I guess I am an older generation but no, I did not expect my parents to help with my expenses after an education.
When I finished school, I did not get a university scholarship, although my friends all did and I expected to do so. I know now that my mother talked my father into paying my first year fees and they kept me for that year and paid me pocket money. I still did not get a scholarship for my 2nd year but I worked in the vacation for 3 months at a good paying job so paid my own fees and pocket money, although my parents did not take board. (My mother insisted I pay board when I got a holiday job for a few weeks at 15 years old. Obviously it went towards keeping me for the rest of the year but Mum believed in the principle that, if I earned wages, I must pay board). I gained a scholarship for my 3rd and 4th years at university but still worked for the 3 months vacation so did not rely on my parents but they would have subsidised me. I cannot remember if I paid board out of my scholarship allowance, probably not, but I did not need any pocket money and bought my own clothes.
For my 21st birthday I was given the choice of a 2nd hand car or a party, I chose the car. I did have a small party at home but only 1 of my friends, the rest were relatives more my parents age.
At the end of my 2nd year of teaching, I paid for my parents to go to New Zealand for 4 weeks. This was my way of repaying them for my education. It was my Father's only ever overseas trip. My mother did go overseas later with my sister but she was a widow for over 30 years.
However I paid $25,000 for my first condominium at age 31. I had already spent 6 months in Asia and Europe and, after that first car, I always bought brand new cars. I borrowed 95% but sold the condominium 6 years later for $65,000 and paid $55,000 for a house (in a rural area). I lived there for 28 years and sold it for $440,000 when I moved to NZ. I paid that initial $25,000 off in less than 20 years but at times I was paying 18% p.a. interest on the loan.
