<p>Here is my situation:</p>
<p>I'll be living in an on-campus apartment for the 2012-13 year. I will not purchase any dining plan. I believe dining plans are a huge waste of money, even the apartment plans. The food at dining halls are really expensive and they give you way too much. Last semester, I bought the regular dining plan that cost near $2,000. It only gave me $1060 in dining points and $275 for terp bucks. The other $600 - $700 was taken out for facilities fees. And in the end, you don't get refunded for the points you don't use. I'm a light eater, so I struggled to use all my dining points, but in the end, I had about 200 left over. Knowing that I let $200 go to waste makes me depressed. That's why I'm super glad I was able to land an apartment.</p>
<p>Since I am not purchasing a dining plan, I will need to pay for my own food. I typically eat only 2 meals a day. I may visit the dining hall once in awhile though. About how much do you think I'll need for food per semester? I've calculated everything, and I'll have $900 per semester left over from my loans after I pay my room and tuition bills. That will go to any and all personal expenses for the year including food, social life, extra supplies, etc. Do you think that'll be enough?</p>
<p>I will have an on-campus job where I will at least make $80 a week, but I plan to put it all towards paying off my loans.</p>