<p>we provided $75 per week by depositing the cash into an account that can be accessed via debit card. We put the entire semester’s $ into the account when kid#1 was a freshman. It was gone before the semester ended. Thus, the weekly deposit began in semester 2! This was an expensive budgeting lesson, but it worked. The $75 covered food and Health & beauty aids. If kid budgeted correctly, there were funds left over for a pint or two at the end of the week (once she was 21, of course!).</p>
<p>When DS lived off campus our agreement was that we would provide the same amount per month we had been paying for on campus. We took the housing cost for the school year and divided by 12 months. Don’t forget it’s 12 months not 10. Then told him we would send x amount every month and he could figure out the rest. He learned to pick cheaper apartments and budget his own money. YMMV.</p>