Spending money in college

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would encourage him to get an on campus job. That will give him spending money plus is a good way for introverted kids to make friends.

We gave our kids $50/month the first year + they spent from their savings so I don't know what their actual expenses were.

wow someone from 1974 just commented.

I am old but even in 1982 was $3 bucks worth of gas, maybe $5 bucks movie ticket and even if I met girl for just splitting a $4 pitcher of beer afterwards and $6 bucks popcorn, soda and candy bar at movie. That would be $18 bucks and you are proposing $50 for a month in 2024.

Do these people not date or go out? Let alone, clothes, hair cuts, toothpaste and coffee type things. You dont have to give anything, my parents gave me nothing in school, but $50 is a 14 year old kid spending money for a trip to the mall in 2024

I am currently in college, and my parents give me $60 per month. I work a job for the rest. Necessities like toothpaste and notebooks go on their card; "fun stuff" goes on mine. It's a perfectly satisfactory arrangement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Books?
Backpack and school supplies?
Toiletries?
Laundry Money?
Car Insurance?
Phone Bill?

NONE of that is "spending money".

That’s the thing. It’s all in how you define it. Some here say they don’t give their kids “spending money,” but then say they “of course” have access to the Amazon account and they load them up on toiletries and snacks when they visit, etc.

Learning to budget is important, but my view is that it’s easy to not spend money when you don’t have any. It’s harder to learn to not spend money that you do have. We transferred $4,000 to DC’s checking account in August and he paid for everything (books, toiletries, snacks, sports tickets, restaurant meals, etc) and he had over a $1,000 left over at the end of the first semester.

In addition to what is included in the category, a lot depends on where the college is. A kid in a small LCOL town is going to spend less than a kid in NYC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:it just is so kid dependent - my first is going into her senior year of college, is in a city with endless opportunities to spend money, but really mostly lives a campu-based life with free events etc and spends next to nothing. She's also a cheapskate and loves nothing more than free stuff so is always in search of it. My second kid will start college next near and blows through money like a tornado so I anticipate he'll spend much more. Neither kid will get spending money from us, that's on them from summer work etc. But how much they spend will vary enormously.

Agree with the above. Also agree with PP who said an introvert may be less likely to spend.

Is that a good thing? My introvert kid spent very little the first semester. But during the second semester, he had made friends and starting going out a bit. It meant his spending went up some, but it made me very happy that he wasn’t sitting alone in his room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If he never leaves campus and eats all his meals at the dining hall, give him 100 bucks month.

If always leaves campus (even if he makes one or two friends who like to be in the city - why else go to school in a big city?- for events, site seeing, sports, etc) and eats all his meals outside the dining hall, give him 800 bucks a month.

Is this 1990?

[Anonymous]

Back in the 90s my parents have me 2000/month and that included housing

[Anonymous]

Toiletries are necessities. Spending money is for fun stuff like going out, getting food, drinks, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Toiletries are necessities. Spending money is for fun stuff like going out, getting food, drinks, etc.

Restaurant food is fun/spending money

Frozen meals that are groceries I will consider necessity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What? They live on Campus and housing and meals are paid for. $$$

What would they need money for?

Lol. Girls especially will spend money on food outside the dining hall (if not meals then coffee, snacks, pizza), personal upkeep (nails, hair, waxing - particularly if they are going out or rushing), clothes, ubers, dorm decor, gifts... not excusing it but it is what it is.

Our daughters need a reality check. They waste too much money.

The reality check is making them earn their own money for clothes, upkeep, Starbucks, etc. (though note it's not fair that boys have no expectation of "upkeep")
Agreed we live in a materialist society - let's stop with having the dorm rooms on Instagram look like that Taj Mahal for one thing...

yea, I'm not paying for that. I don't mind getting her a little plant but nothing like some of the stuff I've seen online.

Shoot, even the basics for college dorm add up, though. I haven't bought any decor items (unless you count bedding, which you need any way you slice it), and we're still hundreds of dollars deep

But my child got an earful before prom when she was insisting on fancy acrylics. Girl, I rarely get my nails done at all, and you are saying I'm ruining your life if I don't pay over $100 for your nails for one night? NOPE.

She has gift cards coming her way via grandma and some that were received as gifts. Use those, chica.

What are you buying for the dorm room that costs that much? Most of what my DD took was from her room. Next year she will be in an apartment with a kitchen so I have bought a few kitchen items that we don't have enough of in our kitchen to give her.

shower shoes, shower tote, bathrobe, bins/drawers (some I got from a garage sale), small first aid kit, small hand steamer for clothes (I think this was $15), a pill organizer for her meds that connects to a smart phone for reminders (this was less than $20 and worth it to us), a locking storage ottoman (which was about $25 and multipurpose - step onto bed AND lock up valuables including aforementioned meds), mattress encasement to protect against bedbugs, a mattress topper (got a deal at Home Depot for less than $50), a set of pillows, a laptop desk from IKEA for her bed, a tool set at IKEA for I think $10, and of course the all important woozoo ;P ....

Look, it adds up. We still have to get a computer for her, too - thankfully, we got a huge amount of gift cards from Costco and she and her father have scoped one out that the cards will cover. We're not going to be traveling back and forth a lot - it's a bit far for that.

Sounds like a lot of unnecessary stuff if you ask me. I bought the xl sheets and a few bins for under the bed. The rest she can bring from home.

To you, I guess. We were very much starting from scratch on a lot of that stuff. And the pill box and locking ottoman are necessary FOR HER.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If he never leaves campus and eats all his meals at the dining hall, give him 100 bucks month.

If always leaves campus (even if he makes one or two friends who like to be in the city - why else go to school in a big city?- for events, site seeing, sports, etc) and eats all his meals outside the dining hall, give him 800 bucks a month.

Is this 1990?

If it were, he'd make his own money. You keep trying to make this shtick stick. Not really working.

And, actually my kid doesn't get anything. Provides her own spending money. True 90s mom here.

[Anonymous]

I have an introvert and she spends almost no money at school. The only money she spends is for club dues and occasional outings with clubs. She likes the dining hall food and is content to eat there and use dining dollars to get extras like occasional ice cream or coffee. She hangs out with similar friends. If your son is an introvert who doesn't party/drink, his summer earnings may be enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What? They live on Campus and housing and meals are paid for. $$$

What would they need money for?

Lol. Girls especially will spend money on food outside the dining hall (if not meals then coffee, snacks, pizza), personal upkeep (nails, hair, waxing - particularly if they are going out or rushing), clothes, ubers, dorm decor, gifts... not excusing it but it is what it is.

Our daughters need a reality check. They waste too much money.

The reality check is making them earn their own money for clothes, upkeep, Starbucks, etc. (though note it's not fair that boys have no expectation of "upkeep")
Agreed we live in a materialist society - let's stop with having the dorm rooms on Instagram look like that Taj Mahal for one thing...

yea, I'm not paying for that. I don't mind getting her a little plant but nothing like some of the stuff I've seen online.

Shoot, even the basics for college dorm add up, though. I haven't bought any decor items (unless you count bedding, which you need any way you slice it), and we're still hundreds of dollars deep

But my child got an earful before prom when she was insisting on fancy acrylics. Girl, I rarely get my nails done at all, and you are saying I'm ruining your life if I don't pay over $100 for your nails for one night? NOPE.

She has gift cards coming her way via grandma and some that were received as gifts. Use those, chica.

What are you buying for the dorm room that costs that much? Most of what my DD took was from her room. Next year she will be in an apartment with a kitchen so I have bought a few kitchen items that we don't have enough of in our kitchen to give her.

shower shoes, shower tote, bathrobe, bins/drawers (some I got from a garage sale), small first aid kit, small hand steamer for clothes (I think this was $15), a pill organizer for her meds that connects to a smart phone for reminders (this was less than $20 and worth it to us), a locking storage ottoman (which was about $25 and multipurpose - step onto bed AND lock up valuables including aforementioned meds), mattress encasement to protect against bedbugs, a mattress topper (got a deal at Home Depot for less than $50), a set of pillows, a laptop desk from IKEA for her bed, a tool set at IKEA for I think $10, and of course the all important woozoo ;P ....

Look, it adds up. We still have to get a computer for her, too - thankfully, we got a huge amount of gift cards from Costco and she and her father have scoped one out that the cards will cover. We're not going to be traveling back and forth a lot - it's a bit far for that.

Sounds like a lot of unnecessary stuff if you ask me. I bought the xl sheets and a few bins for under the bed. The rest she can bring from home.

To you, I guess. We were very much starting from scratch on a lot of that stuff. And the pill box and locking ottoman are necessary FOR HER.

DP. Hear you on the pillow and ottoman, but maybe you can save some dough by returning the mattress encashment-- aren't they plastic coated already?

[Anonymous]

DD is outdoorsy and always on a backpacking trip paid for by her college in SoCal, but she likes to spend money on relatively nice new gear and personal snacks. Id say she spend 3-4k a semester going to concerts, light grocery shopping when she’s sick of the dining hall, and surprisingly meals out with professors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What? They live on Campus and housing and meals are paid for. $$$

What would they need money for?

Lol. Girls especially will spend money on food outside the dining hall (if not meals then coffee, snacks, pizza), personal upkeep (nails, hair, waxing - particularly if they are going out or rushing), clothes, ubers, dorm decor, gifts... not excusing it but it is what it is.

Our daughters need a reality check. They waste too much money.

The reality check is making them earn their own money for clothes, upkeep, Starbucks, etc. (though note it's not fair that boys have no expectation of "upkeep")
Agreed we live in a materialist society - let's stop with having the dorm rooms on Instagram look like that Taj Mahal for one thing...

yea, I'm not paying for that. I don't mind getting her a little plant but nothing like some of the stuff I've seen online.

Shoot, even the basics for college dorm add up, though. I haven't bought any decor items (unless you count bedding, which you need any way you slice it), and we're still hundreds of dollars deep

But my child got an earful before prom when she was insisting on fancy acrylics. Girl, I rarely get my nails done at all, and you are saying I'm ruining your life if I don't pay over $100 for your nails for one night? NOPE.

She has gift cards coming her way via grandma and some that were received as gifts. Use those, chica.

What are you buying for the dorm room that costs that much? Most of what my DD took was from her room. Next year she will be in an apartment with a kitchen so I have bought a few kitchen items that we don't have enough of in our kitchen to give her.

shower shoes, shower tote, bathrobe, bins/drawers (some I got from a garage sale), small first aid kit, small hand steamer for clothes (I think this was $15), a pill organizer for her meds that connects to a smart phone for reminders (this was less than $20 and worth it to us), a locking storage ottoman (which was about $25 and multipurpose - step onto bed AND lock up valuables including aforementioned meds), mattress encasement to protect against bedbugs, a mattress topper (got a deal at Home Depot for less than $50), a set of pillows, a laptop desk from IKEA for her bed, a tool set at IKEA for I think $10, and of course the all important woozoo ;P ....

Look, it adds up. We still have to get a computer for her, too - thankfully, we got a huge amount of gift cards from Costco and she and her father have scoped one out that the cards will cover. We're not going to be traveling back and forth a lot - it's a bit far for that.

Sounds like a lot of unnecessary stuff if you ask me. I bought the xl sheets and a few bins for under the bed. The rest she can bring from home.

To you, I guess. We were very much starting from scratch on a lot of that stuff. And the pill box and locking ottoman are necessary FOR HER.

DP. Hear you on the pillow and ottoman, but maybe you can save some dough by returning the mattress encashment-- aren't they plastic coated already?

They are. I couldn't believe the crap that students threw in the dumpsters at the end of the year. You don't need all of that stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What? They live on Campus and housing and meals are paid for. $$$

What would they need money for?

Lol. Girls especially will spend money on food outside the dining hall (if not meals then coffee, snacks, pizza), personal upkeep (nails, hair, waxing - particularly if they are going out or rushing), clothes, ubers, dorm decor, gifts... not excusing it but it is what it is.

Our daughters need a reality check. They waste too much money.

The reality check is making them earn their own money for clothes, upkeep, Starbucks, etc. (though note it's not fair that boys have no expectation of "upkeep")
Agreed we live in a materialist society - let's stop with having the dorm rooms on Instagram look like that Taj Mahal for one thing...

yea, I'm not paying for that. I don't mind getting her a little plant but nothing like some of the stuff I've seen online.

Shoot, even the basics for college dorm add up, though. I haven't bought any decor items (unless you count bedding, which you need any way you slice it), and we're still hundreds of dollars deep

But my child got an earful before prom when she was insisting on fancy acrylics. Girl, I rarely get my nails done at all, and you are saying I'm ruining your life if I don't pay over $100 for your nails for one night? NOPE.

She has gift cards coming her way via grandma and some that were received as gifts. Use those, chica.

What are you buying for the dorm room that costs that much? Most of what my DD took was from her room. Next year she will be in an apartment with a kitchen so I have bought a few kitchen items that we don't have enough of in our kitchen to give her.

shower shoes, shower tote, bathrobe, bins/drawers (some I got from a garage sale), small first aid kit, small hand steamer for clothes (I think this was $15), a pill organizer for her meds that connects to a smart phone for reminders (this was less than $20 and worth it to us), a locking storage ottoman (which was about $25 and multipurpose - step onto bed AND lock up valuables including aforementioned meds), mattress encasement to protect against bedbugs, a mattress topper (got a deal at Home Depot for less than $50), a set of pillows, a laptop desk from IKEA for her bed, a tool set at IKEA for I think $10, and of course the all important woozoo ;P ....

Look, it adds up. We still have to get a computer for her, too - thankfully, we got a huge amount of gift cards from Costco and she and her father have scoped one out that the cards will cover. We're not going to be traveling back and forth a lot - it's a bit far for that.

Sounds like a lot of unnecessary stuff if you ask me. I bought the xl sheets and a few bins for under the bed. The rest she can bring from home.

To you, I guess. We were very much starting from scratch on a lot of that stuff. And the pill box and locking ottoman are necessary FOR HER.

DP. Hear you on the pillow and ottoman, but maybe you can save some dough by returning the mattress encashment-- aren't they plastic coated already?

They are. I couldn't believe the crap that students threw in the dumpsters at the end of the year. You don't need all of that stuff.

If we discover there are things she can do without, we will return or sell them.

Most things were pretty reasonably priced.

I will admit to not being sold on the woozoo fan - she conned her dad into that one on a Costco run. We have a bunch of Honeywell fans in our house already. But we do know they have no a/c in the freshman dorms (school in New England), so she will need a good fan for the first couple weeks. It was 100 degrees when we went in June

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, are campus libraries paying $15/hour? If so, damn - my kid needs to get a job there!

Your kid won’t get that job. They are reserved for financial aid work study kids

None of my three kids are/were on financial aid. They had no issue getting on-campus jobs - not library, but all were either chill (i.e., had downtime to do homework) or related to their major or future career field.

DC #1 - office assistant for their academic department, front desk at a campus gym (not at the same time)
DC #2 - worked in two different labs, student medical/emergency response team for large events like football games (all great for med school applications!)
DC #3 - peer tutor and tutor for student athletes, worked at front desk of dorm