Is your child running out of meals? Add Thrifty 20

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
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<p>Younger son told me that he was down to his last couple of meals on his plan. This surprised me because last year he had the same plan and had extra meals both semesters. </p>

<p>However, with his schedule this semester, he’s eating on campus more than he did last year.</p>

<p>So, I called Bama Dining to find out what I could do. I didn’t want to upgrade his entire plan just for one month!</p>

<p>I was told that Bama has a new thing called “Thrifty 20” which adds 20 meals to your meal plan for about $180 (I think that’s about the amount…I didn’t really care, I was desperate! LOL)</p>

<p>Anyway…to add these 20 meals, you send an email to <a href="mailto:mealplans@bamadining.com">mealplans@bamadining.com</a>
and give your child’s name and CWID number and request that the Thrifty 20 get added to your child’s plan.</p>

<p>It usually takes 24-48 hours for the system to update, so don’t wait til there’s only 1 or 2 meals left. </p>

<p>Anyway…thought I’d share this info!</p>

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<p>Is your child running out of meals? Have them visit my son - he is all about the BamaCash, his meal plan meals are going unused… :(</p>

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<p>Mom2ck, if you don’t mind my asking, what plan was your son on this semester? We are trying to gauge for next year. </p>

<p>My son enjoys the social atmosphere of the dining hall, but does tend to eat breakfast in his room, so we can probably downgrade him next year.</p>

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<p>My son is on a 50-meal plan this semester. He has 35 or more still left. Because of a 5.5-hour day on Tuesdays and Thursdays where he has no break, he packs a PB & J and eats walking from one building to another. He does breakfast in his suite. He also has an uncanny way of finding lots of free meals here and there. No wonder he has so many meals left over.</p>

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<p>How do you check how many meals are left on your meal plan? Is the info available on mybama? I know where to check for dining dollars & bama cash, but not meal plan use.</p>

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<p>Good Lord, momreads, no wonder you were cooking all fall break. That boy must be starving!</p>

<p>My son likes going to Lakeside and Fresh Foods with his friends, so we’re definitely doing at least a two meal a day plan next year. I am hoping he will discover Bryant or have a class nearby so he will give that one a try. Burke is too far away from his classes, at least this semester, and probably next as well.</p>

<p>What plan works out to two meals a day for upperclassmen?</p>

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<p>Timeflew: When at a dining facility, my son said he can ask the cashier/attendant what he has left when his card is swiped.</p>

<p>Montegut: My son never starves. But he dislikes most of the food at Lakeside, as do many of his friends. He can cook. He helped a lot when I visited during fall break and did some cooking. And he always can find a free meal somewhere. He also learned that lots of fruit and salad can fill a kid up quickly.</p>

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<p>Just kidding, momreads. Your son will make a wonderful husband one day. </p>

<p>My son loves the social atmosphere of the dining halls more than the food. </p>

<p>Since we’re talking about leftover meals now, I think I saw somewhere that there is a way you can donate your leftover meals. Maybe those of you, like momreads’ son, would think about doing that. I think meals carry over to the next semester, so I’m sure kids may want to wait until the spring to do that, but it sure would be a nice thing to do.</p>

<p>My son is on the unlimited, and I was sorry to find that we could not donate meals from that plan. We will definitely get a plan next year where that would be an option. I really hate to see unused meals go to waste when there are so many needy people out there.</p>

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<p>Timeflew…</p>

<p>When your child is at the dining hall, the cashier can tell her how many meals she has left.</p>

<p>*
What plan works out to two meals a day for upperclassmen? *</p>

<p>Hmmm…It’s hard to say…few kids eat 2 meals a day on weekends on campus. Most eat off-campus on weekends including on Friday eves. </p>

<p>So…if you’re figuring 2 meals a day multiplied by 5 days a week…There’s about 15 weeks of school per semester…not counting spring/fall/T-giving breaks…</p>

<p>So about 10 meals per week multiplied by 15 weeks = 150 meals per semester </p>

<p>But that highish for an upperclassman…especially with $300 a semester for Dining Dollars. There are just too many other food options on and around campus.</p>

<p>*what plan was your son on this semester? We are trying to gauge for next year.
*</p>

<p>My son has the Bronze plan which was more than fine last year. Last year, he had 10 meals left over the first semester (which got transferred over) and 30 meals left over the second.</p>

<p>It’s all about their schedules. Last year, my son just didn’t have the breaks needed to go to the dining hall more than once a day, and he rarely ate there on weekends. </p>

<p>He’d eat breakfast in his dorm, buy a “pre-made” sandwich with Dining Dollars to eat in class for lunch, and then do Lakeside for a big dinner (and he would literally stuff himself…LOL).</p>

<p>But, this semester he has a break that gives him 80 minutes between math and science (around lunch), so he has time to go to Fresh food and eat…and then eat again at Lakeside at night. So, that’s why he’s short about 20 meals…so the Thrifty 20 will fill that hole. If he runs out during finals, we’ll just pay for those meals in real time…not a big deal. </p>

<p>Next semester could be different. I haven’t looked at this schedule to know when/where his breaks are.</p>

<p>Older son just has the 50 meal plan and he still has meals left. But, he’s in The Bluff and has a full kitchen. He only eats at Burke Dining Hall on the days that his tutoring job ends at dinner time.</p>

<p>My kids have their favorite foods at each of the dining halls…that’s seems to be the way it is. No one likes everything at each place, but each place should have a few things that are fine. However, with so many off campus places to eat, and Publix right there as well, many kids just want more variety than campus dining offers.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much, mom2ck, for the response. My son’s schedule is very similar. He gets a break to go to Fresh Food between calc and CBH, and then heads to Lakeside with his buddies for dinner. I honestly don’t know what he eats at either place, but I’m sure he’s finding something.</p>

<p>As for breakfast, even though he gets up early and could go to Fresh Foods for breakfast, he prefers to relax in his room and eat before class. We assumed he would be able to go to Lakeside for breakfast, but it indeed is not open before he leaves for class.</p>

<p>We also did not assume that he would get to the grocery. As it turns out, he does have friends on the floor that make a grocery run now and then, so they eat in for breakfast and on the weekend. So, it looks like 14 meals a week would have done just fine, the Bronze plan, but it was not too much more money for the unlimited and it was worth the peace of mind to know he would never lack for food.</p>

<p>So, we’ll probably do the Bronze plan next year and the Thrifty 20 in the end if he gets in a bind. It’s a good thing they offer that option.</p>

<p>I put in a call to the Dining Office, but they’re closed for the day. I would like to find out more about the Donate a Meal and share the info. My son has guest meals as part of his plan, and if he could donate a meal, we’d love for him to do it. We’ve used a couple of guest meals on our visits, but I’m sure he has some left.</p>

<p>Thanks again for the info. I’m sure this helps not only the current students, but also those looking to attend Bama in the fall.</p>

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<p>M2CK: if he can’t find AL34’s son then have him find my D; she has 104 meals left of her original 160! She’s been going to Publix once or twice a week for fresh fruit & veggies, making pasta & asst. other stuff in her room or in the kitchen on the 3rd floor.</p>

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<p>I bought the 50-meal plan this semester and have about 19 meals left. Apart from eating lunch at Bryant 3-5 times a week, I either cook my own food or buy things off campus. If your child is running low on meals and eating breakfast and/or late night meals, tell them not to use their meal plan meals for those and to pay with cash/debit/credit/dining dollars instead. Breakfasts and late night meals only cost $6.30 (tax included), which is less than the cost of a meal plan meal.</p>

<p>Montegut, from the information I’ve been sent, students are allowed to donate 1 (yes, one) guest meal per semester that will be given to a student in need. One interesting note is that the 50-meal plan does not include guest meals, so I don’t think those of us with that plan are able to donate one of our meals.</p>

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<p>Great info, seatide. I will doublecheck on son being able to donate a meal, then, each semester. If we can get the word out to people to do that if they wish, it would certainly add up and help out a lot of students in need.</p>

<p>Also, seatide, can you give some tips on how to get to Bryant, from a student’s point of view? He may have a class near there next semester and will finally get to try it out. It seems to be open just for lunch, with an upcharge for dinner, but it might break the monotony of going to Fresh Food every day for lunch.</p>

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<p>Breakfasts and late night meals only cost $6.30 (tax included), which is less than the cost of a meal plan meal.</p>

<p>Ahhh…I knew that breakfast was less, but didn’t know that “late night” was less, too.</p>

<p>What time does “late night” start? 8? 10? </p>

<p>can you give some tips on how to get to Bryant, from a student’s point of view?</p>

<p>When your son is at his Calculus class in Gordon Palmer, then Bryant Hall is just east of it and just one building south.</p>

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<p>*M2CK: if he can’t find AL34’s son then have him find my D; she has 104 meals left of her original 160! *</p>

<p>LOL…you’re both very sweet!</p>

<p>Doesn’t it just drive you nuts to have so many left-over meals?</p>

<p>When older son was a freshman, he wanted the all you can eat plan, so we got it. Within about a month, he and pals were eating off campus frequently. It ended up being a big waste! </p>

<p>From then on…Bronze or 50 meal plan. LOL</p>

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<p>Actually, son has calculus in Lloyd. And he’s got English in Rowand-Johnson. And the rest are in HM Comer. Of course, he’s got CBH in Nott.</p>

<p>Mom2ck, if your son has the Bronze plan, shouldn’t he have 10 guest meals on there as well? Will they let him use a guest meal for himself? </p>

<p>If he can’t use his guest meals, maybe one of his buddies can swipe him in as a guest if they eat together?</p>

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<p>Yes…a student can use his own guest meals. The meal total includes the guest meals. The guest meals are just student meals, but the idea is that only 10 can be used for guests. </p>

<p>Actually, son has calculus in Lloyd. And he’s got English in Rowand-Johnson. And the rest are in HM Comer. Of course, he’s got CBH in Nott.</p>

<p>Oh…ok…</p>

<p>So…Bryant is due east of Nott Hall. </p>

<p>Nott Hall–>Hackberry Ln–>Child & Fam Research–>5th Ave–>Bryant Hall</p>

<p>So, if you walk east between Nott and Lloyd, and keep walking east, you’ll walk into it.</p>

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<p>Thanks, mom, for the directions. It’s funny, we don’t use NSEW in New Orleans. It’s either towards the lake or towards the river. I guess son will have to check where the sun is in the sky. Either that, or use an iPhone app, which, geek that he is, he probably has. Good luck to your son with those meals, and thanks again for the directions.</p>

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<p>Montegut, I had to comment on this. I had the same reaction reading the NSEW directions. In Hawaii we use mauka (towards the mountain) and makai (towards to ocean). We need giant landmarks to find our way around :)</p>

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<p>Love it, rose. When you come to Bama, it will be towards or away from the stadium. Now that’s a giant landmark!</p>