<p>I was looking at my August Bursar bill and I noticed that in addition to the tuition bill, housing bill, etc, there is a $500 bill for Cornell Big Red bucks. I remember reading somewhere that it could be redeemed for food but when I signed up for a meal plan, I don't recall signing up for big red bucks. (I choose the meal plan that is covered by the financial aid...I forget what it is called.)</p>
<p>So what exactly are Big Red Bucks and can I use them for stuff other than food?</p>
<p>Also what about the $1500 and the $740 built into my financial aid that would cover miscellaneous expenses and books. When do I receive a check for those or are those already credited to my CR section on the bursar bill?</p>
<p>Can you use BRBs at RPCC (if you run out of meals on your meal plan)? If you use BRBs at RPCC do you have to pay the "all you can eat" price or can you use them a la carte?</p>
<p>There is really no need to have big red bucks unless they come with your meal plan. I dont get a meal plan because I live off campus, and you can just use "cornellcard" which bills directly to your bursar for buying food at trillium etc. BRB's often go unused and get wasted on buying a ton of un-needed stuff at the end of the semester at a campus convenience store. I would get them freshman year, but if you run out, just use your cornell card.. its the same pool of money.</p>
<p>If you took notice the travel $1500, and the $740 misc/books is not included in what you are billed for the bursar bill. They are estimated fees and are not included in your bill. Take notice that the amount you are billed is not acually your Expected Family Contribution, but is about $2240 dollars less (if you double what you are billed for the first semester). I don't know if this helps. </p>
<p>For example I thought I was going to be billed about $3600 (half of my expected family contribution), but I was actually billed about $1000 less because the travel expenses and misc fees are out of pocket.</p>
<p>If you run out of meals during the week at the dining halls, you can use your big red bucks instead...They come with the meal plan (although you can get them separately) and are used at all the a la carte places on campus.</p>
<p>In my experience, BRB's were a quick and easy way to buy food. I used them basically every day to buy meals from the Ivy Room, Trillium's, Bear Necessities, Hughes' Dining, Mattin's in Duffield. I also used them every day to buy snacks at the West Campus (I lived there all 3 years after transferring) convenience store. Are they necessary? No, you can just use cash or credit card. But it's so convenient because it takes so much shorter to go through the line. The cashier simply swipes your card.</p>
<p>I dont think I ever spent less than the 500 allocated dollars.</p>
<p>it's also pretty good for budgeting... when you buy food it shows your total and you can adjust how much you're spending so you don't shell out too much money unknowingly over the course of the semester (with a debit card, say).</p>
<p>I still got BRBs, even when I lived off campus. For one, they're tax free. And for another, it's so much faster just to swipe than to get out a credit card and sign receipts, or worse, pay with cash. And last, dining hall meals are cheaper when you pay with BRBs than with anything else.</p>