Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 18:51     Subject: Spending money in college
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My rising freshman is stressed because she also isn’t getting many hours at her summer job, and she keeps reading warnings that she will blow through money at college. She doesn’t really understand what that looks like.

I anticipate she’ll spend money on:
Halloween costume
Holiday decor for room/dorm door
Little gifts/birthday cards for friends
Some off-campus food
Starbucks
Ubers to get back to campus at night (city school)
School merch, especially for attending games

We bought her a football/basketball ticket package, and we anticipate covering all food and Ubers (we want her to be safe in the city). We’re thinking we give her some additional money, but really not sure how much.

What ever happened to personal responsibility and teaching work ethic to your kid? These are the same parents who will fund their kids lifestyle post-grad as well.



Halloween is on a Thursday this year so you’re gonna need three costumes. Lol
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 18:50     Subject: Re:Spending money in college
I wanted my kid to take advantage of the city and not sit in the basement of some sophomores off campus housing drinking Pink Whitney so if it was something other than drinking they could use our credit card.

They went to shows, museums, sports events, festivals, tried new foods, did tours, etc.

But sure campus food and pink Whitney is another option
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 18:45     Subject: Re:Spending money in college
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.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 18:33     Subject: Spending money in college
Anonymous wrote:Wait, are campus libraries paying $15/hour? If so, damn - my kid needs to get a job there!


They are at both my kids’ schools, both T10, one ivy one not. Undergrad learning advisors get more.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 16:57     Subject: Spending money in college
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


I have one kid at a huge public school and one at a small private. Both have jobs for non-work-study students. Might be working in the dining hall but jobs can be had. And that's just on campus, if your college is in a city, you have more options.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 16:30     Subject: Spending money in college
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


Of course, $50 isn't all a college student would spend, it is our bit for necessary incidentals. They pay for movies, beer, pizza, dates, clothes etc. from money they earn themselves. We pay tuition, dorm, meal plans. I feel no responsibility to provide pizza& beer money for a college student. From what I've seen at my kids' schools, if you are willing to work food service any student can work 10 hrs a week. One of my kids is a TA, mainly grading papers on his own schedule for 10-15 yrs/week and the other works in an admin office.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 16:22     Subject: Spending money in college
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My rising freshman is stressed because she also isn’t getting many hours at her summer job, and she keeps reading warnings that she will blow through money at college. She doesn’t really understand what that looks like.

I anticipate she’ll spend money on:
Halloween costume
Holiday decor for room/dorm door
Little gifts/birthday cards for friends
Some off-campus food
Starbucks
Ubers to get back to campus at night (city school)
School merch, especially for attending games

We bought her a football/basketball ticket package, and we anticipate covering all food and Ubers (we want her to be safe in the city). We’re thinking we give her some additional money, but really not sure how much.

What ever happened to personal responsibility and teaching work ethic to your kid? These are the same parents who will fund their kids lifestyle post-grad as well.



? You are responding to me. We will cover food and transportation. A Halloween costume is 100% on her. I’m not saying we’ll pay for everything, just that we’re all unclear what her money will go towards this year, and we’re trying to figure it out. She’s working retail, has some money she’s saved, doing odd jobs, and has a little graduation money. Of course, she’ll be using all of that.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 16:09     Subject: Re:Spending money in college
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.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 15:41     Subject: Re:Spending money in college
Both my kids have jobs at or near their campuses during the year. Our one kid is an RA and has another job on top of that. Even if someone is taking 18 credit hours they can still work and study. The only exceptions I can think of are the few kids who are high level athletes, practicing their sport 5-6 hours a day. College kids do not need parents to regularly send them money for their wants.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 15:39     Subject: Spending money in college
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.


This is what we did last year - DS is also at college in a city, but isn’t a partier and almost always ate on the meal plan on campus (and if he ate off campus, it was fast food). I think he “made” money off of us. We did also buy DS’s toiletries and similar items.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 15:33     Subject: Spending money in college
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
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 15:14     Subject: Re:Spending money in college
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.
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 15:05     Subject: Spending money in college
Wait, are campus libraries paying $15/hour? If so, damn - my kid needs to get a job there!
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 14:14     Subject: Spending money in college
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
Anonymous
Post 07/19/2024 14:11     Subject: Spending money in college
Anonymous wrote:My rising freshman is stressed because she also isn’t getting many hours at her summer job, and she keeps reading warnings that she will blow through money at college. She doesn’t really understand what that looks like.

I anticipate she’ll spend money on:
Halloween costume
Holiday decor for room/dorm door
Little gifts/birthday cards for friends
Some off-campus food
Starbucks
Ubers to get back to campus at night (city school)
School merch, especially for attending games

We bought her a football/basketball ticket package, and we anticipate covering all food and Ubers (we want her to be safe in the city). We’re thinking we give her some additional money, but really not sure how much.

What ever happened to personal responsibility and teaching work ethic to your kid? These are the same parents who will fund their kids lifestyle post-grad as well.