, the on campus stuff is direct billed.

[Anonymous]

$350 a month? Absolutely not. I'd go with $150 and if more money is needed, have them try to get an *on-campus* job.

[Anonymous]

$100/week?

[Anonymous]

Allowance? When I went to college, I bought my books, personal care, clothes, etc while my parents paid tuition and room and board. The money I spent was from savings when I was a high schooler working (half of what I made was saved and half I could spend at the time) and after freshman year I worked on campus.

It will be interesting to see what circumstances lead us to do when DD goes, we still have some time, but 350 sounds extremely generous.

[Anonymous]

$100 a week? I don't spend $100 a week (beyond food and op said DS has a full meal plan). The sooner the student learns money management the better. $100 isn't going to do that. It will just provide beer money.

[Anonymous]

DS is at Salisbury with a girlfriend. We give him $150/month. We told him to get a job if he needs more $$$

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Allowance? When I went to college, I bought my books, personal care, clothes, etc while my parents paid tuition and room and board. The money I spent was from savings when I was a high schooler working (half of what I made was saved and half I could spend at the time) and after freshman year I worked on campus.

It will be interesting to see what circumstances lead us to do when DD goes, we still have some time, but 350 sounds extremely generous.

Me, too. However, I think it's a bit harder to get jobs now than when I was in high school/college. My DD, 16, is having a very hard time finding a job; many places want you to be at least 18.

My DD gets $80 a month in allowance now. I'd think $150 would be a reasonable amount for college since she'll have more out-of-pocket expenses. For instance, when we get pizza at home, I pay for it now, but clearly she'd be paying in college. I also now buy her shampoo, etc., although she buys most of her makeup from babysitting money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS is at Salisbury with a girlfriend. We give him $150/month. We told him to get a job if he needs more $$$

I'm the PP. DD is considering Salisbury. Does your son like it?

[Anonymous]

Not trying to be snarky but I'm curious to know: If you're paying for all of his living expenses (including tuition, room, board, food, and presumable insurance for the car), what extras would he need money for that a campus job wouldn't provide enough to cover?

Jobs on or near the campus usually cater to college student so the hours could be worked around his class schedule. Granted the money won't be glamorous but he'll make enough for gas, to buy a couple of t-shirts or take a girl on a date.

I worked for extra money during college. My jobs varied from working in the library to a laundromat but getting my very own paycheck was pretty exciting. Not to mention, if you require or suggest that he get a job for the extras he may learn to be better at managing money than if you continue to give him an allowance or allow him to get a credit card.

This is just my opinion but I wish you best of luck in making the decision.

[Anonymous]

I want my kid to work on his grades not a minimum wage job. If you need a job for the money that is fine but I do not think its some kind of a huge character builder unless you are actually paying your way through college yourself. No one wants to eat every meal at the college dinning hall. You need beer money, gas money, money for clothing, take a girl out to a movie once in a while etc. I think $100 a week sounds reasonable.

[Anonymous]

DD is on a meal plan and gets 250/month. She also works on campus part-time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS is at Salisbury with a girlfriend. We give him $150/month. We told him to get a job if he needs more $$$

I'm the PP. DD is considering Salisbury. Does your son like it?

Yes I think so. He's doing fine there. Has made some friends, enjoys classes, went to the beach the other day. It's a good fit for him academically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Allowance? When I went to college, I bought my books, personal care, clothes, etc while my parents paid tuition and room and board. The money I spent was from savings when I was a high schooler working (half of what I made was saved and half I could spend at the time) and after freshman year I worked on campus.

It will be interesting to see what circumstances lead us to do when DD goes, we still have some time, but 350 sounds extremely generous.

Same here. Parents paid tuition, room & board and for a meal plan. Anything else was paid for by me. I went to school full time and waited tables. Worked out great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want my kid to work on his grades not a minimum wage job. If you need a job for the money that is fine but I do not think its some kind of a huge character builder unless you are actually paying your way through college yourself. No one wants to eat every meal at the college dinning hall. You need beer money, gas money, money for clothing, take a girl out to a movie once in a while etc. I think $100 a week sounds reasonable.

I had to pay for all extras myself, worked and went to school full time. Still was able to hold a 3.5 GPA and I do think it was character building. I truly appreciated everything I had and knew how to budget my expenses. I had money to go out and to go back packing in Europe after graduation. It totally can be done and it can be done successfully. Don't under estimate your kid. They can do it. The kids I went to schoool with who had parents who paid for everything didn't have the same perspective on time and money management.