how much allowance for college?

Parent Cafe
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<p>Every family has to do what is right for their values and budget. I can only mention what we are doing as a guide for the OP who is opting to give their child an allowance as well. We give our kids an allowance for the month at college. It is for incidentals and general spending money and doing stuff. We give $225/month. However, each of our children has worked and earned a significant sum of money to take to college for the next four years. This is in addition to what we have given them and for them to use as they like. They can supplement monthly spending money and save it for use in summers if they opt to do any summer programs or travel when they might not work in those particular summers. So, they have all that money they saved from working plus any graduation money gifts they were given as well. Besides that, we pay for clothes (they each have had an annual clothing budget and so we keep track as they go) and we pay for books and travel home. Oldest child will have a car at college next year and we will continue to pay for car payments, car insurance and gas as we did before. I happen to think that $225/month for just spending money is adequate and as I said they have their own money earnings to supplement as they wish. My younger one will be in NYC which is very expensive and I anticipate she will indeed have to use her own money to supplement that allowance. She will be earning money this summer directing a children’s program she has created but also has substantial savings from money she earned in jobs when much younger that we saved for her to take to college at the time. My older child is using some of her saved up earnings (she saves every penny when she works) this summer…currently traveling cross country to Alaska and also is paying to do a program at Harvard. She will earn money for one month in August which will replenish some that she will have spent. But we also figure that their own earnings can go toward things like if they decide to spend a summer abroad or doing an internship or summer stock that does not pay that well. So, I am already talking to younger child (who is more of a spender than older child) about not using up all her money the first year (and maybe not even taking it all to NYC) because she should think about wanting some of it in future summers if she does not earn a lot those summers and wants to do something worthwhile that does not pay well. The way my other kid saved up everything she had earned in junior/senior year and summer after graduation is now paying off for her to have options in the summer to do some things. </p>

<p>So, I guess in my kids’ cases, we pay for most stuff but they also have learned to earn money for anything in college over and beyond what we are providing which is likely a sufficient amount as a base. So, it is a mixture of sorts…not all us, not all them. But on the “us” end, I guess it is heavier than some parents here because their allowance does not even include the clothing, books, or travel home. It seems like I am on the higher end of posters here in what we are giving them but by the same token, I kinda think they have many friends at college who have way more than this. But their friends here at home often have way less. </p>

<p>I’m impressed that some of your teenage girls buy clothing out of these same allowances. I’m starting to think my kids have it pretty good that they also have a clothing allowance on top of the college spending money one. But teenage girls’ clothing ain’t cheap.</p>

<p>Susan</p>

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<p>No allowance for college. Sorry, fresh out of funds. Son will get a job and use money from summer earnings. I figure the tuition plus room and board plus books is all I feel like spending.</p>

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<p>son has always been extremely frugal and not one to spend frivolously. I feel very confidant with a plan of just giving him an infusion at the beginning of the year and just “reseeding” whenever he says it’s running low. I figure our kids will be the ones choosing our nursing home, and I’d rather not establish a precedent of watching the pennies too closely. On the other hand, I can imagine many kids with wilder spending habits who would need to be kept on a much tighter budget.</p>

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<p>My daughter lives off campus with no meal plan - so her “allowance” has to cover all food. I give her $500 CAD (she’s in Montreal) per month. (about $420 per month USD) She pays for food, her cell phone, her MetroCard (subway), all entertainment, her internet connection, landline, etc. with it. I think I’m being too generous. I also pay her rent.</p>

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<p>I will pay for books, tuition, room & board, clothing etc.</p>

<p>He will pay for entertainment (eating out, concerts, etc) with $$ he is earning. We have budgeted $75 per week. He is going to school in Portland, and taking public transportation.</p>

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<p>Big, you think you are being generous? How much is her cell bill, internet connection? </p>

<p>Cell: $60 mo?
INet: $40mo
Food: $50 wk x4 = $200mo
Metro Card: $50 mo
Landline: $30 mo</p>

<p>Those required items alone are $380 out of $420. I am guessing at the montly numbers, based on what I see.</p>

<p>That leaves ver very little for anythign else. I don’t think it’s too generous…unless your idea is for her to need to get a job.</p>

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<p>Soozievt,
I’m wondering what a fair budget is for clothing for teenage girls, as I have a soph and a junior who are wringing me dry. With older brother going off to college in the fall, we will be tightening our belts. I was considering telling them they each can have X$ for clothes each season, but I don’t know what X is! They will babysit a bit this summer, but certainly not enough to pay for clothes. Does anyone else budget clothes for teenage girls?</p>

<p>And college bound son has a little over 2,000$ in the bank plus what he earns this summer–I pay insurance and cell phone, but will not give him an allowance. I want him to learn to manage his own money.</p>

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<p>Thanks, Momsdream - it’s just tough to know what’s the right amount. Especially figuring out food costs. She splits internet, landline with her roommates - and the metrocard is about $30 per month - but I’ll think about a little more for her. I also transfer extra to her when there’s a special concert or trip she wants to take. I really want her to learn how to budget for when she graduates and is on her own.</p>

<p>My son, though, is easy to figure out. He’s going to West Point starting June 27 - the Army picks up the tab for everything - including a salary of $600 month that’s used to pay for uniforms, haircuts, etc. NO clothing costs - we literally drop him off wearing a t-shirt and gym shorts.</p>

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<p>Well my parents aren’t planning on giving me an allowance in college! :(</p>

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<p>No allowance for my daughter or son, they have jobs. I will help with medical, room, board, and occassional needs (school trip, college applications.) There are lots of ways to parent; when I was a kid and working I chipped in for family expenses. I never asked my kids for rent but wouldn’t criticize a parent who did. </p>

<p>If I was going to give an allowance, I would want to see the books once in a while. A movie at a college can be a 5-10 dollar deal, off campus 15 to 20. Subs and a soda can hit $10 pretty quick and ski trips would require a big bump in cash also, so would drug and alcohol habits. Going to the library -priceless.</p>

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<p>Chocolate, I hestitate to post my girls’ clothing budgets because everyone has different means and everyone has different values. For years, we just bought our kids whatever clothing we felt they needed. During high school, I felt that it would be better to establish a certain limit for the year and they’d have to figure out what they wanted within that limit, kinda budgeting it out. That way, if I thought an item was not worth the price, it did not matter because they had to figure out what they wanted for the money they had to work with. </p>

<p>To establish an amount, I basically had a record of what we had spent the previous years when we just kinda bought what they needed and I used that as a guide. We don’t hand them the money for clothing. It is bought and an ongoing total is kept until they reach the limit. But I do advise them to spend about half for winter clothes and half for spring/summer, which is kinda how we shop…two times per year with little stuff in between. </p>

<p>My kids have nice clothing, I think. I would call it in the “middle” meaning they don’t have designer garb (truly no kids where we live do but they have friends from elsewhere who do) and they don’t have stuff from the cheapest stores either. By “middle” price, I guess I mean stores like Urban Outfitters, Abercrombie, J Crew, Express, American Eagle (though some of these ain’t exactly cheap either). Also things like clothes for activities like their dance clothing, ski clothing and similar stuff has to come out of the clothing budget. The total per year per kid is $2500. That might sound high, but with the price of clothing for teenage girls today, I do not think it is outrageous because it adds up quickly. So, I tell them to think in terms of $1250 for each season (splitting the year into two seasons of clothing). My younger child sometimes still buys some clothing items with her own earnings if she wants something over and beyond. </p>

<p>The way we tend to shop here is often for one long day, getting a bunch at once (like back to school) and my kids will go from store to store, try on what they like, ask to put it on hold a few hours, jot down on a pad each item and how much it costs and then after they have visited every store, they look over the list and decide which things they want the most and how much of their budget they want to use up that day and then go back and buy which things they narrowed it down to or wanted the most for the money. They pretty much shop with me. But when the older one went off to college, while she still bought a bunch of her clothing here at home, she has a credit card of mine (this kid is EXTREMELY trustworthy) and if she had money left in her clothing budget for the year, she was allowed to buy something and take it from the total and tell me what she bought and for how much (she did it a couple times only but called right away to tell me the charge and to add it to that year’s total for her). I will have to really really go over this with younger child when she leaves next year. I do NOT want her to use her allowance for any clothing in ADDITION to what she is given for clothes as the allowance is meant for other things and she will be in NYC and loves clothes (more than D1) and I will keep a careful eye on her being accountable as to what money is for what. But as I said, I don’t hand over clothing money. We buy it together and they keep a running total that can’t go over $2500 for the year or will be given my credit card for this purpose and for emergencies in college and will have to notify me if used to charge anything and still keep to this limit. </p>

<p>I hope that helps. I hope I did not open a can of worms on how much is spent on clothing as this is truly something that has to do with what each family can afford as well as what is valued. In my family, truly everything centers on our children and that is the area we spend the most on. Even if someone thinks this clothing budget sounds high, the point is that there is a limit (within our means) and it is not a situation where they can just buy and buy whatever they want. They know they have it good compared to many local friends but they also have close friends from other areas of the country who have far far more than this and extensive wardrobes with designer labels and way beyond any kid in our community. It is all relative.</p>

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<p>i made about 25-50 a week working from freshman-junior years, and that was enough for me to pay my gas, car insurance, and food. i also had some money saved up from my summer job to assist wit things.</p>

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<p>D recently floated the idea of an allowance for iTunes. I thought about it and told her it was a great idea and if she would spot me 5-6 songs a month, I’d be very appreciative.</p>

<p>The response was not what I had imagined. </p>

<p>Seriously, during the year, she’s pretty much on her own. At this point she has savings and a job. She puts airline tix on a credit card on my account, otherwise it’s for Emergencies Only, followed by immediate reporting thereof…there have been none so far. </p>

<p>I will say that when gifted her with some clothing when we’ve gotten together though she had kept a $100 gift stashed away that she spent at Bloomingdale’s when were in NYC. A c-note doesn’t buy much there.</p>

<p>And I felt a disturbance in the force when she said something about Kate Spoede handbags; she said the style was a good one for her and, as she has virtually never been a label seeker of any sort, I guess I accept this. I’m just not wired into clothes and accessories like so many of the female persuasion are; much to TheMom’s sometimes despair at my own wardrobe.</p>

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<p>$200 per month, for entertainment and incidentals like school supplies and shampoo. No fun being in Boston if you never get to go to see the Boston Pops. </p>

<p>We pay for books, cell phone. She’s on a meal plan. We did buy her a winter coat. Otherwise, she spends her own money on clothes (judging by what she wears, I’d say she doesn’t spend much of her own money on them).</p>

<p>We buy plane tix home. She pays for any other trips–to NYC, for example, for Thanksgiving and Spring break.</p>

<p>Credit card,bank statements and cell phone bill come to our house. So far, no abuse.</p>

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<p>I also cut my daughters hair- usually which saves money- although today I am springing for a halrcut- facial and brow waxing at a “hip” salon.
Just in time too- it is supposed to top yesterdays brand new record of 89 deg F- in Seattle?</p>

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<p>Oops – I made a mistake last nite when posting. We give our S
approximately $250/month but now that he’s in an apt instead of a dorm we pay for rent, food, cable & Internet (they were included in dorm fees) as well as cell phone and books which we always covered. He goes to school outside Chicago so prices are not cheap. Also since he has a car we pay for gas & related expenses but he rarely uses the car; he needed it in LA for a 3 month internship which required the kids to have cars. He’s a spendthrift when it comes to clothes so that’s not an issue. He also has savings from summer jobs which he uses for social life and to visit friends in the Midwest and in NYC when he’s home on vacation. He used to eat out all high school senior year and summers once he had his license but lately he’s figured out he can save $ when he eats home with Mom’s cooking or if we go to the movies together! I think we are very generous with him; some of his college friends have even more generous families and some are on way more limited budgets so he’s seen the range of financial arrangements and is thankful for what we provide.</p>

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<p>This year, when he lived in the dorm, we paid for books, transportation home (airline tix) and I have a 2 phone cellphone deal with shared minutes that works out great. We offered him $250/month allowance. He never used that much, even though the food servery was closed Sat night and Sun. morning (the latter was a non-issue as he was never up on a Sunday morning!). We ended up giving him money as needed, and I’d say it averaged about $ 100-150/month, mostly for Sat. night meals, snack food for the dorm room, and computer stuff and video games he bought on line. Bigger purchases were things like a bicycle purchased to replace the one that got stolen (gave up when that one got pilfered too). </p>

<p>This year he’ll have his car and will be living off campus. We pay for is auto insu. and necessary repairs, but gas and non-essentials (repairing the stereo speakers, etc.) are on his dime. This coming year, with rent, utilities, food, parking, etc. We are anticipating about $750/month. Will also have to purchase some furniture and appliances. He is a pretty frugal kid- any overage he puts in the bank. He has earned good money repairing computers and has a lot of $$ in the bank. Even has some $$ invested in the stock market. He paid for his car himself. He will be working this summer and will bank that salary too. I anticipate he will budget well. His car is expensive to repair, so we’ll take that as it goes… We just did some repairs as his birthday present (though all but 2 were necessary repairs). We’ll revisit the monthly allowance when we see what the utilities run. They hadn’t planned to get a landline phone, but will have to get an internet connection service, so may get a phone after all. We’ll see how it goes…</p>

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<p>WOW. My parents give us $100 for school shopping (specifically clothing, or school supplies) in August before school starts… to be used on whatever we want to use it for. That’s it for clothing for the year. This past year I bought 8 shirts and two pairs of pants on clerance, a really butterfly comfortable chair for my apartment, and took care of my notebooks, as well as pens and whatnot… my little sister on the other hand, bought two pairs of jeans… and that was it. Clerance racks are my friend… haha.</p>

<p>I just can’t figure out how everyones kids actually need this much money. I mean, I realize people live in different areas and do different things… but still… this past school year, I made $400/month. I paid for my car payment, my car insurance, my cell phone, my food, my gas, and my entertainment expenses (going to the bar, going to a concert, going to a club, renting a movie, etc) … and I still have a few hundred bucks left in my account… and that’s all money I earned myself while working during school. I lived in an on campus apartment so that was part of my college bill, which I will be paying back the loans for the next decade… haha. </p>

<p>I also don’t understand why more kids don’t work during school. My major was one of the most time-consuming majors as far as work goes, and most semesters I did 18 credits… but I still managed to find time to work and pay my own bills during college. </p>

<p>Can someone explain this to me?</p>

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<p>$100 doesn’t go very far
We have to get pencils- printer paper- stapler-notebooks-dividers- notecards- folders- pens- scissors- rubber cement-felt pens- colored pencils-backpack-white-out- erasers- draft paper- lab notebooks- calculator ( graphing calculator would take your $100 right there)</p>

<p>Looking at school clothes- my daughters spikes for track were about $70, not to mention actual clothes she wears to school and we are relatively frugal, she isn’t big on used clothing like her sister is- but we get her jeans at Target, she wears t-shirts left over from grade school ( they fit like she likes them @@), but I don’t skimp on shoes- soccer cleats are about $50, shoes to wear to school are going to be at least $30 if you want them to last a couple months, then you need underwear- bras etc.
Unless you are getting help somewhere else, I just don’t see how you could do $100 for both school supplies and clothing for the whole year
Maybe you should write an article on how save money?</p>

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<p>fendergirl,</p>

<p>I would either like to adopt you or introduce you to my son. :)</p>