Right. Now we all know that all mumsnet children have been working down the mine since they were 6....

[Hakluyt]

... and wouldn't expect their parents to contribute a penny towards their living expenses from the stroke of midnight on their 18th birthday.

But here in the real world, there are 18 year olds going off to university with very little or no savings. And with loans that barely cover their accommodation. And who will probably not be able to find a well paid job within a week of arriving in a new town and living away from home for the first time.
For those of us with pathetic, dependent, useless teenagers like this- what is a reasonable amount of money to give them to cover sensible expenses and have a bit over for fun?

[Hakluyt]

CakeUpWall- something that made me feel better about it was to roughly tot up how much she costs us while she's at home- allowance, fares, petrol,keep and so on. It actually didn't work out much less than what we're going to spending while she's away (with the downside of not having her home)

We do live in the Sticks, though, so fares and petrol are significant amounts of money- probably £120/150 a month.

[CakeUpWall]

That's a good point, Hakluyt. DS doesn't really cost us much (teetotal recluse!) but even the bus pass to college was a hefty whack.

I'll sit down with a big sheet of paper (can't do spreadsheets ) and try to ascertain exactly where we stand.

[VestaCurry]

Is having a term-time job more of a no-no these days then?

[eatyourveg]

A sainsburys mealcard is a useful thing to consider getting, you top up your end and dc benefits their end - it can't be used for alcohol so I know when he gets short, he is at least being fed. Need to find out if its possible to top up an oyster card from this end for this year - that seems to be the biggest drain other than rent.

[TheWordFactory]

Hak that's exactly what I said to SIL about neice.

She was convinced there would be nothing spare to send DN, but she won't now be shelling out for school lunch money, clothes, increased gas bills for those endless showers, hobbies, holidays (if they still come with) etc. It's a substantial saving.

When my two go, I shall be a millionaire ...no school fees ...

[TheWordFactory]

vesta depends where.

Oxbridge frown upon it. They say terms are too short and intense for a job. Personally, I think this policy is a real barrier to access, but what do I know?

Most other places don't mind. Indeed, some universities try to ensure that as many jobs on campus as possible, go to students - Warwick are very good here.

[BackforGood]

I think this really is a 'How long is a piece of string?' question.

I'm reading with interest, but my thoughts at the moment are that he can use his loan to pay for the accommodation (as it pretty much uses that up), and it makes sense in terms of budgeting as he'll get his loan in 3 instalments and has to pay his accommodation in 3 instalments.
We'll then let him have around about £30ish a week - probably in monthly instalments, after all, that's when we are paid. I'm working on the theory that if I can feed 5 of us for around £45 a week, then he ought to be able to feed 1 for a lot less than that. Then, he can walk to and from the campus (as he does now to get to friends / going out / etc.). We'll take and fetch him at the start / end of term, and I wouldn't expect him to come home other than that.
I do expect him to look for work, but realise it probably won't happen straight away, as well as there will be likely to be some upfront expenses when he starts, so we'll probably give him some cash up front to live through the first 3 or 4 weeks.
He's worked through this Summer and can come back to it at Christmas and whenever he's home - the point is supposed to be that he's saved some of that to give him a cushion too.

I have been buying him bits and pieces for the kitchen / his room, and will make sure he's mostly set up with stuff like that to start him off (a lot will be my old stuff though - I'm not buying new towels, for example, and I'm giving him stuff like baking trays from my kitchen).

Socialising he can fund himself though.

[Hakluyt]

What will you do if he can't get a job?

And £30 for everything? What about books

[BackforGood]

If he can't get a job then he'll have to cut his cloth - same as the rest of the world.
He has had jobs for the last two years...we've spent his whole life trying to teach him about budgeting / saving, but he spends money like it's going out of fashion. If it's in his pocket, then it's burning a hole.

I'm not funding him to have a £28.99 phone contract when he can get a perfectly adequate one for £8.50. I'm not funding him to be continually buying clothes, when he's got more than will fit in the 2 double wardrobes in his room.
If he needs a book that he can't get 2nd hand, then he either saves up, or organises his time so he can use the library copy.
I've had a few chats with his cousins - who are already at Universities - and, in terms of food / essentials, they don't see a problem with that. They spend more on clubbing and drinking, but that's not really what I would call an essential

[Slipshodsibyl]

I give my children more than generally described here. I want them to be able to take opportunities fully. So far they have pushed themselves to try new experiences and have worked hard. It is hard to do your best when you have to budget very strictly.

Their universities stated last year that most students there have/spend between 8500 and 12500 pounds in total between Oct and June. Accommodation and catered food is cheap and not payable outside term time so the upper average is generous.

[larry5]

When dd went to uni she had a full loan and grant and the university gave her a bursary. Fortunately she doesn't drink and was not into night clubs. She managed to save money for socialising during the summer.

I would advise you to try to persuade your dcs not to take out an overdraft if they can manage it as it has to be paid back much quicker than any student loan.

[GnomeDePlume]

We will be sending DD £50/week term time only. She has a bursary of around £600 in her first year so will use this to get herself a new laptop, software and books.

[JellicleCat]

Like others we pay accommodation and DD uses her loan for everything else. We provided household cast offs and cheap new items (eg £2 baking tray from Asda) for first year, but she is on her own for equipment for second year. The loan has funded food and toiletries, books, clothes, travel home, Christmas and birthday presents, socializing and alcohol, so she has managed fine.

She doesn't have a job and has not worked this summer because she has been working for resits, but plans to work next year (and has been looking, but she is a student in a city with high levels of unemployment).

[secretsquirrels]

Good thread OP. I am assuming DS will not have a job unless things change.

I'm generally in the cracked plates camp because DS isn't remotely interested. On the other hand I will buy a printer and any other equipment he needs to take.
frogsinapond I have spare pans galore that won't work on my induction hob.

Financial support is different though. we won't know until mid September what his S/C rent will be as he's applied for 5 choices of halls all various prices. His loan would cover the most expensive with a fraction to spare.
He is hoping to do a little tutoring but it may not happen and I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't find work.

The problem I see with paying the accommodation costs upfront and leaving them the loan is that the loan is paid in termly installments. Not ideal for budgeting. Although DS might be ok as he is tight frugal.
So I'm minded to use his loan for the rent and pay him a monthly income.

So, how much?

[Hakluyt]

Well, if you divide the minimum student loan by 30, that's £120 a week. Which seems like quite a lot!

[goinggetstough]

Hakluyt not sure where your DC is going to university but my DC has two terms of 12/13 weeks, he will probably stay to study for some of Easter so it needs to cover more than 30 weeks. Although the summer term can be short, it just depends on when their exams are. Some years it could be May but last year it was June for my DC.

[TheWordFactory]

I guess it depends if accomodation includes food/bills etc.

If it does then 120 a week is pretty sweet. But it's not much if you have to pay all bills and buy food.

[DownByTheRiverside]

DD had a loan and it fell short of paying for her accommodation by £40 a month. So the loan left nothing to live on.
When I was a student, the grant covered your living and accommodation at a very basic level, and you signed on in the summer for housing benefit and the dole. Or you got a job.
Tuition of course was free.

[BackforGood]

Hakluyt they have to pay for accommodation for 40 weeks though.
My ds's (cheap compared with a lot I've seen on here) is £82 per week (no en-suite or sink in room, and obv, not catered). So take that out of the loan, and you're not left with a lot.

I think, after accomm is taken from ds's loan, he's left with £146 for the year
Working or not - we are clearly having to subsidise that!

[Notsoskinnyminny]

I pay DDs phone and accomodation and she manages on her loan. She's supposed to be saving what she earns from her p/t job so she can go travelling on her year abroad. She really appreciates that I'm paying her rent because one of her flatmates, also on minimum loan, really struggled last year as she has no help off her parents and had 2 jobs.

When she comes home I'll offer to get food or tell her to take what she wants out of the freezer but she says she can manage on her loan as I'm paying enough.

[goinggetstough]

I think Hakluyt was planning on paying her DC's accommodation and then letting them live off their loan, hence her dividing it by 30. I still think that they are at university generally for more than 30 weeks, at least mine are/were!

[Hakluyt]

Dd has 37 weeks actually at university- including 5 weeks Christmas and and Easter vacs, when I presume that, at least in the first year, I'll be feeding her. So she only needs to feed herself for 32 weeks.

[Hakluyt]

So 3600 divided by 32- £112.50 a week. That's a bloody fortune!

[Slipshodsibyl]

120 soon disappears if they are involved in activities which usually involve some social element afterwards. There are things like fancy dress parties too; Equipment/ clothes t for clubs/activities; travel ; drinks after a debate or event; theatre; cinema etc.

[secretsquirrels]

DS will almost certainly get allocated 30 weeks of accommodation in the first year, so we will have to move him out and in again at Easter and Christmas.
I'm inclined to view that we will be funding him 40 weeks though and see what we think next summer.