How much allowance for 17yr old going to college this Fall?

Question

Our 17yr old daughter going to college this fall. All will be paid for either through scholarships or loans. She will be paid approx. $150.00 per month for working at college. I think another $150.00 should be enough, any ADVICE.

Yes, she intends to get a part time job but the job at the college may have more hours. I just want to make sure she has some money to start with and put it on a Buxx Card.

More info. she has a job as a waitress right now and pays for her own gas and I made her pay for her oil change the other day. She has a car (already paid for a 2002) by money given to her years ago from her grandmother. she is a lucky girl but I just needed some help in deciding what to give her to start with.

Please keep answering. These answers are great and helping me a lot.

to fudgesource: my Daughter is going to Sante Fe New Mexico. Six hundred miles from home, which is fine.

Answer 1

Not sure what state you're in, but I went to undergrad in NY and got work study, we were paid MONTHLY. So, I was very very broke the first month and a half. I made about 300 a month, if I was lucky. My hourly wage when I started was 7.75/hr (I think) at 13 hrs a week. If the job @ school is federal work study, then your daughter will be limited to how many hours a week she can work. By my last semester, I was capped @ 10 hours a week.
300 dollars a month is A LOT of money for a freshman.

Here's a good breakdown of the money I spent my second semester, sr year (Fordham University, Bronx, NY)...since freshman yr was way too long ago for me to remember and I didn't do much b/c I was miserable like very many freshmen are.

Monthly expenses:
Takeout: About 50 bucks a month, give or take, but usually less than that.
Alcohol (although i hope your daughter would wait to partake in this wondrous experience): On average, 25 to 30 a night, 2 nights a week, 2 weeks a month. About 120 dollars a month, give or take. Honestly, this is almost every college kid's number one expense...
Transportation (subway, intercampus transportation): About 20
Other (movies, shopping, etc): About 40

She really shouldn't spend more than what she does now. College is just your home away from home. If she needs 300 dollars a month to live on while @ home, then she'll probably need 300 while @ school. In my experience, there are two kinds of kids at college, those whose parents pay everything and those whose parents pay nothing or next to nothing. So, if she doesn't have much spending money one month or one week, it's not a big deal. most people understand.

Answer 2

We must be twins. I have a 17-year-old daughter going to college, too, and doing workstudy for $750 a semester. I plan on sending her an additional $50-75 each month and instructing her to warn me of larger expenses. We just bought her books at half.com (the school's website gave us tons of info) and we'll make sure her dorm room is set up before leaving her there.

She'll be going with some gift cards (like for WalMart) and phone cards for emergencies plus a gas card for her car. I'll be paying her cell phone bill, so that's one thing she won't have to worry about - and something I'll be able to control to an extent, of course. I think it should work to set her up with what we can ahead of time so the extra expenses are limited.

Here's a question for you: where is she going to school? The costs will be different in different parts of the country. My daughter will be in a large university in a small town in the midwest, and might very well be able to get along with less cash than your daughter, depending on her circumstance.

Also, when we get her a bank account, it will have to be one where I can transfer money online, so that can take care of emergencies.

Answer 3

An allowance at 17 would have been nice.

I would think the amount would depend on where she is going to college and the cost of things in that place. If her room and board are already paid and she is living on campus then i would say that $150 is a bit much. You know your daughter and her level of maturity, talk to her and ask her what she thinks she will need.

By the way, if she is going away to college, send her a care package through the mail for no special reason. put whatever you want in it.

Answer 4

Hi,

give her an extra 150$ for the first two month and make her write down what she spent her money on. After two month sit together and decide if she needs that money or not.

That comment on kids spending their money on pott and alcohol is crap. If they don't get money from their parents and they want to smoke they will do it anyway.

I got some money from my parents, it was enough to live but not to go out every night and drive home all the time. For that I had to work and that was good. If you buy new cloth and you paid for them with your own money that's a way better feeling then spending daddy's money :-)

You'll find a way :-)

Andi

Answer 5

The $150 from the job should be plenty, unless she has a car to maintain and insure. I knew too many kids in college using the money parents sent them for pot and beer. Kids just don't need extra money when they need to focus on studying, personal management and a job. Also, DO NOT let her get a credit card. The companies aggressively pursue college kids for $200 limits, which all too easily end up as $2000 limits with plenty of, welcomed, over-the-limit fees, and all they have to do is sign a name and get a "free t-shirt".

Answer 6

Allowance?? If she is 17, she should be able to make a little more than $150. bucks a months. She could find a part time job. If you feel the need to pitch in at all... it really depends on what her needs are. We never got 'allowance' in college, but if we needed anything my parents were usually willing to pitch in to help us out.

Answer 7

um no offense, but shouldnt she have a job? All of her living expenses are covered I am guessing if she lives at school? she will learn the value of money much better that way. i was dirt poor in college and wouldnt change it for the world. Basically $150 fun money sounds fair for a month.. maybe send extra for clothes and toiletries and things?

Answer 8

If by "all" you mean she has no rent or bills or car expenses, and is on a meal plan, then I think that is a good number. She can always get a better job that will pay $100+ a week if she wants more.

Answer 9

What are her casual expenses? Gas money, bus tokens, lunch money, phone cards, mp3 batteries ....? Sit down together, figure out her expenses, and her "mad money" needs then set up a budget and expect her to follow it.

That said, remain open to a necessary renegotiation; but insist that she be responsible with her money. If you always watch her budget for her she will never learn how.

Answer 10

150 is fair, but i would say 200 there are so many things they need at school to feel comfortable. she'll need to decorate her room. i hate to say it, but its important that she doesn't feel like she can't do what the other girls do. sorry, but peer pressure is also involved in shopping. give her debit card with a daily limit and encourage her to keep some of it in the bank for a car or for spring break.