<p>@andrew’s qualms: I understand totally where he’s coming from because of the way pricing works out in a lot of dining halls. One thing to note is that since you’re in an apartment, they DO expect you to use your kitchen which means that you ARE using some of your own cash. Regardless, I get the feeling that they don’t charge you as much for housing to make up for the money you’ll use buying stuff to cook.</p>
<p>As for the naked juice + sandwich thing, the sandwich is a fair example of these inflated prices, but the naked juice just really isn’t ever a necessity. The way dining plans work out they don’t expect you to treat it as such. I get it only very occasionally, and if I ever want juice I opt for like a 1.50 glass of orange juice or something. More mindful budgeting comes into play with dining dollars.</p>
<p>Would you rather opt for a slice of pizza or two and a glass of water every now and again rather than that grilled salmon fillet every single day? It works out alright I think. Some of my friends who are just plain stingy are still at 800 meal points (out of 2740 because she’s in the dorms too which DON’T have kitchens) when we should be at about 400.</p>
<p>I get the argument that students need to be forced to buy meal points to keep the dining halls in business. That’s fine, I don’t see any way around that. But is it necessary to make all of these ambitious (and costly) “environmentally friendly” efforts, and in turn passing the cost on to the students via higher prices? Our dining halls don’t just buy food at the lowest cost and pass on the savings. They buy organic, they pay extra for environmentally friendly biodegradable plastic cups and plates, etc. And that really gets annoying. If you’re going to force us to subsidize the dining halls, you need to do it as cheaply as possible.</p>
<p>the trick with eating at dining halls is to exactly budget your money so that you have 0 dollars at the end of the year. stick to the weekly budget they give you, and buy the rest of your food at food for less or ralphs. DO NOT EVER buy more meal points!!! </p>
<p>another thing to consider is what is terribly overpriced and what is reasonable. don’t buy a box of cookies at earl’s for 8 bucks–buy it at ralphs for 3. the things to buy at grocery stores are cheap, non-perishable foods–soup, ramen, snacks, soda, waterbottles. also buy food that takes a longer time to perish, like oranges, bread, milk (you can freeze bread and milk), and bottled/boxed beverages ike apple and orange juice. what you buy at dining halls are coffees (same or a quarter more than starbucks, and much more convenient), smothies, salads, wraps, and muir sandwiches. going on a late-night run to a dining hall was always fun, so i budgeted in a dollar or two each day for a late candy bar or a basket of fries. cheap meal: get a side salad, $.50 garlic bread, then drink one of your $.25 store-bought sodas and throw in a store-bought $.35 banana.</p>
<p>the cool thing about the dining halls being environmentally friendly is ,well, the obvious. the bad thing is that they most likely jack up the prices and cut costs under the guise of environmetal friendliness. it isnt something to boast about unless you do it with a free will, and ucsd housing and dining sure as hell isn’t.</p>
<p>sorry to dig this post back up, but the online earl’s website doesnt work anymore?
}:</p>
<p>i was trying to find out more information about where i can spend my dining dollars since ill have over 1k leftover by june…and that’s if i spend ~12 every day (and my mom always buys me asian food, and i cant really say no…or wouldnt want to ha^^)</p>
<p>I hope none of you current/future freshmen listen to j2kenned. Seriously, a basket of fries and/or candy every night?! Say hello to the Freshmen 15. A meal = salad, a banana, soda, and garlic bread? Not very healthy.
Just sayin… can’t believe I missed that post</p>
<p>And it’s not even necessary to eat like that to stay on track with dining dollars. I eat healthy meals and buy snacks, and I’m currently $300 over where the budget says I should be.</p>
<p>my mom is coping with her child leaving the nest still so she bombards me with food because she thinks i wont get food on my own. she isnt thinking about what will happen when i have excess dining dollars at the end of the year despite the numerous times i tell her, with her it’s like go in one ear and out the other when i say things.</p>
<p>Is it unwise for freshman to live in the apartments? What if I wanted to room with a friend from a different college? Would my ability to meet other freshmen be significantly hindered if I live in an on-campus apartment?</p>
<p>^I wouldn’t say it’s unwise, but it’s definitely easier meeting other freshmen in the res halls. You won’t be significantly hindered especially if you’re active with clubs or intramurals, but I think living in the res halls is a good experience.</p>