My son will be living off campus this year and we have no idea how much allowance to provide him with. We know the rent, there are no utilities so it is really just for food. Anyone have any formulas or ideas how to figure this out?

Would be a wonderful thing if he would use the school meal plan. Had it last year while living on campus and never eat in the "cafeteria"!

Bags,
Couple of things enter in here.

#1. The size of the college:
The larger universities tend to be the center of the community and attract many different eating establishments within close proximity. Some actually seemed to be on campus property and others are within walking distance. These establishments cater to the students and become a gathering place for the players. On the other side of the spectrum we have a few small colleges in our home town where there are no restaurants within miles of their campuses. I would think these schools would tend to have more students eating on campus.

#2. Meal allowance/ticket:
I know at my son’s college if the scholarship included meals, an allowance was given to the student/athlete in the form of a check to spend as they saw fit ---no “meal ticket” or vouchers were issued.

#3 Established procedure:
Think there is a routine at most schools and since many baseball players do things together, they tend to follow the same routine. If the trend is to eat off campus, as in my son's case, he ate of campus and the cost was considerably higher than eating on campus with a meal plan.

How much money will it take? I think you have to look at each situation differently. Talk to the coach to find out where most players eat. If you find out most players are eating off campus drive around and look at the different establishments. Places like Golden Corral or a Ryan’s Steak House offer buffet type service with good food at a somewhat reasonable price. I would guess around 200 - 300 a month. If he lives off campus he needs to learn how to “prepare” some meals. Bags of pre-mixed salad, fruits (bananas, apples), Mac and Cheese seemed very popular with most boys. Parents would also freeze main course items (casserole types) and the player’s freezers seemed to hold many “home cooked” items. A weekend trip to see the son play would always include a trip to the supermarket to stock up on groceries. I think grocery shopping with the parent(s) helps cut down on them living off fast foods, snacks and sweets.
Most players would use the ATM to get money and operated off cash but if I had it to do over again I would give him a debit card and ask him to use the debit card at restaurants and grocery store to better track his expenses. I’m sure I bought a few DVD’s and adult beverages during the college years when I thought I was buying groceries and school supplies. I think the key to being a successful college parents is to give total freedom to your son while maintaining total control.
Fungo

Great post Fungo!

My son lived off campus his freshman year which was at a JUCO and there was no campus housing at that particular JUCO. All the baseball players lived in two bedroom homes shared by four players. He also had to drive daily to the campus, field, and workout facility. I planned on him having $100/week - but again, not all that went to food. Also, I know I did about three $150.00 grocery buys each semester - in addition to the other parents contributions. He would eat on campus on occasion, but primarily fast food, and then the occasional healthy meal (mostly when I visited and would cook it).

He lived on campus last year with a meal card and ate almost always on campus in one of the establishments there. He also didn't have to drive all over town to get from place to place - driving was just for recreational things. So, it was much cheaper last year from the "extra" standpoint.

I just saw this post.
My son lived off campus for two years and we purchased the commuter meal plan each semester, which allowed him 50 meals per semester, all you can eat. Along with that cost, as an incentive to purchase the meal plan came 250-300 in "paw" points which could be used just like cash. I found this to be very affordable, with the points it averaged out to be 6.99 - 7.99 per meal. For all you can eat twice a day, that worked for him too!

During season he received meal money after a home or local away game ( 8 dollars) so that helped in the cost 4-5 days a week.

I find the debit card to be the best way to go we could keep track of his expenses and he knew it.