<p>Marymount offers a partial meal plan. To any current or future students how much money do you allot to groceries/eating each week? Is there a great cheap grocery store around?</p>
<p>PATheaterMom, I am a mom of a S going to MMC next year, and I don't know the answer, but two things I do know: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>My 18 year old athlete S can go through $1000 worth of food in a lot less than a semester, and I too had to laugh when I saw that was the board plan... and </p></li>
<li><p>My senior year D in Colorado spends about $250 per month, which would average out to $1000 a semester if she were on a board plan (she lives in an apartment, and food is cheaper in Colorado than NYC.) So, the board plan at MMC with a supplement for that third meal and treats may well be enough for a young woman. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>There's a convenience store in the 55th street dorm, but that can run up $$.</p>
<p>I have an older S, and he does eat quite a bit more than my D! I did notice there is a small market right on the street corner, so that might be a good spot for veggies, fresh fruit, etc. I imagine relying on the convenience store would get expensive!</p>
<p>I will watch for other posts, see if anyone has any other input. I live in California, so it's going to be a huge culture shock for my S, in addition to the food issue!</p>
<p>My daughter is going to NYU and hates institutional food, so we opted for a limited meal plan. To make up the difference, I came up with a great idea to make her a little reference book for dining well within her budget in her neighborhood. The same idea will work anywhere in Manhattan. I wrote a short article about how I did it at </p>
<p>She's already picking out meals and having fun with it. It will save us money and help her make friends in her dorm I think.</p>
<p>Oops! I guess CC doesn't allow links. They changed it to a link back to this thread. Anyway, if your interested in finding out how to put together a similar book for the neighborhood of your daughter's college in Manhattan, just e-mail me and I'll send you the link to the article. Let's see if they let me put in my e-mail address: <a href="mailto:allo3@aol.com">allo3@aol.com</a></p>
<p>Well, it's official. Slightly less than 6 weeks after move-in, I can tell you with absolute certainty that $1000 is not enough for food for a semester. Forget that he's a male, athlete-type (not much outlet for that, either!) who can't cook. That $1000 sure isn't going to go the distance!</p>
<p>And eating out in NYC, even at the cheap places, really runs up the $$$, to say nothing of dyspepsia! I sent a 'care package' with easy-to-assemble meals, that may help a bit, but word to the future: budget high. </p>
<p>And with the economy the way it is, that's not a fun idea!</p>
<p>Yep, groceries in NYC are very high. I visited one sunday afternoon and prices are much higher than Philly! My D has been using a combination of meal card and additional grocery money we budget for her every week. She still will go thru the 1000 for the semester though.</p>
<p>I am not sure how far 1000.00 will go for my D. Can anyone give me an idea of current meal prices at the dining halls? Any current students? Is the food decent?</p>
<p>Hi, I have been off the forum for a bit. My s started at MMM this past fall, ran through the $1000 in no time flat! The food was okay, but realize that the cafeteria is in the school building and the dorm is 16 blocks away! So the card gets used at the C store a lot. </p>
<p>My s isn't much of a cook (he IS learning, though) and food is expensive in NYC, especially if you eat out a lot. There are grocery stores near the 55th street dorm where all the freshmen live, so if your D can cook, she'll be fine. </p>
<p>My s left after first semester, transferred to American Academy of Dramatic Arts in LA, for a number of reasons, MMM just wasn't right for him, but the students are friendly and the professors accessible and knowledgeable.</p>