<p>Apart from tuition and travel, what is a reasonable sum a freshman needs per month or per semester for everyday expenses and a normal social life? Location: LAC in Mass.</p>
<p>D goes to another LAC in Mass. When she was a Freshman she lived in the dorm and had the meal plan. We paid for books and airfare when she came home. Initially, she was going to be responsible for all of her socializing $, but we ended up giving her $200 a month and that was it. She travels a fair bit with her a cappella group and has to eat meals on the road, so we knew that would add up. They also had long and late rehearsals and sometimes she missed meal hours all together. This year, she is better scheduled and it should not be a problem.</p>
<p>She did get a small part time job on campus (8 hours a week) to supplement. This summer, she has a great job and is also teaching private voice lessons. She will be on her own for spending money now.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I doubt there will be one universal answer as some will find the confines of Noho sufficient for a social life while others will need more frequent trips away from the bucolic charms of the town. Also, the answer might depend on the number of weekly trips to Good Thyme Deli or Domino’s Pizza to supplement the college fare. </p>
<p>The best bet is to empower your student with a debit card that is … easily and quickly replenishable.</p>
<p>Are extra activities like music lessons for non majors, or sports like skiing or riding included in tuition fees in general? If not, do they get added on to the tuition bill or does the student pay for them directly?</p>
<p>As D is an international and I don’t have an account in the US, I have to set up some kind of money transfer. So I don’t think the debit card will work.</p>
<p>music lessons for non majors and recreational activites of all types are usually student paid and not part of any fee or tuition bill. A lot depends on what you and your D are used to. Our D was responsible for much of her social spending in High School. We paid for voice lessons then and still do now as we consider them “tuition.” We don’t pay for recreation at all. She can blow all of her $200 on a ski trip if she wants (actually, she would prefer to go to NYC and catch a Broadway musical). If she runs out of $, oh well, too bad, so sad.</p>
<p>Don’t forget books.</p>
<p>Most students have to pay out a large amount of money at the beginning of each semester for books.</p>
<p>Ours have always been able to (and required by us) pay for books and expenses out of summer earnings and/or anything they make during the year, so their monthly budgets varied by what they saved/earned.</p>
<p>Everyone’s famiily is different of course. But this worked for us–they determine their own spending by their own earning.</p>
<p>After paying our daughter’s room/board/books/sports fees, we agreed on $50 a month spending money. (She’d been working and had her own money.) By the second semester she called and said – not to send her any. Her roomates didn’t get spending money from their parents and she felt weird she did. (She’s in school in Boston.)</p>
<p>Our D will be responsible for her own spending money. Room & boards and tuition and books are covered already so she will not starve - if she fancies pizza from the place down the road instead of eating at school that is up to her - as garland said she determines her spending by her own earning. She already started the job that she hopes to have till she graduates - great experience in her planned field and, hopefully, a good reference source when she applies to prof. school.</p>
<p>Both our kids do have credit cards (our accounts) but they are for emergency use - like unexpected dental bills (like my son had after being knocked out at a rock concert). My son occcasionally calls and asks permission to charge concert tickets as that is the only way to get them on the internet but he repays us. Neither of them abuse the privelege of having the card.</p>
<p>My S is also responsible for his own spending money and his car expenses except for insurance. He’s working this summer and he has a job already lined up for the fall and he has a debit card connected to his account with $250 overdraft coverage (overdraft comes out of our account, but I can draw on his account in case he “forgets” to pay us back). Books, tuition, room & board, fees and travel home at Christmas by plane we’re covering or his Stafford/merit etc. is covering. His season lift ticket is his dime. Friends of ours that are alum of his school get him for the “short holidays” :-)</p>
<p>There could be laundry costs also to consider. And possible medical/dental costs or copays if your insurance does not cover them. I have no idea how long it takes to wire money from Europe to US but if it were my child I would probably make sure that there was $1000 that she had access to IF she needed it. I would want an accounting and there would be rules on shopping, etc. I just know I would feel better if I knew my child had enough money to cover any emergency until I could transfer funds.</p>
<p>My parents give me money for books (and pay tuition, room, and meal plan), but all other expenses are my own. I spent maybe $300 this past year in Chicago. I don’t try to be super careful with my money, but since all of my money in my accounts is my own, I value saving it when I can. I didn’t go out of my way to spend or save. </p>
<p>If your definition of a “normal social life” for a college freshman includes drinking, then she will likely be spending a very significant amount of money on alcohol. If it seems like she’s going through “entertainment” money fast, that’s why.</p>
<p>D has an act with B of A with overdraft protection that goes on to her credit card. We also have an acct at a local bank that is linked to a sub-acct in D’s name. If she needs emergency money I can go online and just transfer to her acct. She can write checks on that acct and put it in her BofA act.<br>
If your D is going to be in Mass, she might want to open a B of A acct (most colleges have that bank on campus or near by). Let her get the student Visa cc and debit card attached to the act as overdraft protection or for emergencies. That will give you time to send money if needed. You could also set a spending limit per month for her cc/debit card. That way she is building up her own credit history…</p>
<p>Does your college have a campus card? At s’s we can set up 3 accounts he can access with one card- vending machines (drink, snack, laundry), campus food account, and bookstore account (including all the supplies and sundries you can get at the campus bookstore). Between those three, it doesn’t leave a lot of guesswork leftover. Travel to and from home, entertainment, frat dues, etc. That goes in the bank account.</p>
<p>Instrumental music coursework for credit (ie, individual lessons, but for a non-major) was extra, of course, at my S’ university. But it was added to the tuition account rather than pay-as-you go.</p>
<p>There have been numerous threads on cc in the Parent Forum/Parent Cafe about spending money at colleges. Parental philosophy varies all over the place, as do views about how much a student needs. Further, there is a hazy line between needs and wants in some cases.</p>
<p>I have noted estimates ranging from $100/month to well over $400/month, varying with location and philosophy. There seems to be a convergence around $200/month for some reason. Just an observation, not a recommendation on my part.</p>
<p>Lost in translation, in addition to checking with your current banking institution about a credit/debit card tied to your bank, you could also check Paypal, which is now part of the Ebay Group. In reality, you only need to find a local European bank that let your D use the ATM system in the US. I’d think that should not be too hard considering how developed the debit card system is in Europe.</p>
<p>Here’s a link to paypal:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.paypal.fr/fr[/url]”>http://www.paypal.fr/fr</a></p>
<p>It works like a charm.</p>
<p>We gave D plenty of warning that her spending money would be whatever she earned over the summer (plus any graduation money). We paid room, board, tuition, books, travel to and fro and one half of sorority dues. That seemed more than fair to all of us, D included. I would not have said D was a big spender but it was a very good learning lesson for her this year to have to budget her money and figure out where it was going. She almost made it to spring but ran shy around Easter – a $100 Easter gift from grandma got her through. She is now making a budget and much more careful about her money. Every family is different but I felt that D really needed to start learning fiscal planning and she was only going to learn by making mistakes. It is the best thing we could have done and it is not like she went without. She fully recognized that she was lucky to have as much paid for as she did.</p>
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</p>
<p>Me: You know that you just received the last allowance I’m ever giving you?</p>
<p>WashDadJr: Whazza?</p>
<p>Me: I’m serious. We pay for tuition, room and board, books, fees, flights home, health insurance and other direct education costs. You pay for everything else. I’m not subsidizing you to sit around all summer playing Source Forts on the 'net.</p>
<p>WashDadJr: <blink> <blinkblink></blinkblink></blink></p>
<p>Me: Find a job. I suggest you start with Craigslist.</p>
<p>WashDadJr: <blink> <small strangling=“” noise=“”> <blinkblink></blinkblink></small></blink></p><small strangling=“” noise=“”>
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<p>Thanks for your imput. This thread was not supposed to be a debate on whether to give them money or have them earn it. I’d rather my D concentrate during her first year on mastering the language and the American system, after which I’m sure she will be only too happy to start working. Yes, cmbmom, I’m certainly going to wire an emergency sum ( and 1000 $ like a nice round figure), but I’d like her to be able to go to a few shows and exhibitions without feeling she has to save every penny.
As for drinking; it is considered normal here for an 18 y o to have a couple of beers in a caf</p>