<p>I am an incoming freshman, and am looking to save as much money as possible. However, I don't want to sacrifice my nutrition since I really need my three meals a day. I know I can manage with breakfast, like buy some bagels in the supermarket or just make some sandwiches, but I want to know whether a 175 flex meal plan would be enough for me or if a 14 meal plan would be better.</p>
<p>Go with the flex. Some weeks you have time for more meals than others. With the 14-meal plan, at the end of the week you lose what you have not used. If you have friends come to visit, the flex is nice because you can use extra swipes for them. My D has found that most days she does not eat breakfast at dining hall and has healthy options at her dorm room (plus microwave and fridge). She does do the brunch at Palladium on Sundays and says it is the best thing ever!</p>
<p>But, how can I be sure that some time at the end of the semester I won’t run out of meals? Is it possible?</p>
<p>At the 175 you are unlikely to run out. In fact, my D has so many left she is sharing swipes with friends who are upperclassmen with no meal plans! (That is allowed) IF you were to run out, you can purchase more dining dollars or individual meals somehow. Or, you can eat actually less expensively at a lot of the Washington Square area restaurants. My D knew about how many meals a week in the dining hall her meal plan averaged, and some weeks used more than others, but it averaged out…she leaves NYC May 10 and still has about 40 swipes left.</p>
<p>go with the flex. i had the 14 meal plan, and no kitchen, so it was nice not having to worry about food, but trust me, you WILL begin to find cheap places you can eat out, the food in the dining halls is just not that healthy or amazing, and the meals are a ripoff (something like 10 dollars per meal. the meal plan just wastes a whole lot of money, and the 14 meal plan is just inefficient in so many ways. if you’re out for the weekend, you lose meals, unless you plan sufficiently and eat accordingly, you lose all your meals over spring break, etc. trust me, flex is the way to go. and if you run out, your friends who have ridiculous amounts of meals/dining dollars left will help you out.</p>