Harry's Money

[pandora315]

We don't really know how much money Harry has though. I mean when he's hinking about buying the firbolt himself, or buying solid gold gobstones or something like that he says he stopped himself by asking how it would feel to have to ask the Dursleys for money for books and things, so does that mean he really doesn't have as much as we think he has? I mean, its true it says he has a small fortune, but he's really not having to support himself off it is he? Like he still lives with the Dursleys so he doesn't have to pay rent or buy a house, and he gets all his food from Hogwarts or the Dursleys so really he only uses the money to buy school things. I think that his parents will or whatever left all their "earthly goods" to Harry and it just seems like alot because he doesn't really need that much money to survive. Like if my parents died right now (knock on wood) I'd probaly inherit the house they own and money in their bank accounts (and assumng that I wouldn't have to pay for funeral costs, oustanding bills or anything) that would leave me with at most about 200 thousand. To a kid that sounds like an absolute fortune, but to an adult its really not that much is it?

[Alice I]

Well noe don't forget that there is tuition for Hogwarts. That would cover the food and lodging during the school year. There are not boarding schools in America so I havn't a clue what that would cost but I imaging that it is a fair amount per year.
Also no one has ever mentioned wether there is such a thing as interest or dividens in the wizarding banking community. so it's not like the money is growing, only dwindeling.

[Athena Appleton]

Well, we know he has a LOT of money, enough to where he's embarrassed about it when he's with the Weasleys at Gringotts... casually tossing aside 1000 galleons is okay for him... he picks up the tab often when he's with Ron and Hermione (omnoculars, food on the Hogwarts Express)...

As far as tuition at Hogwarts goes, I think about what private schools in the US cost (good GRIEF!) and assume that that would not be completely accurate, seeing as I think in the U.K., private boarding schools are a little more common (think of all the characters mentioning where they would have been going, or the fact that Dudley goes off to school, too)...

Harry is very intent on not needing the Dursleys. First off, he knows that Vernon wouldn't spend a dime towards his magical education. As a 11-12-13-14-year-old, he finds out after always having nothing of his own that he has this ton of money, yeah, first off, he'd want to spend it on things he really doesn't need. It's good that he did stop to think that that money has to last him for seven years, until he can work on his own and not depend on his inheritence, or else Hogwarts or anything else magical that costs money is out of the question.

I never really got the idea that wizarding money directly corrosponds with our muggle money... a knut doesn't equal a quarter, sickles don't equal a half-dollar, galleons are a lot more valuable than dollars... And Harry has "piles" of galleons, not to mention all the knuts and sickles. Galleons are big, heavy gold coins. I'd guess they're worth almost a twenty in our dollar form.

He's not hurtin for cash.

[Amon Rê]

casually tossing aside 1000 galleons is okay for him

Aye, but when he did this he was not only distraught still over Cedric's death, he'd witnessed Voldemort's return, talked to his dead parent's and Cedric's shadows within a very short time....so I wouldn't base to much on that....

That's true too about the money not corresponding, but then again I would assume that the prices would be equal to what the money's worth. Am I making any sense, cause I think I just confused myself?

[Athena Appleton]

Yeah... Galleons are worth more than dollars, so it takes fewer Galleons than it does dollars to buy something.

See, I's got intelligementeces

You have a point about how Harry was distraught over Cedric's death, but I still think that he's not hurting for cash, and that had at least some influence over his deciding to give away the 1000 galleons