Is the 10/wk meal plan cost effective?

<p>I know there are about a billion threads on meal plans, but I haven't seen this question answered.</p>

<p>I will be in Hayden in the fall, so I'll have at least a 10/week meal plan. Most people have told me that 10 meals a week will be plenty since most people eat off campus. However, I'm worried about budgeting. There's only a $200 difference between 10 meals and unlimited meals, and only a $100 difference between 10 and 14. I'm afraid eating out so much will be a much bigger cost.</p>

<p>Also, I know it's required to have a 10 meal/week plan with the traditional dorms, but does that mean I can't have a FLEX plan? Also, does the 10 or 14 meal plan come with the "Meal Exchange" (that includes Chik Fil A, etc.)? </p>

<p>Are the dining halls usually full? Do a lot of students use the meal plans?</p>

<p>I'm switching to 10meals/wk. Mainly because one 10 you get $250 declining dollars but on 14/wk you only get $150. Declining dollars can be used whenever, so it's a much easier solution for me...</p>

<p>how much declining dollars do u get with 19meals per week?
and what do u suggest for uni hall - its apt style so ill have a kitchen for breakfast etc.
for u hall its directly 14 per week i guess thats what they gave me before i even asked</p>

<p>everyone automatically gets a 14/wk plan, and then you can change it starting aug. 1st. i'm doing the 175 flex because it seems easiest. it works out to around 11-12 meals/wk.
and @ the magster, i would think getting 14 meals for $100/sem more would be cheaper than 10 and then eating out more. it depends though, how much you eat, etc, because a 'meal' at nyu is the buffet-style thing, but to get that much food somewhere would cost you maybe $10 or more, depending on how much you eat, so 4 meals a week more eaten out would be around $40/week.</p>

<p>Last year, I had a 10 meal per week plan for the first semester. It's ok, especially if you're a Tisch kid, because you never have time to eat anyway. :) But if you expect to have a crazy schedule, I really reccommend the 175 flex. Same amount of money, but with the 10 per week, if you get breakfast at 11am and you're hungry again at 3:30, you can't eat until 4:00, whereas with the flex, you don't have to wait for the lunch period to be over before you scan in again. In my experienced opinion, the flex is much easier to deal with, and you end up with as many meals as you could want. Plus, if you're really hungry one week, you can use more than 10 meals, but if you're not hungry or you're sick or out of town or something, you can use none, and they'll continue on into the semester to be used at later times. You can't do that with a 10 per week plan!</p>

<p>How many declining dollars with the flex plan?</p>

<p>i'd personally go for the 19 meals a week....the 14 is a bad deal....from a financial standpoint....5 extra meals per week for $25 extra each semester...who gets the 14 meal plan? i think....
14-$1725
19-$1750</p>

<p>i could be wrong tho....but if ur going for 10 ur thinking something else</p>

<p>im taking the 175 flex after reading this thread
especially since im in an apt style housing and cook small stuff once in a while on my own!</p>

<p>when i do get apt style in the future....i will still stick with a 14 meal plan.....cereal all the way....i really cant cook....too much work when ur going to school and doing the laundry....that's just me...btw, on avg...how many weeks is a semester so i can consider the 175/225s?</p>

<p>14-16weeks i guess</p>

<p>im going with the 10. eji is right about the 14 being kind of pointless, so the choices are really either 10 or 19. the 19 plan averages out to be i think around $5 a meal and the 10 comes out to around $8 a meal (i'm just trying to remember, i calculated this a couple weeks ago, not right now). but personally i know ill probably eat out 3-5 times a week anyway, mostly because of my schedule, and i know i wont eat you know, 22-24 meals a week, so i figure 10 works for me.</p>