It is so funny that I am reading this post tonight. I just had the money talk with my 20 yr old son last night. He will be starting his junior year in college and has moved off campus into an apartment. We compared the cost of living off campus to living on and figured out the difference. He will have a small part time job on campus, and has worked the entire summer. He made good money. I have never paid his car insurance, but I do pay his cell since it is on the family plan. For the first time I get the sense that he is getting a grip on managing money, but he has a long way to go. He loves to spend! My daughter who is 17 is the complete opposite. She saves everything and already has acquired a nice little nest egg. I think she motivates him. I am hoping he stays on schedule and graduates in 4 years....so far so good. Sometimes it is so difficult to teach lessons. Last year I let him go broke...down to $25 in his checking account because he was not managing his money. I think it helped. He is also responsible for paying for his books and play money, and he takes a Stafford loan each year. I pay his tuition, room and board and clothing and of course his medical expenses. He pays for his gas, I pay for car maintenance. I was a single parent for many years and have two kids to educate so they both know they need to kick in where they can. I don't know what will happen when he graduates....I will cross that bridge when I get to it.