<p>D and her many friends rarely left the campus bubble Freshman year (none of them had cars) They went to cheap university events (which included some very good concerts). She covered all her own social expenses (1st semester with her summer savings, 2nd semester by working 10 hours per week) and we covered food, housing, tuition, books, and flights home. She seemed to have a social life that suited her, but she’s not in a sorority, not a party girl, and not a clothes horse. She’s more likely to spend extra money on tech gadgets! She did treat some older student co-workers to lunches on her mandatory meal plan, which she was never able to use up - I’m sure that was appreciated by the co-workers! Although she goes to a private, I think her student body is overwhelmingly middle class.</p>
<p>@romanigypsyeyes I mean, other people and parents doing something doesn’t make it right.</p>
<p>Vladen…I’ll speak for myself…but I bet others agree. Of course our kids had clothing. What do you think? That we are sending them to college with no clothing? We took our kids on shopping trips to get clothes prior to departing for college…and also gave them a small allowance to get things they might need specific to,their college climates.</p>
<p>We did not, however, fund shopping sprees for our daughter or trips to the local bars for our son. </p>
<p>If our kids needed something, of course we bought it. For example, DS really needed a warm hat and gloves…so we had him find something and sent him the money for it. </p>
<p>However,when DD decided she needed a pair of Uggs at $200 in Santa Clara, CA, she was on her own. That was not a necessity…not at all. And she had boots (which she never wore) at our house.</p>
<p>Anyone familiar with Valley Fair and the shops at Santana Row? We didn’t fund those shopping sprees at all. </p>
<p>But our kids did get generous cash gifts from us on birthdays and holidays. And they both worked.</p>
<p>They certainly had sufficient clothing.</p>
<p>"I went to Yale. There were kids there whose families came over on the Mayflower and some who could buy and sell most of us many times over (also a lot of us poor folk). However, you would never know it. There is definitely a difference between “old” money and new money - or money from fame and fortune (like Madonna’s). Those kids that were really rich without fail were not flashy, wore regular, if not tattered clothes, and ate and drank just like the rest of us. "</p>
<p>When I was there, there was a young man who was the nephew of a very famous clothing designer. He dressed to die for 
But yeah - you really couldn’t tell from looking who were the rich kids and who weren’t. You know, I think this whole dressed-to-the-nines, dripping-with-money, daddy’s-Lear-jet-on-standby is the figment of jealous people’s wild imaginations. Real money is far more subtle. </p>
<p>@Tperry1982 - I agree there is often a difference between “new money” and “old money.” There are also geographical differences. Texas tends to lean toward big and flashy. Although Austin (one of my favorite cities) is laid back and not pretentious, there are a couple of sororities at UT where conspicuous consumption is the norm. Keep in mind that in affluent areas of Dallas it is not unusual for kids to get brand new luxury cars for their sixteenth birthday. It’s a different world from much of the NE and my UG experience. </p>
<p>The OP hasn’t been back on this forum since the OP! Not at all.</p>
<p>Well she/he is missing out on a great conversation. It has been helpful for me.</p>
<p>Our daughter just finished her freshman year. We pay Tuition and R&B, and she is on our cell plan, but weekly spending money is her responsibility - both to earn and to spend. We felt it was important she learn how to budget based on your income, and college is the time to do it. (Otherwise she come out 4 years later and still doesn’t know how to manage her money!) Her weekly spending was coming out of what she made in the summer, so we sat down with her and talked budgeting. Included in that discussion was how saving can not only minimize loans on the back end, but also cover a study abroad program Jr. year, which she will pay for. We made some suggestions, but the final decision was hers. She decided $30/week was reasonable and that’s what she stuck to. With all the cheap movies on campus, campus bus system, R&B covered by mom and dad, there were weeks when she didn’t spend it all and she would carry over any extra and treat herself to something special - sweater, concert tix, etc. FWIW, she decided to stick to the $30/wk this summer while she’s home, too.</p>
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<p>Well, yes, obviously. I guess I didn’t quite articulate what I meant to ask well. I’m thinking more of a situation of “My shoes are a bit worn down but they’re still wearable. I’m going to go get new ones.” kind of thing. </p>
<p>In high school, my kids got an allowance. They could eat it, watch it, wear it, I didn’t care. If they were eating, watching, shopping with their friends, they paid. If WE were eating, watching, shopping, I paid but of course I also had veto power.</p>
<p>College will be much the same. If I’m around, or they want something during a break, I’ll pay. If they are hanging out with friends and want to go to the movies or eat away from the meal plan, they’ll pay. Other items will be negotiated, like sorority dues or events, sports equipment.</p>
<p>Val…if I buy my kids shoes before college starts in September, I would expect them to last at least until I see them at thanksgiving. And I would buy my kids new shoes. Those are a necessity. But I would not fund designer shoes, a pair to match each outfit, for my college student.</p>
<p>I guess it’s more about lifestyle, and responsible spending. $1,200 seems like a lot for a first year student on campus. $100 a week sounds a bit better. What do you think?</p>
<p>My kids both get $200/month (which is what they got in high school, too). The $$ is for personal spending, movies, eating out, etc. I also pick up extra costs that are reasonable. It seems to be working out ok. They don’t need $1,200 a month. </p>
<p>My D worked a 10 hour a week work study last year as a freshman and that covered all her spending money, necessities, vocal lesson, clothes and extra groceries she chose to buy. On my two visits out to see her we did do a shopping trip where I sprung for a few new winter clothes and loaded up her snacks and a couple times I sent a car package during finals or hell week of a show but it certainly was manageable on that. I did find that the second semester she spent less than the first. I’m sure that was just adjusting to managing her paycheck. </p>
<p>I don’t know what expenditures she will have. $1200 a month seems excessive relative to our daughters circumstances and lifestyle. We will provide her with $200 a month. We pay for her phone, she has an unlimited meal plan, we will pay for her clothes. $50 a week to use for entertainment, and incidental expenses. We want her to learn how to budget and save.</p>
<p>I think $1200 is a typo for $200. Best explanation I can think of and all the parents here get so excited. I would too! :D</p>
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<p>Doubt it’s a typo…because the OP references hearing about people who only give $200.</p>
<p>My guess…this is a student who wants more than $200 in spending money per month…and that is what her parents offered.</p>
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<p>Strolling through that place was a rather humbling experience for hoi polloi like us. 
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<p>So is the Stanford Shopping Center. How could a Stanford student afford to shop at that shopping center which is literally located on the edge of the campus?</p>
<p>There appears to be no lack of shoppers there (maybe even a lot of tourists, especially international ones. In one article from the Wall Street, it was jokingly said the tourists from overseas are like walking ATM machines. A colleague told me recently that one giant tourist group to the west coast consists of likely 5000 tourists! How many planes would be needed to fly this group of tourists here?)</p>
<p>Maybe the board of trustees of any private school should have allocated some of their endowment to create a “milk cow” like this - especially if they could manage to have such an income stream as tax free: (from Wikipedia):</p>
<p>“However, in 2003, taking advantage of the high prices that shopping centers were fetching, the university’s board of trustees agreed to sell the center for USD $333 million to Simon Property Group which, in turn, leases the underlying land from the university under a 51-year lease. The university’s lease includes an annual rent equal to 25% percent of the center’s net profits.”</p>
<p>I’ve never been to Valley Fair, but I was at Stanford Shopping Center. It was not bad, but no humbling experience either, I liked the roast beef sandwich at the place that Bill and Hillary Clinton ate when they visited Chelsea.</p>