<p>DS will be a Hume resident in the fall. We're tempted to get the unlimited meal plan but I'm wondering if that would be a waste of money. How far from the dorm is the dining hall? Do residents use the floor kitchens to prepare meals frequently? Any advice would be welcome. Thanks!</p>
<p>S used block 150, he eats alot and had a few meals left over at the end of the year. His best friend, didn’t use any plan. He is very skinny and lived in beaty with the kitchens. He went to publix often. </p>
<p>You know your kid, eats alot at home? Does he cook now? The kids do use their microwaves.</p>
<p>The meal plan is the biggest rip off ever. Stay away.</p>
<p>what would you recommend for someone who does not cook</p>
<p>Do you have to have a meal plan in order to buy food in the campus cafeteria and other campus restaurants? </p>
<p>JW, Lets say you wanted to buy food the gator cafeteria with the declining-balance meal plan. Would the price of the meal cost you the same as if you had bought it with a regular debit/credit card?</p>
<p>Don’t get the meal plan it is a waist of money. You only save like 50 cents a meal and I don’t know anyone who uses all the meals, at the end of the semester, everyone is trying to get rid of all their extra meals by buying meals for their friends.
Just give them some money in the declining balance account, it can be used anyplace on campus and never expires.</p>
<p>Also, to answer your question, the price is the same at gator dining no matter if you pay in cash, credit/debit, or declining balance</p>
<p>If you’re going to get a meal plan, get the fewest meals possible. I don’t know anybody who actually finished their meal plans - most of my friends would let me get meals with theirs, for free, a few times a week because they simply weren’t using it enough. It’s much more of a hassle to go there than most anticipate, and there will be many times when you’ll opt to grab some fast food on campus or order takeout than go to the dining hall. </p>
<p>Residents use dorm kitchens as much or as little as they want. There was a girl down my hall who didn’t even buy a minifridge - she ate every single meal in the dining hall or just bought food elsewhere. I, on the other hand, cooked my own meals almost every day of the week.</p>
<p>For meal plans, I recommend the lowest possible. I did fine on the 150 block.</p>
<p>The meal plans are basically all the same price, so there’s really no point in NOT doing the unlimited one unless you’re planning on using “flex bucks” often, because that’s the only thing the 7 day unlimited plan lacks.</p>
<p>What’s so bad specifically about the meal plan options? For me it seems to be the most economic price as long as the food is relatively decent. $13 a day is pretty good for unlimited meals I think.</p>
<p>if you like eating more or less the same stuff every day at the same place the meal-plan is the most economical. the issue is that a lot of the time you’re going to have dinner off campus, or you’re going to want to eat with friends who want to eat at places other than the cafeteria.</p>
<p>Ugh, meal plan.</p>
<p>I was on the 150 block first semester. I made friends who were all older and over the dining halls, which meant if I wanted to use my meals, I’d be eating alone or taking it to go to wherever they were. It was inconvenient. Second semester, I switched to declining balance. Unfortunately, you have to put the amount of the smallest meal plan on your declining if you switch midyear. I discovered Krishna lunch, which is amazing and vegetarian, and again, upperclassmen friends [especially those who aren’t living on-campus] want to eat off-campus a lot. It’s nice that declining will last until I graduate, but honestly there’s no advantage over just paying straight up for your food.</p>
<p>I would I guess suggest declining, but really just carry around your debit card or cash. Seriously, I always had everything on me anyway.</p>
<p>Meal plans are a notch short of highway robbery. Dont get them. and i am saying this not because its impossible to use them all… because it is very possible and i for sure did… but because the food on campus does not vary enough, the flexbucks are a rip off because they force you to buy overpriced stuff on campus, and many times you just wont EAT what the 8 dollar meal is worth in one sitting. And the food at the dining hall is not worth 8 dollars, even with declining balance. But with a meal plan you dont see that so you dont care.</p>
<p>Your first year in college UF milks you for money any and every way and food is one of those ways if you live on campus. Unless you are really good with going to publix like everyone else and buying stuff for your fridge and using your dorm’s kitchen you are going to be spending more money on food in your first year than you normally would living off campus… especially when you incorporate the going out to eat with your friends once/twice a week which freshmen still do.</p>
<p>I went with the 150 block last semester and it worked out pretty well. The others are kind of a ripoff.</p>