How do you handle spending money for your college student?

[Anonymous]

For those that have a student in college now....how do you handle spending money?

I want to make clear to my child that i will happily pay room, board, tuition and fees for an in-state college, they will be at least partially responsible for covering their own spending money.

How do you handle your kids spending money? What are typical weekly costs for your child above room, board, and fees? Do you make your child pay these costs? Ar they able to cover them with summer jobs and jobs during winter break, or do they work during the school year too?

Please give me some insight here into what kind of reasonable expectations I should have.

Thanks DCUM!

[Anonymous]

This has been posted many times and there are, not surprisingly, a huge range of practices. Not to mention strongly held views that what the poster does is the one and only right way and that what anyone else does is totally wrong and likely going to result in a kid who will end up playing video games in the basement for life, or starving in their dorm room.

With that caveat...we give our DCs $1000/semester for allowance and we also pay for books, travel home, medical expenses and some clothing. We've contributed to spring break but not paid for all of it. DCs worked each summer and use summer earnings for expenses above that. We pay full tuition, room/rent, and food/board.

One of our DCs has lived off campus for 2 years so we provide a separate food allowance (which is a little less than the campus meal plan).

It's worked well for our kids. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

We opened a credit card. First year there was very little charged aside from meals the one evening/week the dining hall is closed, uber rides, toiletries and prescriptions. Mostly saved summer job monies were used for entertainment expenses. Then with the move to off campus housing, all living expenses go onto the credit card. It's been reasonable so far. Continuing to use summer internship monies to fund amusement. I think he likes being trusted without an allowance and is on the frugal side anyway so this works for us and I know in an emergency, he'll have ready access to funds.

[Anonymous]

DD runs a web cam. That seems to keep her flush.

[Anonymous]

I gave each $60 per month when they went to school. I told them to let me know if they needed more or less.

My son told me he spent between $45-50 but would like to keep getting $60 to have a little cushion in case something came up.
My daughter told me she didn't need more but she used it all.

[Anonymous]

What are typical weekly costs for your child above room, board, and fees?

Both: mini fridge, some groceries, trips to nearby city 20 minutes away
Girl: tampons, toiletries that fluctuate in cost depending on season, cabs/uber
Boy: more food, toiletries

My son would walk late at night or farther distances than my DD. He used cabs/uber much less than she did.

[Anonymous]

We don't provide any spending money. We pay for tuition, room, board, books, sorority dues, and supplies for the dorm/apartment. They pay for everything else- beer money, uber, concert tix, incidentals that come up (tampons, toiletries, snacks, groceries once they got off the meal plan, etc.), any spring break they want to go on. I think it is GOOD for kids to have skin in the game.

[Anonymous]

We don’t give him them spending money, that is on them. I do send a twenty with a Valentines or Halloween card.

[Anonymous]

DC1 gets spending money from her full ride scholarship (2-3k per semester, plus national merit schoarship)

DC2 has a CC that he uses as needed.

[Anonymous]

My kids all went to college on merit aid, thank heavens. Scholorships covered tuition, books, and dorm. We paid for necessities like food and car insurance. They had part time jobs and made their own spending money.

[Anonymous]

1250 a month for food (off campus no dining plan), uber, and entertainment.

[Anonymous]

$0. They have jobs for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don't provide any spending money. We pay for tuition, room, board, books, sorority dues, and supplies for the dorm/apartment. They pay for everything else- beer money, uber, concert tix, incidentals that come up (tampons, toiletries, snacks, groceries once they got off the meal plan, etc.), any spring break they want to go on. I think it is GOOD for kids to have skin in the game.

m

You pay for sorority dues but not tampons. LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don't provide any spending money. We pay for tuition, room, board, books, sorority dues, and supplies for the dorm/apartment. They pay for everything else- beer money, uber, concert tix, incidentals that come up (tampons, toiletries, snacks, groceries once they got off the meal plan, etc.), any spring break they want to go on. I think it is GOOD for kids to have skin in the game.

OP here - I agree! So do your kids make their spending money by working summers and during the winter break, or do they work during the school year too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don't provide any spending money. We pay for tuition, room, board, books, sorority dues, and supplies for the dorm/apartment. They pay for everything else- beer money, uber, concert tix, incidentals that come up (tampons, toiletries, snacks, groceries once they got off the meal plan, etc.), any spring break they want to go on. I think it is GOOD for kids to have skin in the game.

OP here - I agree! So do your kids make their spending money by working summers and during the winter break, or do they work during the school year too?

Both of them worked 40 hours/week during summer. DD worked about 10 hours/week at an on campus job starting sophomore year, DS did a 20 hour/week internship his junior year but didn't work during the year otherwise.