Parental support

[David61]

What is a normal monthly amount to give a seminary girl for spending money (excluding public transportation - which is on my Rav Kav and CC)?

It varies widely, depending on the standard of living you want to support, if you want the student to pay for some of their more discretionary spending, if the student has their own funds to supplement that as needed, as well as the current exchange rate and inflation. . .
but $150 US /month, should often be enough for basics+, (without leaving the student deprived) assuming meals are generally available in the seminary and student is in a dorm (no rent or utilities expenses).
Covers things like additional food, trips, gift to shabbos hosts, laundry, cleaners, cell plan, etc. (Transportation can be substantial, depending on location, so maybe less without that).

[Abebee]

but $150 US /month, should often be enough for basics+

$150 sounds low, i learnt there close to a decade ago and was on a $250 montly allowance (cellphone and health insurance not included in the $250) and I was on a pretty tight budget. I also got and extra $500 for the summer and chodesh teshri.

[yelped]

$150 sounds low, i learnt there close to a decade ago and was on a $250 montly allowance (cellphone and health insurance not included in the $250) and I was on a pretty tight budget. I also got and extra $500 for the summer and chodesh teshri.

I was there a decade ago and had ~$200 for the entire Zman.

I ate at the Yeshiva, I used the money for transportation and gifts for Shabbos hosts.

[ExGingi]

I was there a decade ago and had ~$200 for the entire Zman.

I ate at the Yeshiva, I used the money for transportation and gifts for Shabbos hosts.

What about laundry and personal hygiene?

[yelped]

What about laundry and personal hygiene?

We had a laundry machine in the dira.

That was part of Mikva expenses.

[shwarmabob]

Can you put a figure on it? FWIW I am talking about Tzfas, not JLM.

Does the seminary have all meals covered? What are the laundry fees? How many shabboses do they stay in or go out?

My daughter was in Jerusalem in a seminary that did not provide all meals. The grocery stores nearby were overpriced. They had one in shabbos a month. So the amount is probably different in each situation. She spent about 5-600/month. I don't remember the exact amount.

[ExGingi]

We had a laundry machine in the dira.

That was part of Mikva expenses.

Detergent isn't free. Seminary girls obviously don't have mikvah (though for boys I believe prices for that have gone up significantly) but they do have long hair and use much more shampoo, conditioner, etc.

[whacked1]

Seminary girls obviously don't have mikvah (though for boys I believe prices for that have gone up significantly)

Hopefully

[ckmk47]

Traveling from Tzfat to Jerusalem or anywhere is time consuming and expensive. So each Shabbos off, twice a month(?) cost $30-40.
Do they really give hostess gifts?  My daughter went  over 10  years ago and didn't.
Eating out- How's the food in the dorm for real? Her friends - are they all refuuuuusing to eat the aaaawful seminary food and muuuuust eat out?  Or can they manage the strange Israeli food and be frugal on icecream outings?
Are there any required expenses?  When my daughter got there, there were many up front expenses such as books, keys, etc.  so we all panicked at the disappearing money.  But they were one time expenses, not ongoing.

[shwarmabob]

Can you put a figure on it? FWIW I am talking about Tzfas, not JLM.

Did you ask parents who sent their girls to the same place last year?

[chevron]

Busses aren't cheap, I used to hitch everywhere.

Expenses vary because people often schlep everything from America. I've seen guys and gals headed to Israel with massive duffel bags 2-3 .

Some schools are in town so busses aren't needed, you can walk easily from mir to geula, to mameila.

You will always have some of the wealthier kids pick up the bills when eating out.. besides when I was getting sushi rechavia and 6 sem girls were splitting a bill with the waitress and I had to dash to airport.

Social hierarchy is big, I've seen kids of families visiting, they'll bring their friends for free hotel breakfast

Spending is a little fuzzy depending on your social circle

[gozalim]

Fwiw re tzfas:
Transportation will be more (distance), though the scale of busses shouldn't be too crazy.
Food there is reported terrible, though apartments often have some kitchen, for those willing to do that

Though my sources are over a decade old

[rbs-g1.5]

$150 sounds low, i learnt there close to a decade ago and was on a $250 montly allowance (cellphone and health insurance not included in the $250) and I was on a pretty tight budget. I also got and extra $500 for the summer and chodesh teshri.

and i was on a similar allowance including dira and food expenses  and managed fine .it very much depends on the standards in the specific yeshiva/sem.

[jye]

I hate being that guy who is always nitpicking but words mean things. "Often" means "many times". I'm not doubting that you are aware of many times that this conversation took place but as a data point I just want to add, I am 1 of 13, my wife is 1 of 7. In exactly 0 out of those 20 shidduchim did that conversation happen. And I just checked with three siblings who have a combined 8 children married and they confirmed that such a question was never asked (with one adding that had someone asked that it probably would have spelled the end of that shidduch.)

Wife was working on a shidduch and was just asked this exact question by the boys mother. “Is the girls current earning going into her own savings account with the parents providing support, or is some of it going to her parents to be used for support?”

[yeshivabucher]

Wife was working on a shidduch and was just asked this exact question by the boys mother. “Is the girls current earning going into her own savings account with the parents providing support, or is some of it going to her parents to be used for support?”

absolute bonkers

[imayid2]

Data point: Friend who is kollel/ kli kodesh recently married off daughter age 21/22. Fairly modest low end kollel lifestyle. First daughter a couple years ago was just over 1k support.  He made the rounds and was told the standard has gone up recently and 1500 for 5 years is very typical. This despite his daughter earning a decent parnassa and coming into the marriage with almost 100k in savings.

We live in an insane society. With the amounts Kollelim are paying these days, together with the robust job market available for woman, parental support is simply not necessary for the husband to be able to sit and learn ביישוב הדעת for a good few years which is ostensibly the whole reason for the idea.
The couple should be contributing back to their parents for the first few years of marriage if anything! עולם הפוך ראיתי.

[David61]

Wife was working on a shidduch and was just asked this exact question by the boys mother. “Is the girls current earning going into her own savings account with the parents providing support, or is some of it going to her parents to be used for support?”

Obviously, the source of funds is irrelevant in terms of support or really anything to do with the learning.
The focus and crux of this question is whether this a wealthy family or not.
Some might view this as a less direct and therefore less distasteful way to ask whether "they are financial well-off". Others might disagree. 
Either way it won't be the first or last person to seek that out.
 
 

[yelped]

Wife was working on a shidduch and was just asked this exact question by the boys mother. “Is the girls current earning going into her own savings account with the parents providing support, or is some of it going to her parents to be used for support?”

I think it should say שמרה נפשי כי לא חסיד אני.

[Yakov15]

We live in an insane society. With the amounts Kollelim are paying these days, together with the robust job market available for woman, parental support is simply not necessary for the husband to be able to sit and learn ביישוב הדעת for a good few years which is ostensibly the whole reason for the idea.
The couple should be contributing back to their parents for the first few years of marriage if anything! עולם הפוך ראיתי.

Did you notice that the cost of living went up?

[Moshe Green]

We live in an insane society. With the amounts Kollelim are paying these days, together with the robust job market available for woman, parental support is simply not necessary for the husband to be able to sit and learn ביישוב הדעת for a good few years which is ostensibly the whole reason for the idea.
The couple should be contributing back to their parents for the first few years of marriage if anything! עולם הפוך ראיתי.

could be the case where you live but here on planet earth things are different...