<p>Does anyone live on campus without paying for a full meal plan? This year I was able to go to this dollars only plan, which is just being able to use our version of "cash dollars", where you basically use your I.D. like a credit card to pay for food instead of having a set amount of meals to eat. I like it a lot better because I don't like to go to the dining hall all three meals. That's way too much food and a waste of money when you don't a lot! </p>
<p>Next semester I'm considering going to one of the cheapest plans which will leave me enough to just eat dinner. It's a lot cheaper just to buy groceries at the store- I shopped for my own groceries when I was living on my own last semester, and so this semester it really makes me sick to see how expensive everything is at colleges. Anyway, this way I figure it'll be more simple to just buy say one box of cereal for the week (the equivalent price of one breakfast meal!) and then something simple for lunch instead of paying over a thousand dollars for the same foods at school. </p>
<p>I was wondering if anyone else had any thoughts about this kind of meal plan. Did you really like it or regret it?</p>
<p>I am trying to get off the meal plan because I developed a food allergy over the summer that the cafeteria isn’t equipped to handle, I’ve been buying my own groceries now anyway even though I am still on the meal plan. It is cheaper and easier to just buy groceries, but at least in my circumstances it is going to be a HUGE pain to find time to get to the store, cart groceries back and forth on the bus, find time to cook, cook when all I have is the communal kitchen for all 100 residents, etc etc etc. Honestly, in my case, even if it is more money I’d rather be able to have the convenience to just go to the cafeteria when I am hungry and be done with it. Not to mention the social aspect of eating in the cafeteria that I don’t really get anymore, I am really left out of a part of the community in my res hall now.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear about that, that sucks I would still be able to eat dinner with friends, usually breakfast and lunch are just in my dorm or wherever since everyone has different schedules during the day. Maybe you should offer to cook for your friends sometime! Trust me, people would probably like that a lot better than dining hall food!</p>
<p>I really liked being on our meal plan, but, the timing just didn’t work out. I mean, I’m an early bird and the dining hall opens at 10am? C’mon, that’s brunch for me. </p>
<p>Also, our campus is trying to deal with overcrowding. Dinnertime is like trying to cram into a crowded subway car that smells like mac-n-cheese.</p>
<p>But, all that aside, the convenience of hardly interrupting your work to get some hot food in your belly? Awesomeness.</p>
<p>I did the math out and figured I would save around $400 if I just paid out of pocket at the dining hall for three meals a day as opposed to being on a meal plan. So it’s working quite well for me…</p>
<p>If you pay cash or any non-meal plan based payment, you may 2 1/2 times the amount the food costs people using the meal plan. Not that our dinning hall food is that great but it is convenient and acceptably priced assuming you aren’t buying brand food (chips, candy, soda, which is all full value) and things to be weighed such as salads or sandwiches. Otherwise buying groceries is generally cheaper. Unfortunately, at my school if you live in the dorms (except the more expensive apartment buildings) you must buy a meal plan.</p>
<p>With us you can either have an unlimited plan, a set meal plan, or a ‘dollars’ only type plan. I don’t think there’s a certain amount the meals cost with the meal plan, it’s just a meal that’s deducted from your plan. With the ‘dollars’ yeah, it’s way over priced. The individual food you buy on campus is ridiculous. I mean, $1.50 for one yogurt?! And then when you just buy one meal it’s a set price, like $6 for lunch, which sucks if you’re just wanting like a PB&J and chips. </p>
<p>So yeah, groceries is most definitely cheaper! My dining hall isn’t even that convenient, it’s across campus, lol. I don’t mind the walk when the weather’s nice, but when it’s super humid or cold it sucks.</p>
I would still be able to eat dinner with friends, usually breakfast and lunch are just in my dorm or wherever since everyone has different schedules during the day. Maybe you should offer to cook for your friends sometime! Trust me, people would probably like that a lot better than dining hall food!</p>