<p>Alright so the big dilemma- to have a meal plan or not. What I am looking at is whatever would be the cheapest. I am not a person to get bored by food or what not theres enough variation in the foods in the dining halls to satisfy me. I just know it will be impossible to cook every meal in my dorm, so would it be more economical to cook and dine out occassionally or just get a meal plan (the 7 day unlimited with 100 flex bucks seems to be the best value). Any advice would be welcomed. Also has anyone calculated how much it cost them to eat for say two/three weeks in college and compare to meal plan which works out to about 14 dollars a day.</p>
<p>are you bringing a fridge?</p>
<p>If you eat a lot, or even like to constantly snack, get the meal plan. If you don’t eat that much (relatively) and/or are very picky, do not get the meal plan. </p>
<p>Also, consider whether most of your friends are getting a meal plan.</p>
<p>if your gonna have a car, i wouldnt get it…its such a waste, you can eat for 30% of what the meal plan costs.</p>
<p>The meal plan is so convenient and is such a time saver. I got the meal plan for my kids.</p>
<p>You have two options: You can either get a meal plan or you can get declining balance. A meal plan is solely for Broward and Gator Dining, but declining balance can be used anywhere on campus. So, if you chose to stop by BD or GD one day and get something, you’re good to go, but then you can also swipe your gator1 at the plethora of other restaurants on campus like Burger King, Subway, Pollo Tropical, Starbucks, Taco Bell, etc. and not spend cash out of your own pocket. Someone let me in on this tidbit and it was the best choice. I’m money conscious as well and not a picky person, but I promise, If you get a meal plan you’re going to get so tired of dining hall food. The meals at the dining halls cost anywhere between 7-9 dollars, and you could get food much cheaper at the other restaurants on campus. Plus, you’ll have so many extra meals to use up before the end of the semester if you have a meal plan. The overall best bang for your buck is declining balance.</p>
<p>i dont understand why anyone would get declining balance when they could just pay with cash/debit.</p>
<p>trust me, eating at the same place (Broward/Gator) after a while can get really boring.</p>
<p>Many that have used declining balance have told me they spent no more than about 2.3k on average for the year compared to about 3.2K for a meal plan.</p>
<p>And remember, Gator and Broward charge you only when you come in. So you can come in one day when you dont have classes in the morning for breakfast, stay there for a few hours and do some homework/studying, and then have lunch!</p>
<p>A few points to note about the meal plan:</p>
<p>*I don’t have a meal plan (declining balance instead), but I do know that meal plans can be used at four places, not two: Broward and GD, as well as Home Zone and Orange and Brew, both in the Reitz Union.</p>
<p>*You WILL get tired of dining hall food. Even if you get a declining balance, don’t put all of the money you budget for food on the card. Step foot off of campus, and you need a debit card/credit card/cash. I know it sounds simple, but I’ve got friends who loaded up the card and never had money for off-campus food.</p>
<p>*Declining will save you money in the long run. It is just as easy to setup as a meal plan. Everything can be done from Gator 1 Central online at [University</a> of Florida - Gator 1 Central](<a href=“http://www.gator1.ufl.edu%5DUniversity”>http://www.gator1.ufl.edu) . I’ve gone to the dining halls every now and then, but even though they change their meals every day of the week and they have 3 or 4 stations every day, it gets old pretty quickly. Also, declining balance $$$ can be rolled over to the next semester, but FlexBux, the same thing but bundled with a meal plan, cannot be rolled over.</p>
<p>*As far as friends having the meal plan, those have been the few times I paid for a meal in a dining hall…dinner is $9, lunch is $8, and breakfast is $6 (at least in the summer, should be same for fall) in the dining halls. Not to mention, most people will get sick of the plan after the first semester or so, and will be begging you to use their leftover meals anyways. Don’t be fall for the “only $3.85 a meal!” gimmick the unlimited meal plan advertises, you’re going to shell out about $1K more over the course of two semesters with a plan.</p>
<p>also, you can order meal plans without flexbux. you just have to ask.</p>
<p>Don’t get the meal plan…as others have said, same food gets boring.
Don’t put too much money on the declining balance. Only place I can think of where it can be used is laundry room instead of quarters. There is no point for it, since u can simply use ur credit card everywhere else instead.</p>
<p>I don’t have too much information but I sat in on a Q & A at UF over summer and most of the people leading it said to not get a meal plan. Gator Dining is really not great, I can’t imagine eating it three times a day. One student said that he is a huge eater and even he doesn’t eat nearly the amount of food the meal plan gives you, so it is sort of a waste of money. It’s healthier and cheaper to buy food and make it yourself, or even just go to the places in the Reitz Union to get food.</p>
<p>When I was a freshman living on campus, students weren’t allowed to use credit or debit cards on campus. Everything was either declining balance or cash. Now they allow any type of credit or debit card to be used, so I think your best bet is to just save yourself from putting any money onto your gator1. Buy some food from a grocery store that you can cook in the dorm kitchen, and then anytime you want to eat on campus, use your own debit or credit card. Once money goes onto your gator1, you don’t ever get it back unless you spend it on campus. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>i would suggest not eating and becoming anorexic</p>