<p>Can you purchase a meal plan and eat in the residential dining halls if you decide to live off-campus?? If so, how do you buy the meal plans?</p>
<p>You may now purchase meal plans online: [Non-Resident</a> Meal Plans (1003976)](<a href=“http://map.ais.ucla.edu/portal/site/UCLA/menuitem.789d0eb6c76e7ef0d66b02ddf848344a/?vgnextoid=66eb06ec2fb6c110VgnVCM100000e1d76180RCRD&vgnextrefresh=1]Non-Resident”>http://map.ais.ucla.edu/portal/site/UCLA/menuitem.789d0eb6c76e7ef0d66b02ddf848344a/?vgnextoid=66eb06ec2fb6c110VgnVCM100000e1d76180RCRD&vgnextrefresh=1)</p>
<p>There is now a 3-meal plan, as well as 5, 11, 14 for non-residents.</p>
<p>However, the cost of the [non-resident</a> meal plans](<a href=“http://map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1001859]non-resident”>http://map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1001859) is much more more than the sum of the costs of the meals if you deposit money to EasyPay on your bruincard and [swipe</a> for every meal](<a href=“http://map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1003979]swipe”>http://map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1003979), for the same amount of meals. For example, the “non-resident blue 14” costs $1,276.91/quarter. But if you paid with your bruincard for every meal, supposing the 14 consists of 7 lunches and 7 dinners, and supposing that there are 11 weeks in a quarter, you only pay 11 * (7<em>$7 + 7</em>$8.25) = $1,174.25, which is much less. The calculations for the other meal plans come out to similar conclusions. So you should never buy a non-resident meal plan.</p>
<p>Do your research, you probably will be better off just putting cash on your Bruincard (they usually make you pay for the most expensive meal time - Dinner @ ~8 bucks or so). That way you can spend on whatever you want and not worry about missing meals.</p>
<p>I’d rather use the $7/8 and get something from westwood.</p>