How much allowance for 18 year old DS?

[Theacademicswife]

DS 18 has just started university. It's a local one so he's still going to be living at home. So only travel and lunches to cover.

I save £40 per month for him plus pay his phone of £10 per month and will also be paying nearly £50 a month for his travel costs.

His dad was giving him £40 pocket money per month, but obviously now he's at university there'll be lunches to cover and money for socialising.

He does plan to get a part time job which will offset some of the cost.
I'm just wondering how much allowance you give your teenage DC?

Assuming he's applied for a maintenance loan from student finance, then I'd give him absolutely nothing. He'll be getting £400+ from that for travel, stationery, personal needs, socialising. There'll be some leftover for actually giving you something, buying a few household grocery items or saving.

To be fair if mine was living at home, eating my food and using my gas/electric and having their phone paid for they wouldn't be getting any more money from me.

I wouldn't give anything! Is he entitled to any loan?

There's no shame in helping your son to get on his feet, as long as he's making the effort to work and save himself. I can't speak for how much is appropriate as my kids are still little, but I disagree with PPs who are saying he should get nothing. Life is hard, younger adults are finding it impossible to save let alone start a pension and yet we expect them to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get on with it. No. We made this mess, we must help get the next generation out of it.

We gave our DS 400 a month when he was at college and living at home

In a privileged bubble maybe. I'm a single mum and can't afford to save much myself, we don't all have endless finances.

He may as well take 4/5k loan, surely that would be plenty if he is living at home. Unless you also pay his fees and upfront there may not be any point not getting the loan. He is unlikely to pay it all back unless he is a higher earner.

His Grandmother, who died 8 years ago left money to pay for his tuition, if he made it to university.
When he was told this, when he came to fill in the forms ticked the private funding box, not thinking about any other costs involved.

He had already submitted the forms when he told us, so it was already done.

I admit we weren't as on the ball as we should have been, but both DH and I had health worries and it wasn't given the attention it needed.

We have made it clear that next year he'll be expected to fund any expenses himself.

So the consensus is suggesting no more funds to be given.

We are in Scotland so no tuition fees
We don’t want them taking out loans if at all possible

There’s little point in paying fees upfront, the interest rate is so low. Stick the money in a high interest savings account and pay the fees off once he’s finished.

can your DS not get a part time job?

Erm apart from paying for his travel, phone and food then absolutely nothing. He can get a job or apply for a student loan. I got £50 a week off my mom in first year of uni but i wasn't living at home. After i got a job this money stopped.

Erm, pocket money, 18? Why hasn’t he got a job? Why hasn’t he been saving from the job he should have had since he became old enough to get one?

bloody hell, how the other half live.