<p>So I'm going to be a freshman next year and I've heard some not so good things about the food / dining / meal plans at CMU...what seems to the best option? Meal blocks or flex dollars? Where can flex dollars be used?</p>
<p>They are outrageously overpriced, but sicne we have to get one, I was told Red 9. They said you physically cant spend $675 a semester unless you’re buying pizza every night.</p>
<p>Flex dollars can be used at all of the eateries to upgrade your meal, but it can also be used to buy groceries at entropy, order pizza, go to subway, etc. </p>
<p>Moral of this post: go flex dollars. Red 9</p>
<p>Protip: It’s called “DineX” on campus. ;)</p>
<p>^yup. Even though DineX and flex dollars are actually technically different things, a) half the people don’t know that, and b) everyone calls it DineX anyway 
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<p>I agree that Red 9 is kind of the best of the worst. You won’t have enough blocks for even 2 meals a day, but obviously you have your DineX to cover the rest rest. It gives you a tiny bit more flexibility, so there you go. I guess if you’re an athlete or something and really feel like you might eat 3 square meals a day, you could get a plan with more blocks (I say this because I feel like on the rare occasions I go to Schatz for breakfast on weekdays, which is usually when I’ve woken up early to study for a test or something, I always see the crew team eating after early morning practice…or just football players in general, I feel like 
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<p>so should i stay away from meal blocks?</p>
<p>Yes. Get the most dinex and the fewest blocks. Every year there are kids who are like “WELL I BET I’LL NEED MORE BLOCKS” and don’t heed this advice. I know, because I was one of them. Worst decision ever.</p>
<p>DineX can be spent on a lot of things, and it’s just overall more flexible and enjoyable to spend. You can also use DineX at any location where blocks are available.</p>
<p>Yeah, definitely go for the cheapest plan you can, and get the most dineX - which would be red 9. I am an athlete and had red 9 and that was fine. I met a lot of people who didn’t nearly use all of their plan, like having extra blocks every week, or having $200+ dineX with a week left in semester etc. </p>
<p>Also, if you find out that you’re using up your DineX too fast, there are always little ways to be more efficient with spending, like using dineX for breakfast only to save blocks. </p>
<p>Plus, the blocks are kinda annoying because the sides are pretty cheap and limited sometimes. It always bugs me that you can get a huge heap of fries or a big soda with the block, but a salad, or fruit cup, or a bottle of juice costs extra. DineX gives you more flexibility to get healthier add ons without having to get fries every time.</p>
<p>Red 9= 11 meals per week = 2 meals per day = no breakfast!!! duh I can’t live without breakfast… any comment?</p>
<p>Buy some cereal and milk or some granola bars to keep in your dorm…If you have a class before noon you probably won’t wake up early enough to eat breakfast at a restaurant anyway.</p>
<p>Not to mention under CMU’s ■■■■■■■■ meal plan system, breakfast ends at 10 AM. So unless you want to drag yourself out of bed to eat breakfast before 10, you’re cutting out your lunch block if you use one for breakfast. Lunch isn’t over until 4. It’s a stupid system, and honestly you’ll save a lot more if you just grab a muffin or some cereal or fruit or whatever from Entropy/Schatz. Better yet, like the poster above said, stock some stuff in your dorm. You can buy whatever you want with that money.</p>
<p>Try it another way— blocks average over $7.50 per meal under any plan – some even higher.</p>
<p>Why on earth would you pay $7.50 for breakfast?
Certainly not. Use dinex or cash if you insist on buying eggs and white bread.
Or cereal/milk in your dorm.</p>
<p>You will not be going to school 8 am to 3 pm anymore !
You’re life will not end before 1 to 3 am most nights and you’reeating schedule shifts accordingly.</p>
<p>Right, it’s not that you only eat 11 meals a week, it’s that you only use 11 <em>blocks</em> a week and then buy the rest of your meals on DineX.</p>
<p>Or just make a monthly trip to the Giant Eagle, stock up on some cereal and pop tarts and eat those for $1 a day.</p>
<p>is the school’s grocery store (entropy? or something like that?) extremely overpriced? And is it the only store that will accept the DineX money?</p>
<p>^Entropy is pretty overpriced on some things, but on others it’s okay. You can use DineX at any campus dining location - however, Entropy is the only “store”-like location, if that’s what you mean. DineX can also be used at a few places off campus (Subway, Vocelli’s, which is a pizza place that delivers).</p>
<p>You can also spend it at Eat n’ Park. You may scoff now, but after four months of campus food I swear Eat n’ Park will start to look like five star gourmet.</p>
<p>whats the difference between flex dollars and dinex?</p>
<p>If there’s a difference, I don’t think it’s enough of a difference that anyone cares or notices. They’re used interchangeably as words for the same thing: money on your meal plan which you can spend at entropy/any eating areas on campus/eat n’ park/vocellis.</p>