How Much Spending $

[GVSU Mom]

First child off to college for me. I'm paying tuition/books/room/board that comes with the standard 14+ ($275 debit $) meal plan; sending him off with Dell XPS laptop, all "standard school supplies" - outfitted room - he basically just has to show up.

I told him first semester (and maybe first year) he shouldn't work until he gets acclimated to college academics/life, etc. Taking 31 credits - so full load.

If all the above is paid - what is a reasonable amount of spending money so he can have fun/be social without being stupid and get into trouble/waste money (i.e., World of Warcraft computer play).

He's going to GVSU (Grand Valley State University) which is in the middle of now where (ok, 20 minutes west of Grand Rapids, MI) - but the campus is isolated.

All students have FREE bus priveleges on the bus system that runs from the university and anyway in the area, including into GR. He's not taking a car - so there are no transportation expenses - and when (if) he wants to come home I'll buy him a ticket and pick him up at the nearest Greyhound station. Home is about 1.5 hrs away from GVSU.

[interesteddad]

Ours was responsible for her own spending money from summer jobs and the standard on-campus job in the library or admissions office.

We never got a request for spending money in four years. We bought plane tickets home. She bought them if she was going somewhere else for vacation.

I don't have the faintest idea how much "walkin' around money" she spent.

[cbreeze]

This topic has been discussed many many times. Just do a search on the forum. Here are some examples
Spending Money

Spending Money

How much spending money does a freshman need?

Spending money for college?

spending money for freshman in college

[tw14]

I would suggest that you not overlook the advantages of working on campus. Not only does the job provide spending money, but it also instills a sense of discipline and responsibility. I had a job when I first arrived on campus and I benefited. I worked in the housing office two evenings a week. My primary task was to hand out student mail which left me with a lot of time to study as very few students came by for mail during the evening.

[rty456]

one of these threads came up about a year ago, and interbedded with all the advice and criticism ( pages of it).. people would report how much they gave/allowanced for there student,say if they didnt work or didnt work much... I kept a total and averaged it .....simple answer about $200 per month your mileage may vary

[milkandsugar]

rty456, thank you, I was wondering myself, so if your student works then you can gauge a lesser amount.

[alwaysamom]

This obviously will vary depending on where they are going to school. It is likely to be less at a school in a location like that of GVSU than in one that is located in New York City. My NYU D (who graduated in 2007 so it may even be different now) averaged about $100/week, some weeks were less, some more, depending on what activities she was involved in, how much free time she had, what number of shows she was seeing. There were certainly many of her classmates who spent more, and some less. She did not work while there. D1 and D3 were in cities other than NYC, have different interests, and their average amount spent was/is lower.

[aphoticmelody]

None! He can pay for anything he needs himself. Especially since the student body at Grand Valley isn't necessarily the richest or most privileged; there could be problems if his friends find out about the handouts. I can count on one hand the number of people I know that receive free money from their folks, and I'm at a private university. Granted, one known for their generous scholarships, but still.

I'm sure he's been saving money for years - maybe not a ton, but certainly enough to cover all his expenses until he decides to get a job.

And there are plenty of on-campus jobs that require very little work (maybe occasionally answering questions/a little paperwork). These provide an excellent opportunity for homework - they can't get distracted by anything else.

[rty456]

oh and undoubtably this will be followed by pages of posts about how no kid should get money/ they should get lots... suggestions that anyone who sends spending money is a bad parent et etc .... Arguements abotu cost of living etc .....but that number (200/month) seems to be a good starting place

post on --

[Northstarmom]

"Ours was responsible for her own spending money from summer jobs and the standard on-campus job in the library or admissions office."

Our sons also were responsible for their own spending money including for buying their books, which young S found wonderful ways of doing on the cheap by buying on-line. They used money they'd earned through summer jobs and jobs through the school year.

All H and I would supply was paying for the costs of trips home .

[ucsd_ucla_dad]

I told him first semester (and maybe first year) he shouldn't work until he gets acclimated to college academics/life, etc. Taking 31 credits - so full load.

As a couple of other posters indicated, you might want to have him consider getting an on-campus job. There are usually a number of jobs that allow one to work about 8-10 hours per week and these jobs are usually very flexible with schedules for classes, mid-terms, finals, etc. He'd easily earn enough money from a job like this to provide adequate spending money and he'd probably even save some money from it. He'll also tend to be somewhat more involved in the campus as a result and may make further contacts with professors, etc.

There are typically all kinds of jobs on campus including not only the more obvious ones but also paid lab assistants, IT support jobs, and many others.

Assuming he has some savings, he could use that to tide him over until he finds a job. Using his savings will also provide incentive for him to find a job.

If you still want to provide the spending money, just think through what's reasonable regarding activities. Personally I wouldn't pay for a lot of restaurants, shows, concerts, clothes shopping (probably not a problem with a son), or other expensive activities and I certainly wouldn't want any of my money going to pay for alcohol, etc. This doesn't leave a whole lot to have to pay for since you're already covering room and board. You could always start with a minimal amount to cover a few inexpensive fast food meals per week and maybe a movie or two per month and see how it goes from there.

[corranged]

I agree with ucsd_ucla_dad. Good post.

I haven't worked during the school year but have had more than enough money spending money from summer earnings. I do plan to get a job during the year this year because I find I have a lot of free time and would like to make some extra money. My parents paid for tuition, room, board, books, and travel home. Living in an apartment now (which is much cheaper than the dorm) I get money for rent, utilities, and groceries (including cleaning supplies, toilet paper, etc.). I pay for transportation downtown, meals out, shopping, tickets for any shows, movies, gifts for people, and--yes--alcohol. I didn't keep track, but I'm guessing I spent probably around $1500 throughout last year. I could have been much more frugal and still enjoyed city life. You just need to decide what you feel comfortable paying for. If you're freely giving $200 / month, you're probably covering a lot of excessive spending and/or the costs of alcohol and any other substances. I should add that I don't know any students at my college who get spending money from their parents. I go to an expensive college in a city.

[PackMom]

We will be sending S2 (freshman) a monthly allowance. I'm guessing around $200. Due to unforeseen circumstances, he has not been employed for the last month and and had no savings ( took every cent of his paychecks to keep gas in his 8 cylinder Ford truck and fund his trips to Wendy's with friends). He will be taking his truck to college so the gas will have to come from his allowance.
He had a job continously through high sch. while playing a varsity sport. He was responsible for his truck needs and funding his own entertainment and "non-need" purchases. We did not expect him to save money for college expense. We don't expect him to get a job the first semester but maybe in the spring if all goes well. He is going to a non-flagship instate public u. where costs are very low compared to many.

[annikasorrensen]

My father went to college after being in the Army. He was quickly married and had an infant daughter (me!). He went to school full time, graduated in 4 years AND worked to support his new family during this time. My mother was also in school full time and graduated in 4 years during this same time frame. They supported themselves through school (work, student loans, GI bill, etc). There were no parental contributions to their living or school expenses or otherwise - they both came from extremely modest means (my father's mother was a widow with 5 children!).

The story I loved most from my Dad's days in college was that he had only 10 cents a day for extra spending money. That was enough to buy a cup of coffee OR a donut at the local coffee shop for his break, not both. And each day he'd have to decide which one to have, because he couldn't afford both.

Maybe because I also grew up in modest means (even though as a married adult I now have a comfortable lifestyle), I just don't get this whole parenting urge (even for affluent parents who have the extra cash to do it) to pay for all tuition, room, board, travel, laptops AND contemplate what sounds like $200/month in spending money. I just think the "just show up to campus" message given to a young adult son/daughter is a position to be questioned. It just seems to me that expecting my adult son/daughter to at minimum earning spending money while at college is an important step toward adult independent living.

Thus, my vote is nada. Or - if the young adult hasn't been working the summer before college yet and has no savings (frightening prospect in my book) - give them one month of spending money and the idea that he/she should get a campus job in order to have spending money from that point on.

If nothing else, it is reasonable to expect a child to take fulltime course load AND have a small life outside of college to pursue hobbies, hold part-time work, perform community service, be part of a religious community, work out or belong to a league sports team, etc. The balance needs to be carefully weighed to give classes a priority... but to do school only and to ignore all the other aspects of the person is a terrible balance. Learning how to juggle a part-time job (like a campus job) is really not a burden and can actually enhance the student's growth - especially if they can nab a job in their department of interest (grows the resume, gives real-world related experience to their career choice, can help eliminate careers they have no interest). Even if the job is not related to their career choice - it encourages responsibility, time management, provides friends and mentor situations, pride in work well done, people skills, etc.

Sometimes when we give our adult children _nothing_, we give them the world.

A book that really opened my eyes to the detrimental effects of giving our adult children too much is the book "The Millionaire Next Door." Good read if only for food for thought.

Annika

[alwaysamom]

rty456, you must be psychic!