Yesterday, my daughters had a day off from school (day between 1st and 2nd quarters). We used the day to drive into downtown Seattle, to tour the campus of the university they hope to attend next year.
While the girls were on the official tour, I wandered into the mini mart on campus to get some oj (blood sugar problems, could not wait until lunch). $2.18 for a small container of juice!
I parked myself on a bench in the sunshine and people watched, while I sipped my juice. What I noticed is what was in the hands of the students. Ipods, iphones, Starbuck's drinks, Odwalla juices, Apple laptops, ipads -- since when did university students get rich?
When I began university, my father made sure to point out to me that he was still well-off, but I was now poor. That's just the way it was, we were all poor in university.
After my daughters' campus tour, we decided to get a bite to eat in the student cafeteria. It was a flat charge of $9 and change per person. Yikes! $27 for the 3 of us to have burgers, fries, pizza, fruit and cookies. And the cafeteria was packed with students. How do they afford this, is my question?
I did the math in my head, and for one year of lunches, for both daughters, it would be about $3500. I do admit, the beverages in the cafeteria were excellent. The coffee was fantastic, they had real half and half creamer, and in the drink machines they had vitamin-enhanced water, something I'd never bought for myself, but was glad to drink this one time. But not for $3500!
So, all these university extras cost money. But they needn't break the bank.
Obviously, the answer is I'll pack lunches and drinks for them every day. They'll have pre-paid, cheapo, no-frills phones, no ipods, and a decent-enough laptop, but skip the ipad. Even so, this is going to be expensive! But this is an expense we're more than willing to take on.
(One other advantage to packing their lunches at home, they'll likely eat better than in the cafeteria. One daughter noticed that a student there, was lunching on fries and ketchup! That makes a nutrition-conscious mother quiver in terror!)
