I’m going to be living in the Barrett dorms at Tempe (Cereus Hall). My question is, is it worth it to get a mini fridge to keep in the room? My roommate would like us to get one and I’m all about eating more of our own food and less out of the dining halls, but since we’re both signed up for meal plans and our hall has a full kitchen, I don’t know if it will be worth it. Can anyone tell me out of their experience whether a mini fridge is worth the money, or ends up not being used? If so, is it better to buy or rent?
My daughter used hers a lot mainly for drinks and snacks her freshman year. Her sophomore year she took the minimum meal plan all in M&G dollars and did all her own cooking. She used her microwave but also cooked in the dorm kitchen. Apparently there was hardly ever anyone else using the kitchen.
Buying is definitely cheaper. We went for the convenience of renting her freshman year and she was very upset to find that she had to return the mini-fridge at the end of the week BEFORE finals in May. We bought a separate microwave and mini-frig her sophomore year when she was in a suite with a kitchen area.
That’s great to know, thank you! I have the medium-level meal plan now but next year, I would really like to do what she did and switch to the lower one and cook my own stuff. And I’m definitely liking the option of buying by this point. Thanks!