How much do I give as a weekly allowance

fbrander

Hi
my son is going to Glasgow in September. We will be paying his accommodation which includes food, bills and insurance. I have no idea what to give him as a weekly living allowance! He will need money for lunch, books and travel as well as socialising i guess! We dont pay fees in Scotland at the mo but are not entitled to any other help.
Fiona:T

Kimso

Hi

Please don't be offended - he's an adult and should get a part time job. I had 2 part time jobs whilst at Uni and worked full time during the holidays.

Too many youngsters rely on their parents for everything and it delays their growing up and having a responsible attitude towards money. In my humble opinion anyway!;)

nickyhutch

You're already paying for his accommodation, food, insurance and bills. I think it would be reasonable to expect him to get a part-time job to cover transport (how about a bike?) and socialising.

Lokolo

I get acc paid for and £200 a month (to cover food and expenses) and this is too much.

Will he also be getting maintenance loan? If he is, make sure he saves it.

Oldernotwiser

Why isn't he taking out his maintenance loan and/or getting a job? I think you're giving him too much already.

Lokolo

Kimso wrote: »

Hi

Please don't be offended - he's an adult and should get a part time job. I had 2 part time jobs whilst at Uni and worked full time during the holidays.

Too many youngsters rely on their parents for everything and it delays their growing up and having a responsible attitude towards money. In my humble opinion anyway!;)

Glad you didn't say all

The_One_Who

fbrander wrote: »

Hi
my son is going to Glasgow in September. We will be paying his accommodation which includes food, bills and insurance. I have no idea what to give him as a weekly living allowance! He will need money for lunch, books and travel as well as socialising i guess! We dont pay fees in Scotland at the mo but are not entitled to any other help.
Fiona:T

Why is he not getting the non-income assessed loan of £915? OK, so it's not much but it's something, especially since all other major expenses are already paid.

At Glasgow (I take it you are meaning Glasgow Uni) he will not need money for books. The library is one of the biggest and best in the country. All that is needed is a bit of time management and a knowledge of how to use the library.

Why are you paying travel? Where is he travelling to? The university has minibuses to take students from halls to campus, but he could easily walk it.

I know jobs are a bit hard to come by, but I echo everyone else who has said he should at least be looking for one.

adelight

You're already paying for a lot, maybe encourage him to work part time? 30pw should be enough for basic stationary, pack lunches and a night out but not so much that he gets complacent. In my first year I paid my accom from savings/loan and my Dad gave me 30pw for basic living, which encouraged me to get a small part time job in the first term. Working didn't fit well with my work load so I now only work during holidays and it suits me better.

Aside from stationary, he probably won't need many books as most are available in the library/online and you don't tend to use many in the first year. If he really needs a book or a piece of software, get him to just ask you for it as it's quite unlikely and won't mean he's suddenly got to find a big chunk of money.

Fang_3

You know your son better than anyone here. There are a lot of people that think that every parent should be forcing their children to get a job and pay for everything as soon as they've left school. The fact is jobs are hard to come by, and they do interfere with studying and could affect his final degree mark. If you can afford it then you should give him an allowance. Please don't be swayed by the "YOU'LL RUIN YOUR CHILDREN IF YOU HELP THEM FINANCIALLY!!!11 THEY'LL NEVER GROW UP AND WILL DIE! DIE! DIE!!11" people because they are mental. The fact is that the majority of kids helped out by their parents don't grow up to be irresponsible and they cope just fine. By trying to say that they do become these child-like adults, they're just trying to make themselves feel better because they couldn't afford to help their children and therefore don't think anyone else should. Even worse, some of them could afford to, but don't, and then have a strained relationship with their children, though they'll deny it to the death.

As to the actual amount, it depends on what you can afford. I'd suggest a starting figure of about £200-£250 a month to cover ongoing expenses, but for the first month, I'd recommend you give a bit more (as a gift) because Freshers' is a crazy time and it's easy to spend that amount in a few days with all the clubs and societies, as well as the many nights out and adjusting to living away and budgeting for himself. And if he moves in his second year, he'll have to pay for food too so an increase would be in order.

7891368

My parents started off giving me £200 p/m and at Christmas I said I didn't need it (I work a fair bit but no it doesn't effect my degree and I do have a life thanks) so I've got it in a savings account for masters if I choose to do so/house deposit. Works for me! I spend about £80 p/w for food and going out etc.

Also everyone who said use the library depends what course you're on, I spent just over £200 on books, most people want their own copy, the library will not have enough for everyone not to buy them.

Oldernotwiser

Fang wrote: »

You know your son better than anyone here. There are a lot of people that think that every parent should be forcing their children to get a job and pay for everything as soon as they've left school. The fact is jobs are hard to come by, and they do interfere with studying and could affect his final degree mark. If you can afford it then you should give him an allowance. Please don't be swayed by the "YOU'LL RUIN YOUR CHILDREN IF YOU HELP THEM FINANCIALLY!!!11 THEY'LL NEVER GROW UP AND WILL DIE! DIE! DIE!!11" people because they are mental. The fact is that the majority of kids helped out by their parents don't grow up to be irresponsible and they cope just fine. By trying to say that they do become these child-like adults, they're just trying to make themselves feel better because they couldn't afford to help their children and therefore don't think anyone else should. Even worse, some of them could afford to, but don't, and then have a strained relationship with their children, though they'll deny it to the death.

As to the actual amount, it depends on what you can afford. I'd suggest a starting figure of about £200-£250 a month to cover ongoing expenses, but for the first month, I'd recommend you give a bit more (as a gift) because Freshers' is a crazy time and it's easy to spend that amount in a few days with all the clubs and societies, as well as the many nights out and adjusting to living away and budgeting for himself. And if he moves in his second year, he'll have to pay for food too so an increase would be in order.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

£60 per week pocket money for someone who hasn't even taken out the maintenance funding available to him? You're having a laugh!