Seminary girl monthly expenses

tichellady

Fri, Feb 23 2024, 6:08 pm

It all depends on how much your kid and family spends now. I wasn’t a big spender so I never took a taxi and only ate out at affordable places occasionally . I cooked inexpensive healthy things like soups and lentil stew. I didn’t bring anything I had to dry clean and I rarely bought clothes or shoes. I had a bus pass, paid for hostess gifts, laundry detergent and probably spent less than I did at home since food was cheaper

amother

Blush

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 4:25 pm

amother Peony wrote:

I was in seminary 14 years ago, so it may be different nowadays
I spent about $3-400 a month, but that was with REAL budgeting
I imagine with the standards these days she’ll need much more
We actually opened up an account with a bank that did not charge international fees, there are a few of them, so I did not pay the 3% every time I withdrew

Why so much? If they're getting meals, and dorming is included in tution what do they need 400 a month for? Presume they buy clothes before Seminary, I get that shoes, tights etc need replacing, but 400? Toiletries I get, but still.

DD spent nothing like that, about 150 a month.

shabbatiscoming

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 5:16 pm

amother Feverfew wrote:

I was in sem 8 years ago. My friends went out a lot , and we went to the mall plenty.
I spent 100$ a week, give or take.

$100 a WEEK? Did you mean a month?
What would you need so much money for in a week? Thats a lot to spend on every week.

shabbatiscoming

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 5:22 pm

amother Peony wrote:

What can a sem girl spend $400 a month on?
Thats roughly 1500₪.
Thats a lot of money.

amother

Vanilla

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 6:01 pm

shabbatiscoming wrote:

What can a sem girl spend $400 a month on?
Thats roughly 1500₪.
Thats a lot of money.

Agree, these numbers are crazy. I live in Israel and I can't imagine what they would be spending so much money on. (Unless of course they're eating out extravaggantly. But, why would you fund that?)

I didn't go to seminary in Israel but I did go away from home and needed hardly any spending money. I ate sem food and bought a little bit here and there. But was negligible. I know times have changed, but honestly this all sounds over the top.

chestnut

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:02 pm

Toiletries, bus card, food if doesn't like some meals, snacks, drinks, ice cream, gifts for shabbos families, occasional taxi, gifts for friends' bdays, a necklace here and a top there, school supplies in the beginning of they year if didn't bring with you, sefarim, chol hamoed and Chanukah/midwinter vacation activities or rentals if going somewhere overnight.
Some seminaries charge a certain fee in the beginning of the year for laundry facilities, booklets or some class stuff, unlimited printed emails, entrance fees, etc.
Insurance you pay before the year starts, about $800/year
Phone service is about $17/month plus activation fee. See if you can get a phone from a friend coming back from seminary now, so can save on this.
Bedding - see if someone who's there now can leave hers for your daughter, also to save money.
Girls can definitely spend their own money on it. Hopefully, they've been working until now and saving. This summer they can work. Sundays and evenings still now till June. Pre-pesach camps, camps before camp in June, etc.

Last edited by chestnut on Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:08 pm; edited 2 times in total

amother

Mauve

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:04 pm

amother Gray wrote:

I’m wondering too. Dd is waiting for answer from sem and we’re trying to see if we can swing it. 500/month plus tuition?? Yikes

Why can't she pay for her own spending money?
My parents made it very clear to me that if I wanted to go to seminary they would cover the tuition and give me a basic budget for shopping beforehand for clothes/shoes etc. I would need to cover airfare, spending money, cell phone, health insurance, and any shopping beforehand beyond the budget they gave me. I think it was very fair.
I went to sem 2011-2012. I don't remember exactly but I think I spent $100-$150 a month. I never took taxis and never ate out (can you believe I survived a whole year in Israel without buying a falafel or ice coffee?!?)
I did not feel deprived at all and really enjoyed my year

amother

Amaryllis

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:15 pm

I dont get this. I went to sem about six years ago.
I paid 95 of the tuition, airfare, and all of my spending money.
I went to sem in tzfas which is cheaper (but off shabbosim is more)
I applied for every scholarship available in my area but only got masa and pell grant/ fafsa. I paid all of ttis fees myself.
I worked throughout high school.
I did get a small job in sem which gave me about 150 shekel a month.
I was pretty stingy in my spending. Probably spent about 150-200 a month.
Why are parents paying all this money, why not the girls?

amother

Natural

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:16 pm

I was in seminary almost 20 years ago.
I rarely bought food. Occasionally a yogurt or crackers.
At the end of the year my room made a party and went out for slushies, so I bought a slushie then for the first time.
I did not buy myself clothing, jewelry.
I did buy laundry detergent and took my shabbos suits to the dry cleaners.
I generally didn't take buses, but rarely went somewhere where I needed a taxi.
Hosts for shabbos I bought a candy platter or a box of rugelach from a bakery.
I lived pretty frugally.
I think I had lots of cash (or maybe the seminary did... Did hadar have a safe?)

scruffy

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:19 pm

Before the year, I budgeted about $150 a month but quickly discovered it wasn't enough. I barely ate out but did spend a decent amount on groceries since the seminary food was basically inedible. I think in the end I spent about $250 a month.

yolo81

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:24 pm

I don’t understand how people are claiming to have paid for everything themselves kids today have such hard school schedule when are they working and making money. you also can’t compare even two yrs ago prices to things now a days just please rember that

amother

Almond

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:28 pm

OP I had 2 dd's in seminary recently.

The phone is about $30 per month and I forgot how much the insurance is.

Other than that we figured out $500 for the first month to put towards sefarim, bus, other expenses for yomim noraim and then around $200-$250 per month after.

For bedding we got from other girls from prior years and we did second hand for most of the clothing also from girls from other years like the uniform skirts, sweaters, collars.

amother

Mauve

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:41 pm

yolo81 wrote:

The school schedule is basically the same nowadays as it was when I was in school. Girls don't have school on sundays and can work at least half the day and use the other half for schoolwork.
They can also work some evenings after school
And of course the summer is a great opportunity to earn a significant amount and really stash away money.

True, prices went up but salaries also did. When I was in high school I worked in a sunday program and earned $8 an hour. That same program still exists (my niece works in it) and they pay at least double now
I used to get $7-10 an hour babysitting at night. Now the girls ask minimum $15 an hour

amother

Currant

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:51 pm

amother NeonPurple wrote:

Wow things changed.

16 years ago I had 100 dollars a month to spend of my own money and we only got 1 meal a day from seminary. Phone and insurance were paid separately though so that wasnt on me to spend.

I never ate out, went on trips that were not school sponsored, or took cabs so I was only spending on groceries and busses.

Groceries were cheap though. Cereal and milk, some snacks, tuna, bread, hummus, cheeses, the main meal was provided by seminary. Busses were also cheap because I was under 18 and qualified most of the year for the child bus pass which had double the amount of ride punches that the adult one had.

30+ years ago, my parents gave me $500 for the year. I used some of my own money too, but it's not like I had much. I know that was a long time ago, but some of the amounts listed here seem insane.

amother

Dimgray

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:53 pm

I was in seminary 10 years ago and spent between 100-200 a month depending on what was going on. Tishrei and Kislev I spent more because we had off so I traveled a little but other months I spent much less. I ate out less than once a month and am a frugal person by nature. I paid for pretty much all my spending money using savings from being a counselor in the summer for a few years and babysitting

amother

Currant

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:53 pm

yolo81 wrote:

And kids made a tiny amount of money years ago. Yes, I was babysitting 40 years ago, but I made $1.50 - 1.75 an hour.

amother

Currant

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:54 pm

scruffy wrote:

This is a huge problem. I would never send my daughter somewhere where the food was so bad. That is inexcusable and no change will happen if people keep sending there.

amother

Mimosa

Sat, Feb 24 2024, 8:56 pm

yolo81 wrote:

Girls can work summers throughout high school. If in NYC, most of those years is about $2000/summer after taxes.
DD was working Sundays in 11th grade (don't remember about the 10th), weeknights in 12th