<p>My daughter is a light eater and couldn't 'eat' all of her mandatory dining dollars. Unused dollars are forfeited - they don't carry over and you don't get the cash back - i.e. use it or lose it. Once she was fairly sure of what the leftover amount would be, she used it to buy stuff at Earl's Place where one can use dining dollars to buy non-food items including microwaves, shampoo, dishes, etc. although the prices are horrible, 150-200% of what they exact item would be at Costco which is where I think they really come from (they know they have a captive market). Unfortunately, the dining dollars can't be used at the bookstore.</p>
<p>This is all based on last year so maybe the policies have changed. The items at Earl's place can be seen on their website through the UCSD website.</p>
<p>Don't forget that the bookstore has much more than books - sweatshirts, computer supplies, iPods, digital cameras, lab supplies, etc. so it'd be handy if one could use excess dining dollars there. It'd also be nice if they could be used at Rubio's or Jamba Juice but they can't.</p>
<p>Oh I hope they can be used at Jamba juice. I basically live off smoothies, but I don't really see myself with a blender and a fridge full of fruit in my dorm next year...</p>
<p>I am predicting that i end up extremely sick of the food. I am a vegan with allergies. I am not so worried about food being good, I am worried about whether I'll be able to eat anything. </p>
<p>On the good side, I probably will be worrying about losing 15 pounds, rather than gaining them</p>