College Kids -- spending money?

[barkley]

Those of you with kids off in college...do you give them some spending money each month? My daughter is going to college in the Fall and I'm just trying to prepare my budget! She will be staying in the dorms and will have the unlimited meal plan. She will have her car on campus, but I don't think she'll use it often that gas will be a big issue.

I'm thinking for little odds and ends....

What would be considered reasonable? $100/month, $200/month? more/less?

TIA!

no I don't-she has an on campus job and they work around her classes (many of these go unfilled largely b/c of parents funding kid's according to a friend who works in admin).

that said-it would help if you and your dd figure out what you individually believe she would need extra money for-your ideas may be vastly different. you may think gas, parking permits, toiletries, the odd school supply, a hair cut, spare detergent, and MAYBE a RARE meal off campus/movie. she may be of the mindset that her 'spending money' is just that-to be spent on NO necessities with you still paying additionally for gas, parking permits, toiletries/supplies/hair cuts....

I live in a collage town-and our merchants LOVE the students, especially the dorm kids (no grocery, rent or utility budgeting so they have more expendable income)-because from September-June those that deal in 'non necessities' make TONS. the nail salons, the tanning parlors, the massage therapist scared1:-seriously, mine says her clientele drops by 2/3rds when the kids leave for winter break and summer). we have restaurants that either shut down or cut back hours big time during winter break and summer-and they are largely populated not by the renting kids, but by the dormers who opt to eat off campus on mom/dad's dollar.

pick what's a comfortable figure for you and your budget-but I think there's tremendous value in a student earning. since dd's had to pay for things out of her own pocket she's become a much more budget conscious person.

 

[disykat]

No spending money for my kids either. They're getting a full ride from me for tuition, books, rent, and $200 deposited in their account each month for food. (They got dorm and a meal plan freshman year - no cash.) They cover their own pocket expenses. My kids both had plenty of spending money saved from summer jobs and they've both worked off and on during school as well when their schedules allowed. Like many others, I'm giving my kids the same "deal" that my parents gave me. Even years they've had drum corp or unpaying internships during the summer they've managed their own spending money.

 

[maleficent32]

My dd will be a Sr. in HS next year and I expect her to work for her own spending money at that point so that won't change when she goes to college.
I don't believe their only job is too get good grades. I believe their job is to become responsible productive adults and working while going to school is one step in that direction.

 

[StitchBuddy]

Glad to see others have this same question. My DD will be a student athlete in college, so no time for a job. However she has save about $1000 from babysitting and will save more between now and then. She is getting some scholarship money. So we will be sending her money each month. My parents sent me $100 a month back in the early 80's. I googled what that is today and it's around $220. I am thinking $200 a month, and she will charge her gas.

 

[jrmasm]

My DD is a sophmore. She works summers for her spending money.

 

[lurkernj]

DS is a sophomore this year. He is responsible for his entertainment money only, he has been working over the past few summers and has a savings account. We cover all the basics, and if he needs shampoo etc, he has a credit card on our account. If he goes out to eat or movies, he pays. He doesn't have a car there, but when he's home, we pay for gas etc. He doesn't abuse any of this, so it's been easy. I really don't want him to stress about money the way I did at his age. There's plenty of time for that after graduation.

 

[aprilchem]

DH and I both worked on-campus jobs to make spending money - I worked in the Chem lab and he worked for an engineering faculty member. He worked off-campus job in the summer & I got paid for doing lab research from the summer after freshmen year on. We'll expect our kids to do the same; most of my students now work for spending money as well.

 

[PlutoPony]

Another with a college kid who funds his own spending money. He also pays his fraternity dues - that was agreed to up front when he was trying to decide whether to join. We will typically pay for a tank of gas when he comes home but otherwise gas is on him, as is his parking pass.

Freshman year it seems he didn't spend much money. They have a great meal plan with a lot of options so eating off campus isn't necessary to get decent food. But this year apparently he's spending more.... mentioned over break that he might need to get another job to make more money this summer!

 

[puffkin]

I worked over the summers and had an on campus job for my spending money. Some of those jobs led to great contacts and internships in my field (accounting) that were very helpful in the early years of my career.

College isn't just about academics and good grades. Learning how to be an adult and not rely on mommy and daddy for everything is also part of it

 

[BenbowInn]

DS is only 6, so I can't speak from personal experience other than my own college years and no, my parents did not give me spending money. Honestly it never crossed my mind. They helped me pay for college (they wold have paid all if I went to a public school but I chose private and they made me fund the difference, huge mistake on my part by the way), so I couldn't imagine them giving me spending money. I worked all during high school and had over 10k saved by the time I graduated highschool. Then I worked 30 hours a week waitress in during college, full time in the summers. It didn't kill me, taught me responsibility and all that.

 

[mjkacmom]

Just good grades is not enough, and waiting for graduation to think about a job is too late. My children had internships or jobs working with their professors during their college time. During the summers they had jobs or internships related to their major fields of study on campus or elsewhere. The experience and contacts made during the college years can make a big difference in winning additional merit-based financial aid, earning places in competitive internship programs, being admitted to a graduate school program of choice, and gaining the desired jobs after college and/or graduate school.

I agree. One of dd18's goals is to have work experience on her resume. Over the winter break, she did an unpaid internship (they did give her some money and offered her paid employment over the summer). She's worked the past three summers, and that is her spending money.

She has no car, and we moved her from the middle meal plan to the lowest, because she had 30+ meals left at the end of this semester (and there are 5 cafeterias on campus, plus a sit down restaurant, take out, and the ability to use the meal card at chain places, including Starbucks).

She managed to get one B and the rest A's, although grades don't really matter as much as they did in high school. She gets no allowance from us.

 

[msmama]

I would say that if she has a car, she'll have much more opportunity to spend money. None of my friends had cars until Junior year (it wasn't allowed on campus) and I know we could spend much more on the late night 24 hour Kmart runs than we ever did if we were staying on campus or taking public transportation somewhere.

It's also easier to drive to the movie theatre, than see whatever they're doing (often for free or super cheap) on campus Friday night.

I had a work study job and that was my spending money (a million years ago). But I know there were several times I called my mom and asked for a bit more to get me through the month. Just make sure you have a way to get the money to her quickly and easily (which I'm sure is easier now than it was back then).

 

[mom2mikel]

Thanks for all the replies! My daughter is also a student athlete so I don't want her trying to hold down a part time job in addition to other responsibilities. Her school is 7 hours from home, so I really want her to have her own car to get back & forth when possible. My gut tells me she won't use it much otherwise.

I was thinking $100/month would be enough for an occasional Chipotle meal and any health/beauty stuff! When she is driving home - I will be sure to send her extra gas money!

Hard to believe she'll be gone in less than 7 months now!

Thanks again

 

[njmom47]

I am having a tough time with ds. He worked over the summer, saved very little, but had a decent amount in a savings account. We used a bit of that money to pay towards tuition and books, but now it's dwindling quickly. I had no problem giving him money last semester but since he didn't get a job over winter break, I told him I'm cutting him off. I will make sure there's money on the EZPass and will give him gas money, but no more money for Wawa, BWW, Applebees. I mean it too. I told him this summer he will be working full-time and saving all that money because I'm not supporting him anymore. He finally said to his dad "Guess I'll be working my butt off this summer."

I would say I probably gave him about $200 a month which mostly went to his stomach.
Girls, however, may be different.
ETA My son is a spring season athlete so he won't be working. He will be living off the meager funds he has left.

 

[barkley]

Thanks for all the replies! My daughter is also a student athlete so I don't want her trying to hold down a part time job in addition to other responsibilities. Her school is 7 hours from home, so I really want her to have her own car to get back & forth when possible. My gut tells me she won't use it much otherwise.

I was thinking $100/month would be enough for an occasional Chipotle meal and any health/beauty stuff! When she is driving home - I will be sure to send her extra gas money!

Hard to believe she'll be gone in less than 7 months now!

Thanks again

depending on what sport(s) she's involved in consider taking a look at the on campus employment site near the end/beginning of each school term-even prior to attending. the trend I see (and it's confirmed by those I know who work at our local university) is as some of the seasons wrap up for certain sports there will be a significant chunk of campus jobs opening up to provide an opportunity for student athletes to work off season. as an example-since football has wrapped up, right now there's abundant postings for openings at the campus recreation center (where the weight rooms and conditioning areas are) so during off season the players get jobs that work around their classes but afford an opportunity to work 10 or 15 hours a week (and at 10-15 bucks an hour it adds up to a nice chunk of change they can bank to help with spending money during the season), come the end of basketball season we see more openings posted.

one suggestion to save on gas $$$-if she has a safeway gas (or affiliated service station that accepts their discount) near her college you can get in the habit of letting the discounts accumulate with only her accessing them. they add up pretty quickly such that she might have as much as a dollar a gallon discount to help with the expenses of those long drives home.

 

[Vernie822]

Thanks for all the replies! My daughter is also a student athlete so I don't want her trying to hold down a part time job in addition to other responsibilities. Her school is 7 hours from home, so I really want her to have her own car to get back & forth when possible. My gut tells me she won't use it much otherwise.

I was thinking $100/month would be enough for an occasional Chipotle meal and any health/beauty stuff! When she is driving home - I will be sure to send her extra gas money!

Hard to believe she'll be gone in less than 7 months now!

Thanks again

Being that she's a student athlete, I can't imagine having to work and participate in a sport and go to school. Personally, I worked summers and 30 hours/week during school so that I had money for fun. If she saves during the summer, that would definitely give her money for "fun" stuff like clothes, shopping trips, out to eat, etc. I think $100 is plenty for some occasional meals out, trips to the movie, etc. I didn't expect my parents to give me money (they didn't), but I think $100 is the perfect amount.

My sister is 4 hours from home and my parents send her care packages with things like snacks, shampoo, etc. I also coupon occasionally so I stocked her up big time.

 

[Vernie822]

Forgot to add. On campus jobs are great. I got one as a math tutor working 10 hours/week. They usually pay better than minimum wage, you can often choose your hours and have a set schedule. And when I wasn't busy, it was encouraged that I do homework and study. It was a win-win. She can easily schedule around classes and practices!

 

[DisneyNutMary]

My DS is a senior, he has worked summers and has an on campus job for spending money.
He averages 15-20 class hours a semester, including labs, this leaves a lot of free time, so having a job
is not an unreasonable expectation. Work is scheduled around classes and activities. He also finds time to
be president of the forensic science club, volunteer with habitat for humanity and play quidditch (yes, it's a college
sport, and requires a lot of travel).

 

[danygirl]

My kids - one graduated 2 in college - all pay for their own books, spending money, gas and contribute towards their room and board. ( the grad and one in school could live at home but chose to live in campus)

We firmly believe they need a little skin in the game.

All have worked part time during the school year just like I did. It makes them good time managers and also reminds them that without college those jobs would be their real life.

DS had multiple job offers upon graduation and was able to pick the one he liked best.

The youngest is a swimmer - she has hours of practice each week, yet manages to work a few hours each week for pocket money.

My kids all manage to have fun, two have been campus leaders, we help them when it is time for internships. They come out of college debt free, and know how to manage money

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

My son uses the money that was specifically saved for college spending in his savings account.

He hasn't had to use much of it since I gave him a 200.00 Walmart gift card that he uses for things he runs out of.
And his college shows movies for free so he doesn't go off campus for entertainment much either.

This is his freshman year at college and I'm glad he's been careful with his money because we only give each child 100.00 per month in their savings account so he needs to make that last.

We also expect him to find a summer job this year so he can be even more independent - I'd love to see him saving up for his own car and insurance!