Anonymous
11/17/2025 17:57
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
^^ forgot to add, kid is in Boston
Anonymous
11/17/2025 17:56
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
None. If there are books to purchase, send the receipt and we reimburse, but we pay tuition, room and board (and fully stocked toiletries, laundry detergent, etc. when we move you in), but pizza and beer money, that's what your summer job money is for.
Anonymous
11/17/2025 17:42
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
Interesting discussion. Don't quite have a kid there yet but I am thinking my daughter and son will be much different in how they spend money. Realistically, I dont have a problem contributing a small amount for fun money...but realistically they will likely be on their own with that as we'll be tapped out with tuition room and board!
I will say that when I was at college I did need some parental support for clothes freshman year.. after gaining the freshman 15 but also needing warm winter clothing (including a heavy parka) going to school in western NY...
I will say that when I was at college I did need some parental support for clothes freshman year.. after gaining the freshman 15 but also needing warm winter clothing (including a heavy parka) going to school in western NY...
Anonymous
11/17/2025 17:10
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
Anonymous wrote:OP-
I've been there on a different level but may be joining you next year as my DS is very interested in an SEC school and doing the SEC frat thing.
That said, my oldest went to school and participated in an expensive extracurricular (varsity sport). Obviously, he had room and board covered. I gave him an extra $250 a month and made him an additional user on our credit card. I warned him that the cc was for emergencies only and I monitored that bill like a hawk.
However, I let him go with the $250. If it was finished by the 15th of the month, he was stuck sucking it up at the dining hall grab and go after practice while his buds ate pizza. That freshman year was hard in a lot of ways and this was part of it. Sophomore year, he caught on. He was very careful about what he spent his money on. Yes, parties (thrown by the team that he had to pitch in on) took priority but he became choosier about when to roll out of bed on a Saturday to hit a coffee shop or to hit the dining hall for breakfast. By senior year, I had increased his monthly allowance because he had a car up there but he was very good about managing it all.
BLUF: You need to let her squirm a little. You're covering dues and dresses - she's not going to get kicked out of the crew. She needs to prioritize what is important to her that month and choose accordingly. Now that my oldest is on his own and living on his own paycheck, I think living on a budget was one of the more valuable lessons he learned.
Forgot to add: this was a NE SLAC where a lot of his friends and teammates were prep school / boarding school grads. A public school kid learned his lesson accordingly and is now reeping the benefits living with those prep school kids whose parents sprung for all sorts of grand deposits for a townhouse for 4 in the city.
Anonymous
11/17/2025 17:09
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
Anonymous wrote:Okay. OP again.
Let's just assume some students don't have savings, which is the case with my DD, for a number of reasons I won't get into. She was unable to work over the summer due to family obligations.
I realize I have a problem however and am trying to figure out how to course correct, which again will be helpful given that we will have another in college soon. So I'm just interested in some informal data.
So she gets a job on campus. It’s an expectation for us. Then they have money.
Anonymous
11/17/2025 17:07
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
OP-
I've been there on a different level but may be joining you next year as my DS is very interested in an SEC school and doing the SEC frat thing.
That said, my oldest went to school and participated in an expensive extracurricular (varsity sport). Obviously, he had room and board covered. I gave him an extra $250 a month and made him an additional user on our credit card. I warned him that the cc was for emergencies only and I monitored that bill like a hawk.
However, I let him go with the $250. If it was finished by the 15th of the month, he was stuck sucking it up at the dining hall grab and go after practice while his buds ate pizza. That freshman year was hard in a lot of ways and this was part of it. Sophomore year, he caught on. He was very careful about what he spent his money on. Yes, parties (thrown by the team that he had to pitch in on) took priority but he became choosier about when to roll out of bed on a Saturday to hit a coffee shop or to hit the dining hall for breakfast. By senior year, I had increased his monthly allowance because he had a car up there but he was very good about managing it all.
BLUF: You need to let her squirm a little. You're covering dues and dresses - she's not going to get kicked out of the crew. She needs to prioritize what is important to her that month and choose accordingly. Now that my oldest is on his own and living on his own paycheck, I think living on a budget was one of the more valuable lessons he learned.
I've been there on a different level but may be joining you next year as my DS is very interested in an SEC school and doing the SEC frat thing.
That said, my oldest went to school and participated in an expensive extracurricular (varsity sport). Obviously, he had room and board covered. I gave him an extra $250 a month and made him an additional user on our credit card. I warned him that the cc was for emergencies only and I monitored that bill like a hawk.
However, I let him go with the $250. If it was finished by the 15th of the month, he was stuck sucking it up at the dining hall grab and go after practice while his buds ate pizza. That freshman year was hard in a lot of ways and this was part of it. Sophomore year, he caught on. He was very careful about what he spent his money on. Yes, parties (thrown by the team that he had to pitch in on) took priority but he became choosier about when to roll out of bed on a Saturday to hit a coffee shop or to hit the dining hall for breakfast. By senior year, I had increased his monthly allowance because he had a car up there but he was very good about managing it all.
BLUF: You need to let her squirm a little. You're covering dues and dresses - she's not going to get kicked out of the crew. She needs to prioritize what is important to her that month and choose accordingly. Now that my oldest is on his own and living on his own paycheck, I think living on a budget was one of the more valuable lessons he learned.
Anonymous
11/17/2025 17:03
Subject: Re:Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
1. Baltimore
2. I didn’t give my kid any money. He has had summer jobs since he was 15/16.
2. I didn’t give my kid any money. He has had summer jobs since he was 15/16.
Anonymous
11/17/2025 17:02
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
I agree with a previous poster about girls/boys. Our sons never went out for group dinners, brunch, etc they spent very little. All 3 kids go/went to private universities in/near cities (nyc, atlanta, philly). Daughter is freshman with full meal plan. Lots of outside food expense. Going out for dinner to restaurants is not unusual for kids today. (In my day, this was not a thing). Spending was higher in the beginning of year as kids were going out a lot, meeting people, etc. We had a chat about spending and adjustments were made. This is not an issue about bad food (although the food isn't great). It's mostly about group social behavior and a little about laziness (ordering food deliver vs going out to get it).
Anonymous
11/17/2025 16:49
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
Anonymous wrote:My high stats college senior who also has a demanding EC has managed to save $4k from working the last two summers and school heads.
Your DD sounds spoiled and entitled and you sound enabling. $300 is incredibly generous and she should thank her lucky stars. And definitely tell her she must have a full time job this summer.
OP here. I'm well aware I've made mistakes. You are right in your assessment, but I really appreciate you pointing it out in case I was not.
I'd say she's spoiled, but not entitled, if you can make sense of that at all. There are actually some factors that contributed to the situation that I prefer not to share for fear of outing myself/my daughter. These impact why I tend to be lenient when it comes to opportunities to be social and make new friends.
I am not bailing her out. When she runs out of $, she runs out, I know she can still eat, so I'm okay with that. It's just that it's been a few months and I would have expected her to figure out the balance by now and not run out mid-month.
She does plan to work this summer and I am hopeful she might during winter break also, but that is a little trickier to secure of course. She will definitely be babysitting for neighbors so I hope that will help give her a little extra to start the new semester with.
Congrats to your high-stats college senior. May they have continued success.
Anonymous
11/17/2025 16:42
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore who was an athlete who had never had a HS or summer job, just some babysitting/gift type money when they left for college. They are at a state flagship in a city.
We gave $200/month for "fun money" in the debit account where we don't see the charges. Plus my kid has a credit card that I pay. It is hard to parse out because everything - prescriptions, books, toiletries, fast food, amazon orders, gas, ubers, activities, etc - is on that card, but it averaged about $1000 a month freshman year.
Kid is expected to pay for more on their own this year after having a summer job, but still gets $100 "fun money". We are paying Greek dues and essentials mentioned above, still roughly $1000 a month.
Amazon, gas, food, activities - what else is there under “fun money?”
Things I wouldn't pay for - going out/alcohol, gifts, costumes, non-necessities (i.e. decor), nails, some of food (told her our contribution to dining out was way less this year). Basically, that $100 is our addition to summer job money. It's up to her to budget knowing what we are willing to pay for on the credit card.
Anonymous
11/17/2025 15:53
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
My high stats college senior who also has a demanding EC has managed to save $4k from working the last two summers and school heads.
Your DD sounds spoiled and entitled and you sound enabling. $300 is incredibly generous and she should thank her lucky stars. And definitely tell her she must have a full time job this summer.
Your DD sounds spoiled and entitled and you sound enabling. $300 is incredibly generous and she should thank her lucky stars. And definitely tell her she must have a full time job this summer.
Anonymous
11/17/2025 15:37
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
Mine are both in cities.
Freshmen lives on campus (Richmond). We give him $150 a month for CVS/grocery/snacks. He spends his own money on eating out (which is a lot).
DD lives off campus (DC) and we give her $400 a month for CVS/grocery/snacks. She spends her own money on going out (which is a lot).
We also give them access to a credit card that is ours for clothes and Ubers.
Freshmen lives on campus (Richmond). We give him $150 a month for CVS/grocery/snacks. He spends his own money on eating out (which is a lot).
DD lives off campus (DC) and we give her $400 a month for CVS/grocery/snacks. She spends her own money on going out (which is a lot).
We also give them access to a credit card that is ours for clothes and Ubers.
Anonymous
11/17/2025 15:14
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
Anonymous wrote:I have a sophomore who was an athlete who had never had a HS or summer job, just some babysitting/gift type money when they left for college. They are at a state flagship in a city.
We gave $200/month for "fun money" in the debit account where we don't see the charges. Plus my kid has a credit card that I pay. It is hard to parse out because everything - prescriptions, books, toiletries, fast food, amazon orders, gas, ubers, activities, etc - is on that card, but it averaged about $1000 a month freshman year.
Kid is expected to pay for more on their own this year after having a summer job, but still gets $100 "fun money". We are paying Greek dues and essentials mentioned above, still roughly $1000 a month.
Amazon, gas, food, activities - what else is there under “fun money?”
Anonymous
11/17/2025 14:59
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
Anonymous wrote:$200 a month but with the caveat that if you only spend $80 in October, then in November you're made whole with $120. Stanford and Berkeley
This is an incentive not to save anything. I’m sure your kids would not think that way, but mine would.
Anonymous
11/17/2025 14:45
Subject: Spending Money - First Year On Campus w/ Meal Plan
Anonymous wrote:don't nickel and dime your kids to prove a point.
eating on campus sucks and they don't want to eat there.
This a 💯 %
My kid hates most of the dining hall food. He’s a freshman and we’re dropping to the lowest option possible and shifting the money to his spending account for better food options. It’ll be almost the same $$$ but more flexible in options.