Freshmen budgets/spending money? - Page 10

jym626 · 11-04-2009, 09:16 PM

If dd is earning $100/wk in a lab internship, why are you subsidizing her much at all?? Let her learn to budget her own money, give her a small allowance, pay the onetime big things like sorority dues and put the rest in a savings account for her.

Pizzagirl · 11-05-2009, 08:12 AM

Quote:

How can she belong to a sorority first semester of her freshman year??? When would she have rushed and been accepted?

I know my sorority's chapter at MIT does rush in the first part of freshman year, so it's quite possible she's a pledge.

POIH - mixers are pretty much drinks (whether soft or hard, I'm not getting into) and socializing. They're not going out for dinner. Frankly the mixers I was familiar with were free, since they were held at the fraternity house and the fraternity paid for the drinks (or, the sorority budget kicked in a subsidy, but not individual members). Surely you realize that the bulk of MIT students can't be affording a weekly dinner at a nice restaurant.

Everyone's financial situation is different, so there is no one magic number, but I concur that the best thing to do is figure out an allowance, give it to her and let her figure out how to spend it. If she wants to buy an extra sweatshirt that month for a sorority function, then maybe she eats more at the dorms and less out. Maybe she learns to drink water with her meals. That type of thing.

mapesy · 11-05-2009, 08:45 AM

Sorority recruitment at MIT was switched from spring of freshman year to fall of freshman year in 2007. One of the primary reasons was to provide an earlier support system for stressed-out kids.

jym626 · 11-05-2009, 09:03 AM

Quote:

I know my sorority's chapter at MIT does rush in the first part of freshman year, so it's quite possible she's a pledge.

If one is a pledge, do they have to pay the $300 sorority dues? Wouldn't they pay after rush is over and they have been accepted into the sorority?

mom2collegekids · 11-05-2009, 09:16 AM

^^

Pledges pay dues.

oldfort · 11-05-2009, 09:20 AM

They do rush the first week, probably even during the orientation week. They become a pledge after a week, and the sorority dues is billed at that time. My daughter's school bills us through the bursar.

Quote:

Sorority recruitment at MIT was switched from spring of freshman year to fall of freshman year in 2007. One of the primary reasons was to provide an earlier support system for stressed-out kids.

That is kind of funny because D1 was very stressed the first month after pledging because there were so many mixers she was required to go. There was one almost every night. It was sorority's opportunity to show off their new babies. D1's grades did suffer a bit that month and she had to spend the remainder semester to bring them back up again. After she pledged she had a lot less time to spend with people outside of her sorority house. That's why I am surprised schools would encourage pledging the first semester before students are adjusted to college life. D1 said that many schools rush in fall because kids will pledge based on "fit" not because of perceived ranking.

mapesy · 11-05-2009, 09:56 AM

I agree, oldfort. My kids also complained about being stressed out by all the sorority events! They don't like having sorority recruitment in the fall.

Quote:

Everyone's financial situation is different, so there is no one magic number, but I concur that the best thing to do is figure out an allowance, give it to her and let her figure out how to spend it.

Excellent advice from Pizzagirl.

Two of my kids attended MIT, and I think dining is expensive there unless the student does at least some cooking on her own. In comparison, another child of ours spent much less on food at a different, more rural university.

One of my kids at MIT didn't do any cooking because of inconvenient kitchen facilities in the dorm. She usually didn't eat breakfast; she picked up a sandwich for lunch at LaVerde's; and she ate in the dining hall for dinner. She spent about $375-400/month for food. The other D did lots of cooking and ate in the dining hall only rarely. She spent about $275-300/month.

With the MIT TechCash card, it's easy to see where your child is eating on campus and how much she's spending.

If your child cooks on her own, there's a Star Market in Central Square that's much less expensive than LaVerde's.

Both my kids at MIT were responsible for all their spending money, including clothing. They made enough money in their summer jobs to provide plenty of cash for the upcoming school year, and both of them are shopaholics!

Husband and I covered tuition, books, food, and sorority dues.

Pizzagirl · 11-05-2009, 11:44 AM

Quote:

If one is a pledge, do they have to pay the $300 sorority dues? Wouldn't they pay after rush is over and they have been accepted into the sorority?

Rush IS over when you become a pledge and are accepted into a sorority.

The pledge period is merely a time of acclimating before full initiation -- think of it as "junior status" or "apprenticeship status" for lack of a better term.

And yes, they would pay dues, because the programming / activities they would participate in still cost money.

I just checked and apparently POIH's D is a member of the same sorority I was a member of (though not at MIT, of course). So congrats to her!

Pizzagirl · 11-05-2009, 11:46 AM

I have to smile at all this "cook during college" stuff. I never cooked at all during college. I lived in dorms my first 2 years, where I was on a meal plan, and then in a sorority house the last 2, where again I ate my meals there. I never did anything called "cooking," unless you mean toasting a bagel!

mom2collegekids · 11-05-2009, 11:54 AM

^^

my cooking during college consisted of microwaving burritos and cooking top ramen.

jym626 · 11-05-2009, 11:54 AM

Yup- times have changed. Older s lived off campus one year and cooked a lot. He also took a cooking course from one of the chefs there (his hallmates would wait up for him to come back from class with all the leftovers!) Younger s has a kitchen on the floor (maybe the next floor-- I forget). Anyway, now with fridges and microwaves in the dorm rooms and stoves/ovens etc in the kitchen, they cook up a storm. He's become a pro at chicken kiev. I've had it-- he cooked it for us this summer. Really good!!

Oh- and I am clueless about frat/sorority rush/pledge, etc. I purposely chose a school without greek life (back in the 70's) as did older s. Younger s's school has greek life but he is not greek.

oldfort · 11-05-2009, 11:59 AM

A friend's son cooked an Easter dinnerfor 15 people in their dorm kitchen last year, complete with turkey, stuffing and mash potato. Mom asked the son what they had for veggie. The son said, "Potato. Tight budget, something had to go."

mom2collegekids · 11-05-2009, 12:24 PM

^^

Wow...

Each of my kids' res halls has a full kitchen on every other floor that some kids use for major cooking (the kids have a "kitchenette" inside each of their dorms). However, I have no idea how often those full kitchens gets used for "real cooking" - but I guess they do.

I know that kids will drag their dirty dishes in there and run them thru the dishwasher.

ParentOfIvyHope · 11-10-2009, 12:48 PM

I had a first hand experience of DD spending at college. She seems to be managing weekday breakfast on her own but the cooking stop at that as she doesn't have oil and don't want any. I went shopping to the near by Star market with her and prices looked reasonable. She takes weekday dinner at dorm dinning but lunches are mostly in the college cafes.
The mystery of $40 weekend is solved too as it seems the resturants at Newbury street in Boston offers brunches Sat/Sun and DD doesn't have breakfast on these two days and go for brunches with friends.
She took us to Sonsi, Stephanie's, Burtuchi's etc. Each brunch is around $10/12 with some up to $15 with a Friday/Saturday Ice cream at JP Licks.
She has already told not replenish her Checking and she will manage the spending from her research money.
Let us see how this work out.

thumper1 · 11-10-2009, 04:50 PM

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she will manage the spending from her research money.

Seems reasonable. You know...there are a LOT of foods you can cook without oil. The Star Market is good, but so is Shaws...and the Super 88 (I think that's it's name) an Asian market on Commonwealth Ave is also worth visiting.

I have to say...eating out in Boston even twice weekly will add up...as your DD has noticed. She'll figure it out...and I'll bet a lot more quickly when she is spending HER money to eat out rather than YOURS. I would be generous with gift cards to the grocery store. She can always go there for the prepared foods if all else fails...lots cheaper than brunch at a restaurant.