"$100 is a tank of gas now."

Unless your kid is a commuter, why would they need a car while they're a full time college student? If they want one as a luxury, then they can pay for it. Regular maintenance, parking, gas, repairs, insurance, add up to a significant amount of money. Even if they live off campus and need to shop for groceries, they probably don't need a car these days with delivery available almost everywhere.

"Um do you have a kid in college yet? The food is generally terrible and dining halls close by 8 pm often. My DD Often had to order Uber eats because she had just come up for air from classes and studying and the dining halls were closed. Plus sometimes she just wanted decent food."

I really don't get this. Has it changed that much since we were students? In my dorm 35 years ago, they always had a salad bar and a sandwich/hot quesadilla table. (California!) If what they served that day was awful or for some reason you didn't feel like eating it, you could just eat a hearty salad and load it with proteins, or make a sandwich or quesadilla. And if there was a day during the week when you were scheduled for a class during a meal, or it was too far to return to your own dining hall, you could eat in a different dining hall. In the worst case scenario, you could have the cafeteria people pack a lunch for you, or even set aside a plate for your dinner. They were usually cleaning up or starting food prep for the next day until about 9 at night.

None of this stopped us from ordering pizza almost every night. You paid by how many slices you ate. Today, an 8-slice pizza in the neighborhood near UMD costs about $20 with the tip and delivery fee. It is cut into about 10 slices, so $2/slice. That doesn't add up to hundreds of dollars a month. If someone had a car we'd pile in about every other week and search for a taco truck. Some of my favorite memories are of the times someone's parent would send them a $20 bill. Back then, $20 would buy enough tacos al pastor to feed four hungry students! We also had a frozen yogurt shop on campus and you could sometimes convince the kids on your hall to take a break and walk over there for a $3 cup of mango fro-yo.

It sounds to me like lots of kids order out because they're bored. That's fine, and to be expected. But instead of doing it budget style, they're ordering expensive meals from Uber Eats at $25 a pop. Same with the expensive coffees that some kids drink daily. I plan to give my kid about $50/month for "walking around money." But I have no problem telling my kid that he can pay for expensive stuff like Uber Eats out of his own money that he earns, just like I do now while he's a teen in HS and living at home.

What makes even less sense are the kids living off campus in an apartment with a full kitchen. They have no excuse for not liking what is served, since they are their own cook. And they have a freezer where they can keep some ready-to-eat meals stashed for days when they're too tired or busy to cook for themselves.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will probably give mine $100 on her account for laundry, vending & occasional school cafe and another $100 for off-campus groceries for the semester.
She is on a full meal plan and has some flex dollars as a part of that account. I will make sure she is stocked to begin with.
Bus transit is free w/ student ID, no need for Uber unless she wants to
If she wants to dine out or buy clothes, she can pay for that with summer earnings. She already does. I will make sure she has some base wardrobe on me.
If her account is low, I can always help out.
If there is something she needs that is a necessity (health stuff, cleaning, toiletries, groceries), I can always transfer to her account, or she can order on my Amazon/Target if needed.
Books are covered by her FA.

I just don't get the $200/$250/mo allowances if the kid has a full meal plan. Though, I suppose if you have the money....

Um do you have a kid in college yet? The food is generally terrible and dining halls close by 8 pm often. My DD Often had to order Uber eats because she had just come up for air from classes and studying and the dining halls were closed. Plus sometimes she just wanted decent food.

NP - Um ,I have one. She gets no allowance and spends hardly any money ( best guess about 100-150 monthly ). She’s super busy, super social, lots of friends. Most of her socializing is centered around campus events though she’s not going out to dinner all the time and she’s certainly not telling me she must use Uber Eats on a regular basis. If you want to give your kid a big allowance go for it, what kid wouldn’t be happy to have more money from their parents. But it’s certainly not a requirement for a happy and social college experience.

I plan to make my kid pay for this stuff out of summer earnings. We aren't there yet, so I can't report back yet.

But nobody "has to" order Uber Eats.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$200/mth

You want her to be able to socialize

Why? If the parent is paying for tuition, food, dorm, etc.--why do they also have to provide money to "socialize." My parents didn't give me a single penny in college besides the 3 things I just mentioned. I had to pay for books/supplies, clothes, toiletries, and yes money for social things.

and everyone has had a different experience. Why is what your parents paid for any better than what others believe is important? I did not want my DD to work her freshman year because her "job" was to get to know the school, make friends, focus on classes. This year, her sophomore, she will be working PT in a restaurant because she wants more spending money. Hopefully it will work out!

She needs money to make friends? Honestly that's pretty sad.

Where did I say she needed money to make friends? I said we didn't want her to have a job, so she could focus on the things I listed, so we paid her an allowance of $200/month. Reading comprehension suffering today.

$250 per month in Boston. Some months she saved, some months she spent more than $250. But we agreed that it was the right amount to not be limiting nor extravagant

$100 is a tank of gas now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$200/mth

You want her to be able to socialize

Why? If the parent is paying for tuition, food, dorm, etc.--why do they also have to provide money to "socialize." My parents didn't give me a single penny in college besides the 3 things I just mentioned. I had to pay for books/supplies, clothes, toiletries, and yes money for social things.

and everyone has had a different experience. Why is what your parents paid for any better than what others believe is important? I did not want my DD to work her freshman year because her "job" was to get to know the school, make friends, focus on classes. This year, her sophomore, she will be working PT in a restaurant because she wants more spending money. Hopefully it will work out!

She needs money to make friends? Honestly that's pretty sad.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$200/mth

You want her to be able to socialize

Why? If the parent is paying for tuition, food, dorm, etc.--why do they also have to provide money to "socialize." My parents didn't give me a single penny in college besides the 3 things I just mentioned. I had to pay for books/supplies, clothes, toiletries, and yes money for social things.

and everyone has had a different experience. Why is what your parents paid for any better than what others believe is important? I did not want my DD to work her freshman year because her "job" was to get to know the school, make friends, focus on classes. This year, her sophomore, she will be working PT in a restaurant because she wants more spending money. Hopefully it will work out!

Anonymous wrote:$200/mth

You want her to be able to socialize

Why? If the parent is paying for tuition, food, dorm, etc.--why do they also have to provide money to "socialize." My parents didn't give me a single penny in college besides the 3 things I just mentioned. I had to pay for books/supplies, clothes, toiletries, and yes money for social things.

My parents gave me $1200/month 20+ years ago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I will probably give mine $100 on her account for laundry, vending & occasional school cafe and another $100 for off-campus groceries for the semester.
She is on a full meal plan and has some flex dollars as a part of that account. I will make sure she is stocked to begin with.
Bus transit is free w/ student ID, no need for Uber unless she wants to
If she wants to dine out or buy clothes, she can pay for that with summer earnings. She already does. I will make sure she has some base wardrobe on me.
If her account is low, I can always help out.
If there is something she needs that is a necessity (health stuff, cleaning, toiletries, groceries), I can always transfer to her account, or she can order on my Amazon/Target if needed.
Books are covered by her FA.

I just don't get the $200/$250/mo allowances if the kid has a full meal plan. Though, I suppose if you have the money....

Um do you have a kid in college yet? The food is generally terrible and dining halls close by 8 pm often. My DD Often had to order Uber eats because she had just come up for air from classes and studying and the dining halls were closed. Plus sometimes she just wanted decent food.

+1000

DD's big city college said they expect an additional $500/month as part of the cost of attendance so that is what we did. It covers extra food & snacks, toiletries, laundry & dry cleaning, Uber rides and occasional social events with friends like seeing a concert or game and also other odd stuff like a Halloween costume, Secret Santa, going to student events because a friend is performing, pajamas because all the girls bought the same ones, bookstore swag, COVID tests, and a whole host of stuff that you just don't know until it pops up.

My DD had her own reckoning last May before finals when she added up everything she spent on her Sorority, going to the bars, spring break, holiday gift giving, entertainment, coffee, meals out, date nights, theme parties, charity, etc. and she had spent over five figures of her own money in nine months. It was her money and a big eye opener for her and us. She made a budget and asked for a budget binder for her birthday, but not much has changed. She hasn’t yet dropped her FOMO and her budget sadly has not changed. She will learn.

Anonymous wrote:I will probably give mine $100 on her account for laundry, vending & occasional school cafe and another $100 for off-campus groceries for the semester.
She is on a full meal plan and has some flex dollars as a part of that account. I will make sure she is stocked to begin with.
Bus transit is free w/ student ID, no need for Uber unless she wants to
If she wants to dine out or buy clothes, she can pay for that with summer earnings. She already does. I will make sure she has some base wardrobe on me.
If her account is low, I can always help out.
If there is something she needs that is a necessity (health stuff, cleaning, toiletries, groceries), I can always transfer to her account, or she can order on my Amazon/Target if needed.
Books are covered by her FA.

I just don't get the $200/$250/mo allowances if the kid has a full meal plan. Though, I suppose if you have the money....

Um do you have a kid in college yet? The food is generally terrible and dining halls close by 8 pm often. My DD Often had to order Uber eats because she had just come up for air from classes and studying and the dining halls were closed. Plus sometimes she just wanted decent food.