<p>I don’t agree that a kid needs to fall into the habits of other kids who may have much more expendable money. I can’t imagine a kid with $1000 plus to spend on non-essentials is going to be cut out of the social life of the dorm, though there will almost certainly be kids spending more–kids who also have nicer clothes, fancier phones, etc. To my mind, there’s an important lesson here to be learned about living within one’s means. </p>
<p>Because my son uses his own hard-earned money for his expenses, he tends to naturally budget–sometimes going out to eat with buddies, sometimes choosing d-hall if he’s been spending too much. He waits and buys clothes with me, on breaks. Amazon Prime is great for those things like evening study snacks that I consider more of an essential–and therefore parental–expense.</p>