We Asked 5 College Students How Much They Spent in a Week. Peek Into Exactly What They Bought
Between tuition, rent, groceries, and the occasional coffee run or night out, college expenses can add up fast, and they don’t look the same for every student. As a graduating senior, I’ve often found myself wondering: How much money is “normal” to spend in college? How do other college students spend their money, and am I spending way too much every week?
To get a better sense of how much money college students are regularly shelling out, Dorm Therapy asked five students currently attending college in the U.S. to recount every dollar they spent in one week during the month of January 2026. From birthday dinners and movie tickets to gas fill-ups and groceries, these spending diaries capture the many ways college students make their money work.
Ella Lin, 21
Ella’s Money Outlook
- School: Michigan State University
- Year: Senior
- Major: Animal Science with a pre-veterinary concentration
- Housing type: I live in a permanent single dorm on campus. Housing per semester is $3,872, so roughly $968 per month.
- Financial support: My parents work hard to provide for my tuition and housing.
- Job: I work an unpaid job during the school semester, with occasional paid work as a vet assistant at a veterinary clinic.
- Biggest monthly expense: My biggest monthly expense would probably be gas money. I have my car on campus, so I can drive to the gym, classes, and places with my friends. I pay about $33 each time my car is empty, which adds up to roughly $108 per month.
- How do you feel about money? I have a generally positive attitude toward money. As a college student, I have learned the importance of being educated on budgeting and saving money, allowing me to maintain a balance between funding my education and basic needs and my well-being. I don’t think money should be a taboo topic. Everybody has different backgrounds, financial resources, and sources of income that contribute to how their money is used and thought about. I am open about how much money I make and my family’s contributions toward my schooling.
- Do you track your finances in any way, and if so, how? I track my finances through my Bank of America app. It allows me to see my balance in my checking and savings accounts, as well as how I spend money in different categories, such as food, shopping, utilities, and others. I like to keep track of how much money I spend and where, and therefore make thoughtful choices on what I should continue doing and where I can make changes.
What Ella Spent in a Week
Total amount of money spent: $340.49
Total amount spent on groceries: $0
I meal prepped my food for the week at home with ingredients I already had.
Total amount spent on eating out: $90.11
I went out to get coffee five times in the past week. I paid $74.11 for coffees, which includes some drinks I offered to buy for my friends and family. I paid $16 at a pho restaurant I went to with friends as well.
Total amount spent on transportation: $45.60
I spent $33 on gas this week. I typically fill up my car from empty once a week. I decided to drive to some of my classes this week, and paid $12.60 for about 4 hours of parking. I don’t usually drive to class, but the weather in Michigan was bad.
Total amount spent on entertainment & social life: $11
I paid $11 for a ticket for a movie at Emagine Theatre with my friends.
Total amount spent on shopping & personal items:
I went thrifting at Goodwill this week and spent $48 on eight clothing items. I enjoy thrifting and usually go at least once a week. I also went to Hobby Lobby for some craft supplies, and I spent $47.14 on sewing tools, T-shirts, and other things. To go along with this, I spent $10.82 on an Etsy sewing pattern, and another $0.32 for the international fee. I spent $62.50 at CVS for four custom posters I printed.
Anything else?
My gym membership renews on the 20th of each month, so I paid $25.05 for my monthly Planet Fitness subscription.
Audrey Booras, 22
Audrey’s Money Outlook
- School: University of Vermont
- Year: Senior
- Major: Community Entrepreneurship
- Housing type: I live in an off-campus apartment. I spend $1,200 on rent and utilities each month.
- Financial support: My parents help me with rent.
- Job: I have a paid internship at a nonprofit company that provides community development assistance and research to Vermont municipalities in need. I also have an on-campus job working as an usher for athletic games.
- Biggest monthly expense: Aside from rent, it would be groceries. It typically adds up to $200 a month, so $50 a week. Some weeks I don’t need as much food and might not go grocery shopping; others I’ve run out of food and have to spend more.
- How do you feel about money? I feel very privileged to have my parents help with rent. In my college town, rent is extremely expensive. It is difficult for many students to have the time to work and a job that pays enough to afford rent.
- Do you track your finances in any way, and if so, how? I monitor my bank account frequently.
What Audrey Spent in a Week
Total amount of money spent: $394.64
My budget for each semester is $2,000 (excluding rent). As you can see, this week has a lot of one-off expenses that made it way more expensive than normal.
Total amount spent on groceries: $105
This is my first week back from winter break so I had to buy a lot of groceries at Hannaford. I always buy chicken and ground beef (I freeze one of them for a later week). I always buy eggs and Greek yogurt. For veggies, my favorites are broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, and onions. I always buy rice and pasta. As for snacks, I like to switch it up. This week I bought cheese and crackers (I still have some cookies and granola bars that didn’t go bad over the break that I also snack on). And of course, I like to buy those giant jugs of iced coffee to save money on coffee expenses.
Total amount spent on eating out: $6.64
I got let out of class early so I met a friend at an on-campus coffee shop to catch up a bit, where I spent $6.64 on coffee. I usually end up getting coffee with a friend or doing homework in a cafe about once a week. I always budget for “fun” things, and a one-off situation like this falls into that category.
Total amount spent on transportation: $65
I barely ever spend money on gas when I am at school. My college town is very walkable so I’m only filling my tank once a month, if that. I had to fill my tank this week because I had just driven up to school from home, and it cost $65.
Total amount spent on entertainment & social life: $50
My friends are seeing a concert in Montreal next week. I originally wasn’t going to go, but I noticed the resale tickets were only $37, so I grabbed one!
I enjoy using my film camera and luckily the place I go to get it developed offers a student discount! It cost $13.
Total amount spent on shopping & personal items (clothing, toiletries, etc.): $64
Coming back from break I was out of nearly all my toiletries. I went to CVS to buy shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, and more. This is a one-off expense as well. I only run out of stuff twice a semester or so.
Anything else:
Friend’s birthday gift: $24. It is my friend’s 22nd birthday soon, so I grabbed her a pair of running shorts. She’s a big runner, so I am super excited to give them to her.
Boyfriend’s birthday: $80. This is a one-off expense. My boyfriend’s birthday was this week, and I really wanted to take him to a nice dinner, since we rarely eat out. I paid for both our meals since it was his birthday!
Both these birthdays are obviously one-offs. It just happens to be a week where I have two people to celebrate!
Jasmine Bailey, 18
Jasmine’s Money Outlook
- School: Hampton University
- Year: Freshman
- Major: Nursing
- Housing type: On-campus dorm
- Financial support: I have a little financial support from my parents.
- Job: I have a part-time job and I do odd tasks like surveys, playing games for money, etc.
- Biggest monthly expense: My biggest monthly expense is food and that’s around $70 or more.
- How do you feel about money? I feel that no matter how much money I have while in college, it doesn’t seem like it’s enough. And even while trying to save, there are still more expenses, which is really tiring.
- Do you track your finances in any way, and if so, how? I don’t track my finances that well, but I do look in my bank account every day to make sure there aren’t weird or fraudulent charges.
What Jasmine Spent in a Week
Total amount of money spent: $53
Total amount spent on groceries: $20
I spent about $20 on groceries at Target. I already had the money in my account from my refund check from my school, which was a leftover balance from my scholarships, grants, and loans. I bought frozen food, some chips, and ingredients for overnight oats.
Total amount spent on eating out: $15
I got a steak and cheese and then the rest was spent on vending machine snacks.
Total amount spent on transportation: $0
Total amount spent on entertainment & social life: $18
I spent around $12 on my PlayStation for Fortnite Crew and $6 for my Spotify Premium subscription.
Total amount spent on shopping & personal items: $0
Sophie, 18
Sophie’s Money Outlook
- School: North Greenville University
- Year: Freshman
- Major: Nursing
- Housing type: On-campus dorm
- Financial support: N/A
- Job: I work in my free time at my local hospital.
- Biggest monthly expense: Groceries and toiletries, about $100 a month.
- How do you feel about money, as a college student? It’s stressful not having much time to work to get the money I’m going to spend.
- Do you track your finances in any way, and if so, how? Not really!
What Sophie Spent in a Week
Total amount of money spent: $68.75
I spent $68.75 on groceries, gas, and a pick-me-up for the week.
Total amount spent on groceries: $23.75
Total amount spent on eating out: $0
Total amount spent on transportation: $20
I spent $20 on gas for my car on the way to school.
Total amount spent on entertainment & social life: $0
Total amount spent on shopping & personal items: $25
I went to Five Below as a pick-me-up!
Katie O’Driscoll, 21
Katie’s Money Outlook
- School: The University of Vermont
- Year: Senior
- Major: Business Administration
- Housing type: Off-campus apartment
- Financial support: Parental support, along with loans.
- Job: I work a part-time job.
- Biggest monthly expense: Rent, which is $990 a month.
- How do you feel about money, as a college student? Very overwhelming, always something that creates stress while trying to get a degree simultaneously.
- Do you track your finances in any way, and if so, how? I use an Excel budgeting sheet!
What Katie Spent in a Week
Total amount of money spent: $125
I spent $125 this week on groceries, gas, and getting food. I shopped at Trader Joe’s, Hannaford, Shell, a small thrift store called “Style Encore,” Starbucks, and Chipotle. I spent this money mainly on weekly errands but also as social outings with friends.
Total amount spent on groceries: $60
I shopped at both Trader Joe’s and Hannaford for groceries this week. I go every other week so these groceries keep me stocked for a while. I shop at both locations as Trader Joe’s doesn’t always have the brands I’m looking for.
Total amount spent on eating out: $25
I ate out and got Starbucks twice and got Chipotle once. These were all social outings with friends.
Total amount spent on transportation: $10
I spent $10 on gas at Shell. A typical refill of my car is usually $25 and I had gotten gas the previous week and had not driven much, so I only spent $10, which is on the lower side for me.
Total amount spent on entertainment & social life: $10
Total amount spent on shopping & personal items: $10
I spent $10 thrifting with friends and bought a cute top.
Find out how to handle your finances as if you’re a Personal Finance major with Dorm Therapy’s Don’t-Stress Guide to Saving & Spending in College.
