<p>I have never given my kids an allowance- just given them $ as needed. This has been fine, as neither are big spenders. But with the older one off to college in a year I though she should learn to live within a budget. What do you think is a reasonable $ amount for an allowance?</p>
<p>that’s funny, my parents are ending my allowance when i get to college.
she should get a part-time job to earn money. those are more lucrative than an allowance anyway.</p>
<p>You’ll get every opinion on the planet about how kids should earn money in college - from summer jobs only (because you don’t want to spend $45,000/year to have them working part-time and earning $2,000), to get a job, to allowance.</p>
<p>That all said, if you’re going to give an allowance, it really depends on a number of things:
-Cost of living where she is - NYC or rural North Carolina?
-What is she going to use it for? Incidentals, laundry, and fun? Car insurance?
-Do you want her to work at all - maybe take on a tutoring job or something low-stress?
-Is this also for clothes?
-Obviously, what you can afford.</p>
<p>For a high school allowance, I think that $15/week would be enough in most areas. That covers gas (to and from school - I’m assuming that most students who drive to school would spend about $5/week for that alone), incidentals (shampoo, whatever), fun, and allows her to save up for things like nice haircuts. </p>
<p>As necessary, adjust for gas, insurance, other needs (do you want her to buy prescription meds with this?).</p>
<p>Ariesathena…LOL…haircuts around here (SF Bay Area) tend to run about $100.00 a crack! </p>
<p>I used to be a loud advocate for “not much” in answer to the question of allowance, but have settled into about a $200.00 a month pattern for college-junior son, which covers meals out with friends, gas, movies/concerts, all incidentals, haircuts, and most clothing (except for expensive things like a suit). Again though, it is SF Bay Area, so on the expensive side.</p>
<p>Patient, I live in the SF area and generally pay $20-$25 for a haircut, and there are Supercuts all over for around $10-$15. (? I haven’t done Supercuts for a number of years, so I’m not sure… but I can assure you that when the kids were small that’s all we ever did). I don’t doubt that there are many nice salons that charge $100 for a cut, but like everything else there are choices.</p>
<p>I am only bringing this up because in the context of “how much” should a kid have in spending money, it is important to keep in mind that that these choices exist, and maybe Supercuts is the most appropriate thing for a student budget, even though we would all agree that they don’t offer the world’s best hair stylists. </p>
<p>On the other hand, Aries’ post is way off base on the cost of gas for a student who drives to school – I figured last year there was no way my d. could have managed for under $40/week, given the commute distance and the $3/gallon+ prices by the time spring rolled around. Actually, the problem was resolved somewhat by my daughter simply not coming home most night (staying with a friend who lived closer to campus) … but the gas prices are a lot harder to get around.</p>
<p>My parents decided to give me 200$ a month, plus a new addition: a weekly 60$ on a Whole Foods gift card. I switched from a 10 meal per weak plan, to a 45 per semester, so we decided to do something worthwhile and nutritious with the monetary difference!</p>
<p>I only have haircuts when I am back in town. I do not drive, but I am a pretty big book buyer. </p>
<p>Yay to living only two blocks from Whole Foods! Now if only Trader Joes were nearby.</p>
<p>i think she should get a job and work within the budget of what she earns… and i think that should go for all of the kids. plus it looks good on their resume for when they are ready to enter the real world.</p>
<p>I used my allowence mostly to buy food and gas. I had both an allowance and a part-time job in high school, in college I will have just a job. I got $20 a week and that was pretty much covered by $2-3 on school lunch and gas prices.</p>
<p>I’m not against allowances, i’m just suprised that you would introduce one this late.</p>
<p>It’s not late, her D is going in fall '07. It’s actually super early.</p>
<p>My parents dont want me working this first year, so they’ll be giving me $100 a month. This is for expenses beyond books. Those are already paid for for the 1st semester. I have worked all summer and am going with some of my own money in addition to that $100/ month. If she’s going in fall of '07, she should get a job this year, and work the weekends and maybe one weekday. Agree on an amount that you’ll give her each month and tell her if she wants more, she’ll have to have her own money, and you won’t send more than the set amount unless it’s a REAL, TRUE emergency.</p>
<p>My parents never really gave me an allowance when I was in high school…I tended to save all my money so I had like $4,000 in the bank all the time, money from various birthday/holiday gifts in my wallet, and then they would give me $20 here and there whenever I happened to go somewhere or do something unusual like clean the whole house. </p>
<p>I had a job the summer before I went to college and the summer after my freshman year. I never even thought about requesting anything to do with spending money over my freshman year, I just used whatever was in the bank. My sophomore year I had an apartment so I used all the money I’d made the previous summer until it ran out and then had my parents deposit monthly sums from some of my money for college that was set aside but not in my bank account. I certainly did not have time either of those two years to have a part-time job, and then in my third year I was given work study so I just used that.</p>
<p>I think I tend to spend around $100 or so each month on “fun” things, but that includes my horrible shopping habit that I really need to stop. I bet all the guys that don’t go shopping spend much less.</p>
<p>yeah, I have that BAD shopping habit as well. What I didn’t save for this upcoming year, I spent on stuff for my room. You don’t want to know how much I’ve spent, and I’d be ashamed to add it up for you! I’ve seriously paid for EVERYTHING aside from my laptop and the small tv that my roommate and I will share. I wanted buying the everyday dorm stuff to be my responsibility, with no help from my parents. i’m proud to say I’ve made it :).</p>
<p>Calmom, I thought that the OP was talking about a high school budget. At least where I grew up, most people lived, at most, 3 miles from high school. 6 miles per day = 30 miles per week, + incidental driving = 2 gallons or so of gas. If it’s more, because the kid does all the driving to and from the mall or movies or whatever, then the friends can (and should, IMO) chip in. </p>
<p>I was definitely thinking that hair cut every 6-8 weeks at Supercuts for about $15. My parents cut my hair most of the time (it’s really long, so they just cut straight across the bottom; even Supercuts charges $40 because of the time it takes to brush and dry it).</p>
<p>Are you people seriously suggesting that I and other college kids get their hair cut somewhere besides ou hometown salon/barber? I won’t do it. I’m REALLY picky about how I want my hair cut cut and styled, and the stylist that I’ve had my WHOLE LIFE knows what I like. I’m getting my hair cut Friday (leaving Sat) and then not again until I’m home at Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>We give our kids (small, by most standards) allowance money before college, but don’t plan to continue that once they go to college.</p>
<p>Son has earned a boatload of money teaching music lessons and transferring people’s home movies to DVDs, and used that money to buy more musical and video equipment. But as of this year (rising junior), we have told him he has to bank half of the money he earns for “college spending money”.</p>
<p>Frostburg, you might want to reconsider, especially if you want to save money. I am very picky about my appearance, especially when I am traveling, attending meetings, or visiting clients. As in very expensive suits, shoes, and everything has to be perfect. AND I get my long hair trimmed at Supercuts, and, the one I’ve been using lately? Not a one of the staff speaks any English - we manage to communicate with hand gestures and whatever words we can work out in common. I used to pay $100 for a haircut, but quickly tired of it when I discovered that I can get the same or better for $20-ish. Results may vary drastically from one location to another; I’ve found I get flawless results from the locations where the staff are immigrants. But on the off-chance they mess it up? So what - it’s hair, it’s DEAD. You can always grow more. But so far the only results I’ve had that are disappointing are from the more expensive, upscale salons.</p>
<p>DRB, re allowance, I have never given an allowance either, just provided $$$ as needed. The first year of college I paid for everything, wanting D to transition and not potentially compromise a $40K/year experience with a $7/hr. job. She had summer job money in the bank though. I cannot remember what we did sophomore year. Junior year forward, I’ve slowly transitioned financial commitments off to her, one thing at a time, as she became better at earning, and budgeting time AND money. So now she pays for gas, car maintenance, groceries, books, haircuts, credit card payments, clothes, etc. out of her part time job(s) income. I pay for the “big” stuff - her rent, insurance, the family cell phone plan, major car repairs, emergencies, etc. This year, once we get past the high costs of summer air conditioning (ouch!!!) I will transition off utilities. </p>
<p>This transitioning approach has worked best for us - increasing her responsibilities in stages. But I think every family is different and for some, a fixed allowance is probably perfect. You’ll have to decide in terms of what you expect the real expenses to be, and how your daughter prioritizes spending. </p>
<p>One thing you might want to consider - if you do provide an allowance, insert a rule that says $X goes into savings, or investments. This is the one non-negotiable law in my house - I don’t care if there’s nothing to eat before payday, every month, D must put a fixed amount into investments. I am flexible on everything else, but not this. Several banks offer small investment programs so that people can put as little as $50/month or whatever into an account, and I’m sort of obsessed with this, because I believe that saving/investment money has to become ingrained bahavior, otherwise, it’s too easy to put off until “later”, and of course “later” has a funny way of never quite arriving.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. To clarify some points: I am talking about an allowance for a HS senior. (Altho latetoschool’s college transition plan seems pretty sound). Both she and I would be fine with a part-time job, but she has sports, SATs (repeat I, physics and math II), an AP-heavy class schedule, college visits (yeah, just getting around to that. No ED for her), so folding T-shirts at the Gap would not be a good use of her time. She is not a frivolous spender, and I can afford her incidental expenses. The main aim of the allowance is that she learn to manage her spending within a budget, rather than just hit me up for $ as needed. As such, it is important that the budget be realistic. $20/week sounds about right.</p>
<p>drb, if I can offer one more thought, instead of making it a weekly amount, consider perhaps making it monthly - one set amount at the first of each month. That way, your D gets in the habit of viewing a budget in terms of standard billing cycles for future utilities, rent, etc. Also, it gets you out of this “I didn’t get my allowance this week” followed by “yes you did” thing that I have observed other families get tangled up in. </p>
<p>If you use the monthly approach, she’ll almost certainly run out of money before she runs out of days, at least the first few times. That’s o.k. though - interesting life lesson, obviously; she’ll get to know what that feels like - OR - you can readjust the amount if you calculated too low.</p>
<p>When our family had a first attempt at allowances, in grade school, I could never remember to have the cash on hand for 3. By the time HS rolled around and we tried again, we were able to use online banking to set up automatic transfers into their accounts, monthly. The money hits on the date of their birthdays (1st, 14th, etc.)!</p>
<p>i’ve never gotten an allowance, however I don’t think you should be paying a kid just to keep their room clean since that’s something they should be doing anyway. I also don’t think anyone should just hand their kids a 20 dollar a week allowance. in my mind, that kid should be clearing the table after dinner (or even cooking dinner) , they should be dusting the living room, washing my car, etc.</p>
<p>Do none of your kids drink? A night at a bar can run ya up to easily 75 a night.</p>