3 College Expenses Parents Shouldn't Pay For
Bills, bills, and more bills—you often feel like all you do is pay bills. If you are paying for your freshman’s college education, you are well aware of the expenses your child’s education includes. Should you be paying for any extra expenses?
As a college teacher, I observe the expenses college students regularly acquire. While I’m not my students’ parent, I am concerned for these students—especially the freshmen. They need to learn financial responsibility now while in college.
Below are four specific expenses college parents should not feel pressure to cover!
Eating out
Eating off campus may feel like the only way to have a normal social life to your lonely college freshman. Because off-campus food options are varied and typically of a higher quality, students often prefer eating out to eating in the dining hall.
At home, your freshman may be used to eating out on a regular basis. The major difference is, however, that he is not at home anymore, meaning he has to pay for eating off campus.
Paying for food off campus is an unnecessary expense during a time of life with many educational expenses. Some students beg for money from their parents. Others use credit cards to cover the cost. And a third category of students use their hard-earned money to pay for these expenses.
If your freshman is relying on money from you to cover the cost of eating out, consider what this reliance teaches him:
An unrealistic dependence on you: Your freshman is establishing his adult habits now. If he is regularly relying on you to cover this extra cost, he may stay dependent on you even after college.
An unrealistic view of cost of living: Your freshman does not understand the cost of eating out on a regular basis, because he’s never had to pay for that cost. You (as dad or mom) always pay for this lifestyle, and your freshman doesn’t know any other way of living.
Specific areas are particular downfalls for many college freshman. Consider whether you should be paying the cost for these two areas:
Coffee: Although caffeine can definitely give your freshman the boost he needs to make it through his 8 o’clock class, it is not a necessity (though he might think it is). A cup here and a cup there can become a costly expense very easily.
Late night food runs: Texting a friend late at night to grab food is definitely a part of college social life (maybe even the college experience). However, these late night runs to McDonalds, CookOut, or Taco Bell can become a regular cost that you shouldn’t feel the need to cover.
Eating off campus, grabbing coffee, or making a last-minute trip to grab fast food is not wrong. These experiences can provide a break from campus life, studying in the library, and eating in the dining hall.
Your freshman should have some of these fun experiences, but you probably don’t need to be the one to pay for these expenses (especially if you’re already helping with his tuition).
Grocery shopping
**Some college freshmen have special dietary restrictions. These kinds of students would be the exception to this point. They likely will need some parental help to cover these expenses during college.
Most students do not have special dietary restrictions that require specific foods. Your freshman can likely take advantage of his meal plan in the dining hall on a regular basis, meaning he probably doesn’t need to purchase other food.
Freshmen can sometimes spend unnecessary amounts of money on items they think are essential. Used to the luxuries and comforts of living at home, these freshmen feel the need to go grocery shopping on a regular basis, even though they already have a meal plan.
You, as a parent, should not feel the pressure to pay for a college meal plan and a grocery bill. If your freshman prefers different kinds of food than those that are available in the dining hall, he should take responsibility to pay for this expense. After all, you are already paying for his other bills.
Weekend trips
The weekends are a great time for your freshman to meet new people, make friends, and explore opportunities in his college town. Even an occasional visit home is good for a few weekends throughout the semester.
Regular, healthy, and safe weekend activities with friends certainly should not be discouraged. But should you be paying for this extra expense?
College parents should not feel the need to cover the cost of these four weekend trip expenses:
Vehicle fuel: Gasoline is expensive. If your freshman has never had to pay for this expense, he likely has no idea how much his weekend trips cost. Consider having him cover the cost of fuel for trips that are not to and from campus to required events.
Uber/Lyft rides: If your freshman relies on transportation from services like Uber or Lyft, he should be willing to pay these costs for pleasure trips. Unfortunately, these expensive rides are part of the price for these fun weekend trips.
AirBnB or hotels: Traveling a distance means your student will need to pay for the cost of lodging. This expense is another cost of these fun weekend trips that you should not feel pressure to cover.
Activities: Whether your freshman goes to an escape room, rents a kayak, or sees a movie, you should not feel pressure to pay for these fun activities. Your freshman needs to learn the cost of having the social life he wants to have.
Again, none of these activities are wrong or to be discouraged. Instead, your freshman needs to learn to manage his money well enough that he can save for a few fun trips, but you shouldn’t feel the need to support his social life financially.
Your freshman is growing into an independent adult, but that independence includes his finances too. Help him transition into adulthood by letting him pay the bills for these three areas!
