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[quote=Anonymous]OP, know that the people who tend to answer this question on this board definitely lean toward the “kids don’t need spending money” camp. I think they also don’t account for inflation. My favorite thread was the one where people claimed kids not on the dining plan only need $150-200 a month for groceries.

My kid goes to school in a big city and spends about $400-500 a month, and he’s not spending on anything outrageous. He charges everything, so I see where it all goes. He and his friends mostly eat in the dining hall, but buying something like Chipotle twice a week is $120+. Snacks and soft drinks, toiletries, books, supplies, one outing that charges admission, refreshments at the football game, out to a medium-nice dinner with friends once a month…it all adds up.

I can promise you there are kids who spend a *lot* more than this.  Do you want your kid to be able to go out when his friend group is going, at least on occasion? I swear there are a lot of people on this board who didn’t have any fun in college and don’t want their kids to do so either.

And don’t say it’s about “learning the value of a dollar.” My kid worked last summer as a grocery store cashier (which *was* an amazing way to learn about the value of dollar), and has an account from which he could spend several times more than he did (only a portion of which he earned himself). If things go as planned, my DC will be coming into a significant amount of money in the future. I’m more concerned about teaching him how to handle that responsibly than teaching him how to survive on little or no money. Not spending money because you don’t have any can be miserable because you’re deprived of things other people take for granted, but learning to *not* spend money you do have is a life skill that is more relevant for a person like my DC. YMMV. [/quote]

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