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The biggest freshman class ever is headed to college in a few weeks. But there's one big issue that many parents have yet to resolve: How much should they give their kids for spending money?
It can be mind-boggling to think that the kid will require even more dough after you've paid thousands of dollars in tuition, room and board, purchased a new computer, and budgeted for books and transportation. How much can a teenager really need, other than necessities like toothpaste and shampoo?
A fair bit, it turns out. Toiletries, printer cartridges, dorm decor and school supplies can take a chunk, for starters. And while many campuses are teeming with dining options (including food courts) and cheap entertainment, students want to go out occasionally to see a movie, shop, go on a road trip or just take a break from the monotony of institutional food. 'You don't want to be the kid who sits in the dorm room and does nothing,' says Kim Richards, who will be a sophomore at Emerson College in Boston this fall.
Even if your student has a generous financial-aid package, these costs most likely will be borne by one of you, since most packages require some combination of parent contributions, loans and student jobs. For parents, the challenge can be finding the right balance between being too frugal and too frivolous -- providing, perhaps, enough money for your child to eat, but not quite enough to drink.
Because college is a great time to learn budgeting and other financial skills along with serious academic stuff, this is a good time to outline expectations and agree on limits. Here are some suggestions:
Start talking before money becomes an issue. If your child will be expected to earn some of her spending money, make clear how much is expected upfront, and consider a backup plan in case illness or exams require missing a week of work. Some schools discourage freshmen from working during their first semester so they can adjust to the workload.
In addition, you'll want to discuss what the allowance is supposed to cover. Will you pay extra so your Southerner can buy winter clothes? Who pays for the shuttle to and from the airport or the gas for a trip home?
You'll also need to decide whether to put a semester's allowance in the checking account upfront, deposit money monthly, or add funds only as needed so your student can budget accordingly.
Estimate a budget. To start the 'how much' conversation, look for the 'cost to attend' chart on the school's Web site, often found in the financial-aid or admissions pages. There, you'll find the amount factored in for 'personal expenses' in financial-aid packages. (These amounts are in addition to books, which most schools budget at roughly $500 per term.)
Depending on the school, those amounts may be generous or tight-fisted. Middlebury College, in Middlebury, Vt., budgets $1,000 for personal expenses, but calls that 'a conservative estimate, which will require careful budgeting on your part.' Surprisingly, New York University budgets only about $1,000 a year for expenses, despite its pricey New York City location. An NYU spokesman says the amount needed 'is not less than that, and may be more.'
By contrast, the University of Kansas, in the hopping town of Lawrence, estimates personal expenses at $2,272 a year. The University of California-Davis surveyed its students to come up with its estimate of $1,308.
Whether your student's budget falls within the typical estimate of $1,000 to $2,000 will depend on his eating habits and extracurricular activities -- and your willingness to fund them.
At $200 or so a month, however, your child still won't be living large. Ms. Richards, the Emerson student, receives $100 a month from her parents and earns an additional $120 from a campus job, and watches her dollars carefully. When a group of her friends went to Cheesecake Factory to celebrate the end of last fall's semester, the bill came to $30 a person -- a week's paycheck. 'We were all in shock,' she says.
Paper or plastic? Your student will need a checking account for basic needs and should have a credit card for emergencies. If you share your card, agree in advance what it can be used for and how you'll be alerted.
Sooner or later, your student should get a credit card in his name to establish a credit record, and getting a card may be easier as a student than later on. Students should be responsible for their own accounts, paying their own bills and learning the ins and outs of credit limits, minimum payments and due dates.
They may need some time to get the hang of it. Emily Roth, who will be a sophomore at Emory University in Atlanta, had trouble remembering the due date at first -- until she got hit with a late fee. 'I set up an email alert after that,' she says.
Email alerts also can be set up to warn when the charges are near the card's credit limit and to let students know when their checking account balance is low. The student can also set up an automatic monthly payment from a checking account so that at least a minimum amount is paid each month, which helps to avoid late fees.
几周后，美国有史以来人数最多的一批大学新生将涌入校园。但是，许多父母必须解决的一大问题是：他们应该给自己的孩子多少零花钱？
作为父母，你们可能会想：在支付了数千美元的学费、住宿费和伙食费，购买了全新的电脑，考虑了书本和交通预算之后，我们还得为孩子准备更多的花销，这简直难以令人置信。除了象牙膏和洗发水这样的生活必需品之外，一个18岁的孩子到底需要多少零花钱？
可以这么说，反正少不了。对于大学新生来说，卫生用品、打印墨盒、宿舍装饰以及学习用品要占到很大一部分。虽然很多学校不乏就餐的选择（包括汇集各种食物的美食广�。┖捅阋说挠槔窒钅�，但是学生们还是会偶尔出去看电影、购物或者旅行，或暂时摆脱一下单调的校园食品�？四�•理查兹(Kim Richards)今年秋天即将升入波士顿埃默森大学二年级，他说，“你肯定不想一天到晚坐在宿舍里，什么也不干。”
即便你们的孩子获得了丰厚的助学金，你们可能还是要承担此类额外开销，因为大多数助学金方案都要求以父母资助、银行贷款以及学生兼职工作的收入作补充。对于父母来说，他们面临的挑战是如何在过于节俭和过度铺张之间找到合适的平衡点，或者说，保证孩子的钱足够吃饭，但是又不够经常去酒吧。
除了汲取知识以外，大学时代还是学习制定预算以及其它财务技巧的大好时光，因此，父母要帮孩子列出消费预期，并且就预算限制达成一致。以下是我们提出的一些建议。
在钱的问题出现之前就跟孩子做好沟通。如果你们的孩子将要自己打工挣取零花钱，那么务必说明你们前期的一次性资助会有多少，同时还要制订一个后备计划，在万一孩子生病或者考试期限无暇打工的情况下给予适当资助。一些学校不鼓励大学新生在第一个学期就开始打工，这是为了让他们能够尽快适应学习压力。
另外，你们得和孩子讨论零花钱的用处。如果你们是南方人，你们会支付购买冬衣的额外花销吗？谁负责支付来往机场的车票或者回家的油钱？
你们还需要决定是将一学期的零花钱一次性存入孩子的支票账户，还是每个月存一次，抑或是只在孩子需要的时候发放，以便你们的孩子可以相应制定预算。
估计预算。在跟孩子讨论多少零花钱的问题之前，不妨浏览学校网站上的费用明细表，有关内容通常列在助学金或者入学的页面上。这样，你们就可以知道哪些费用已经被纳入助学金方案的“个人开销”项目。（这些开销是除去书籍之外的开销，大多数学校的估计是每个学期500美元左右。）
此类开销可多可少，取决于具体的学校。位于佛蒙特州米德尔伯里的米德尔伯里学院(Middlebury College)估计个人开销在1,000美元，但称“这只是一个保守的预测，需要家长仔细制定预算。”出人意料的是，纽约大学(New York University)估算的个人开销仅为每年大约1,000美元，尽管该校位于物价昂贵的纽约。纽约大学的一位发言人表示，学生所需的个人开销“不会低于这个水平，而且可能更高。”
相比之下，位于繁忙的劳伦斯的堪萨斯大学(University of Kansas)预计个人开销为每年2,272美元。加州大学戴维斯分校(University of California-Davis)通过对学生的调查，估计个人开销需要1,308美元。
你们孩子的零花钱预算是否在1,000至2,000美元的一般水平之内，取决于孩子的饮食习惯和课外活动──以及你们为其提供资助的意愿。
不过，每个月200美元的零花钱，你们的孩子还不至于过得很铺张。埃默森大学的大二学生理查兹每个月从父母那里收到100美元的零花钱，自己靠校园打工有120美元的收入，她花钱一直精打细算。去年秋天，她和一帮朋友前往Cheesecake Factory庆祝学期结束，结果发现每人得付30美元──整整一周的收入。她说，“我们都惊呆了。”
现金还是信用卡？你们的孩子可能需要申请支票账户以备基本需要，还应当有一张信用卡以备紧急之用。如果你们准备让孩子共用自己的信用卡，务必提前沟通什么时候可以用信用卡，以及怎样让你们知道。
迟早，你们的孩子都应当申请一张自己的信用卡以便建立信用记录。在还是学生的时候申请信用卡可能会比以后容易一些。孩子应当为自己的账户负责，支付自己的帐单，学习信贷限额、最低还款和到期日的细节。
他们可能需要一些时间才能熟悉信用卡的用法。亚特兰大埃默里大学(Emory University)的大二学生埃米丽•罗斯(Emily Roth)在开始的时候就不大能记得住信用卡的到期日，直到她收到了滞纳金的帐单。她说，“自那以后，我就设置了电子邮件提醒功能。”
通过设置电子邮件提醒功能，学生还可以获得有关信用卡额度的警告，这样他们就知道支票账户的余额处于较低水平。学生还可以设置从支票账户自动还款的功能，这样至少每个月会按时还清信用卡的最低还款额，就不至于招致滞纳金了
