<p>
</p>
<p>I was not claiming otherwise. However, the room, board, and transportation costs of a commuter student are not $0, even though people seem to think of it as such, and parents seem to more willingly subsidize such costs (which are typically spread around other parts of the household budget, rather than being an obvious line item associated with the student) more than any other college-related costs.</p>
<p>The other thing is, while most people here are discussing frugal food budgets and such, what about the numerous parent posters with household incomes “too high to receive financial aid” ($230,000+) but struggle to find the money to afford colleges that their students “deserve” based on academic achievements? It is likely that their households are not as frugal as discussed here (not necessarily just with food, but perhaps with other household budget items). Remember, the average person in the US is not particularly frugal in spending habits.</p>