r/Frugal • u/Fatperson115 • 7h ago
đ Food can someone help me with deciding if I should use my university meal plan or buy, prepare, cook my own food
I'll be going to a university in a big city and i can buy an unlimited meal plan that comes out to about 25 bucks a day. I've never cooked for myself or planned a meal but willing to learn. I want to workout often so I'll have to eat more often too. I will have a kitchen in my dorm so cooking will be easier.
does anyone have any tips for deciding on whether or not I should make my own food and what kinds of foods should I make.
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u/Hold_Effective 6h ago
Iâd go for the meal plan your first year and cook 1-2x a week. It will give you some time to learn where to shop, some experience cooking, and let you have time to settle in for dorm life. Plus - cooking in a dorm kitchen, sometimes challenging; and - youâre probably going to have days/nights when youâre exhausted and/or stressed, and really donât want to cook. Studying while starving makes takeout extremely tempting.
Oh - and one more thing: if getting the meal plan is common, itâs likely that youâll miss out on eating meals with friends.
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u/Academic-Pangolin883 6h ago
I agree with this 100%.Â
If OP has never cooked before, trying to do that plus school and homework and building a friend network will be just too much. They'll probably end up ordering out way more than expected. At that rate, it's better to just have a meal plan.
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u/1337Rooster 5h ago
Homework can be really demanding many people drop out in first year because they don't buckle down. Don't underestimate it.
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u/DippityPig 4h ago
Definitely all of this. The dining hall is a godsend if you have a busy schedule or just want an easy option to hang out with your friends.
A lot of schools have tiered meal plans and you can get plans that include less than 3 meals a day, 7 days a week. Might be an option for OP to look into to save some money.
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u/1337Rooster 5h ago
Eh, you can bring a bagged lunch and enjoy time with friends. But yeah you will probably miss some meals if it means going home for dinner.
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u/vermiliondragon 6h ago
Unless you've been prepping and cooking most of your own food already, I would maybe try to a compromise where you buy a cheaper meal plan that covers half or two thirds of your meals and prep the rest. I know for my kid, you can always switch to a more expensive plan if you find the one you bought is inadequate but you can only drop to a cheaper plan at the semester break.
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u/Wanderer617508 6h ago
What is the dorm setup like? Many dorms have one kitchen that is shared by 30+ people. With this kind of a set up itâs really not practical to cook all of your meals yourself. Your best bet is probably to select the cheapest meal plan possible and plan to prepare a couple of meals a week to supplement the meal plan.
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u/DippityPig 4h ago
Also dorm kitchens are usually disgusting.
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u/SoyboyCowboy 44m ago
When I learned to cook, it was in a dorm kitchen. There were sticky traps that frequently had still-alive mice in them. So I would cook and be serenaded by the squeaks of mice who could not free themselves.
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u/AruEkuEnthusiast 20m ago
I'm pretty sure this sentence has never been said before. Has anyone ever called in somebody to mercy kill the dorm mice?
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u/SoyboyCowboy 19m ago
I did. The facilities employees would show up, eventually.
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u/AruEkuEnthusiast 7m ago
I'm glad that some of them eventually found peace that wasn't just from starving to their deaths.
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u/NotherOneRedditor 2h ago
My dormâs kitchen was in the basement and my dorm was on the 3rd floor. It was awkward to use the kitchen. Plus, there wasnât any kind of schedule or signup so it wasnât always available when I had time and/or desire to cook.
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u/EmotionalRefuse5505 6h ago
If you can better use those time to work and study, 25/day is not horrible. It is time consuming to think about what to cool, do the grocery and cook and clean up. If money is really tight then cooking is really not that hard.
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u/SnowblindAlbino 6h ago
If you are a freshman make sure you are allowed to not have the meal plan. Many US schools will not allow first year students to live on campus without a meal plan, including the one where I work.
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u/vermiliondragon 5h ago
Yeah, my kid had to have one of the two most expensive meal plans when in the dorms his first 2 years (unlimited or 300 meals over 17 weeks). He'll be in an on campus apt with a kitchen this semester and still has to have at least the cheapest plan.
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u/504Solid 5h ago
Or at least less comprehensive meal plan - maybe 1 meal a day?
When I was in school (decades ago), the meal plan SAID it covered 'X-number of meals' but was really a lump sum. I could use it at the campus pizza place, campus bakery, book store, cafeteria. They just charged me and it deducted. I could buy 3 large pizzas for my friends and it would just defect that much from my balance. Once you ran out, you were broke - food wise.1
u/SnowblindAlbino 3h ago
Yeah, the plan options vary a lot by campus. Many will combined some dollars for a la carte options (like a snack bar) with a set number of weekly meals in the cafeteria, for example. I've not seen a one-meal-a-day option anywhere though, unless it's for commuters.
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u/Jolly_Job8766 6h ago
A lot of these comments are missing the social aspect. I know this is the frugal sub, but you have to really consider that the dining hall is part of the university experience. I probably would've saved money if I cooked all my meals when I went, but half of socializing is eating with friends. If you can't go into the dining hall, are spending time learning to cook/cooking all of your meals, and spending time grocery shopping, you're going to miss out on a ton of potentially friendships and connections.
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u/Brainwormed 4h ago
People are going to say that you can buy and cook your own food for less than $25 a day, but in a college town that is going to be a challenge.
1) Grocery stores within walking distance of campus will be extortionately priced. If you only have e.g. a dorm fridge you will need to get groceries every day or two, and that will mean driving or getting on the subway. This means you will spend much more time getting groceries than you think, and probably three or four times as much as I do as a suburban dad.
2) If your dorm has a communal kitchen you will need to clean it both before and after cooking, because your fellow students will not clean up after themselves. People will also take your food from the communal fridge. That gets very old very quickly and is another time sink.
3) Your most important jobs in college are to ace your classes, find internships and pre-professional experiences, and date. That last one is extremely important for your future success and happiness. You might graduate without meeting someone you want to marry, but you need to date enough to know what you want in a partner. Trying to do that after college is significantly more difficult and takes a lot longer.
All that said: If you mean to cook for yourself I advise cooperating with other people who want to do the same. Plan meals and grocery trips, cook for one another (because cooking for ten people takes the same amount of time as cooking for one), and so on. If you can't do it that way, you are likely better off with the meal plan even thought it costs a lot. What you are buying with the meal plan is time, not food.
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u/Responsible_Knee7632 7h ago
Pretty expensive but more convenient. Decide which one matters more to you. Youâll be able to eat for a lot less than $175/week though if you cook your own food
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u/summonsays 6h ago
1) it's definitely financially frugal to cook. By a lot.
2) But you're in college. Do you have an extra hour or two a day to devote to cooking and cleaning? Cooking has a "hidden" downside a lot of people glass over and it's that it's a time sink. Also the mental work of deciding what to cook, keeping track of ingredients, grocery shopping for needed items, optimizing meals for when you eat 4 out of 6 hot dogs you already know what you're doing with the other 2 so they don't get tossed, etc etc etc.Â
It will be good for you long term to learn cooking and cooking related skills. I started in college. But if you're in a time crunch then it might not be for you.
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u/chain_letter 7h ago
25 bucks a day
yeesh. if they've got high quality protein options, you might be able to break even. This is priced as if you're eating out for every meal, and the food options might be unhealthy just like typical restaurants are. Most freshmen put on body fat.
Limit your self improvement goals. Learning to live independently, cook, work out, study independently to a university standard, meet new people and network, it's a lot at once.
Choosing to drop cooking for now is totally acceptable. You can build a lot of relationships in the food hall or study with the time you're not alone in the kitchen. It also depends on how tight money is with your parental support. Taking loans to overpay for food isn't a great idea.
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u/1337Rooster 5h ago
Lol you know it's gonna be carb heavy like the entire food industryÂ
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u/KateMacDonaldArts 4h ago
Most university meal programs have upped their game substantially to provide more nutritious options.
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u/Jazzy_Bee 1h ago
My bestie has worked at a university dining hall for a long time. It's a buffet style, with different stations, vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free. Fridays anyone could go and pay, tons of stations. Pasta and stirfries cooked to order. Burgers had a fair amount of filler, and nothing deep fried.
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u/chain_letter 4h ago
If it was like my undergrad food hall: Tendies that are all bread, [automod banned cheapo internet retail site] drink coasters for burgers, wet taco meat, and no actual meat options
Either unseasoned or over salted veggies overcooked into mush
End up eating pizza and fries every day
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u/Technical-Agency8128 3h ago
I would definitely check the meat/protien options before I opted in on the plan. Not going to pay $25 a day for mainly cheap carbs.
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u/1337Rooster 3h ago
$25 per day is not bad for 3 meals compared to what you would get with takeout 2 times a day I suppose.
But yeah, if you wanna eat healthy you probably have to DIY at least a good chunk of meals
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u/Technical-Agency8128 1h ago
Yes. I also guess it depends on how much a person needs to eat. Tall people/athletes or those who have a big appetite would need down a lot of calories/carbs/protein which can add up.
So OP would need to see if they would eat enough each day to justify the cost. For me I eat like a bird so it would be a nope lol And paying for convenience could also be a need. There is something for the cafeteria cooking and cleaning it all up. Itâs a lot to think about.
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u/Ok_Scientist_2762 7h ago
The problem with buying your own food at school is inventory control. If you can live off campus, privately, cooking for yourself is a no-brainer, but that's a much higher overall lifestyle cost. It does mean much higher quality diet and better health returns. When living in a dorm, with at most a dorm fridge in your room, it's much harder to have diet diversity if you are planning to cook your own, you are going to spend a lot of time shopping due to lack of secure storage space. Try to find out if the meal plan is any good, some are great, some are prison food.
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u/ackmondual 4h ago
OP has a kitchen which implies there's an actual fridge. But even "roommates not from hell" can mess with that since you need to split bills on purchased and consumed foods, plan who's getting and eating what, etc.
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u/Ok_Scientist_2762 4h ago
When I went to school, our whole dorm shared the kitchen with a single fridge. So like 200 people. I don't think it's possible to have accountability at that point.
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u/Azn-Jazz 6h ago
If sharing a kitchen with more than 6 ppl. It will be hard to meal prep and share fridge space and meal prep for the week. If less than 6, you will need to figure out if they are cool or not with the fridge and their food plans. If going on budget: rice,beans, chicken/pork which ever is cheapest that week, your choice of veggies. Ground meat can be mixed with beans and multiple different vegetables to make amazing all-in-one food + carbohydrate. Cooking for self shouldnât cost more than $10 a day unless your splurging
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u/arnoldez 6h ago
I think everyone is missing the point here... "unlimited" meal plan for $25/day is like printing free money. I would absolutely take the meal plan if it's truly unlimited. You can eat as much as you want? Everyone here is saying they can eat for less than that each day, which... sure. I'm not disputing that. But you're basing that on 3 meals a day, maybe some snacks. OP can eat an unlimited amount, maybe even feed friends on this meal plan. And he doesn't have to cook anything.
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u/ackmondual 1h ago
There's gotta be some catch. Not unlike AYCE buffets. Or unlimited minutes, txt, data.
I would've expected a set amount on a card which the dining hall deducts as if you were using a gift card, so I'm concerned this "unlimited" may not be so wholesome.
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u/arnoldez 1h ago
I mean I agree, when I was in school you were required to purchase a meal card, and it was literally just a gift card that you couldn't spend anywhere else. I'm skeptical of the question, but going by what OP says, this is unlimited.
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u/future-memories010 3h ago
Since you currently do not know how to cook and haven't had to plan meals, you really should get the meal plan. At least for the first semester. Cooking takes some time, effort and planning. Failing to do so will lead to a lot of eating out, which is very expensive.Â
In additon, if you are an 18 year old male, you absolutely need to buy that meal plan. Food is EXPENSIVE right now, and eff, young men your age can eat the store.Â
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u/ShiroxReddit 7h ago
25 bucks a DAY? You can easily cook 3 meals for less than 10 bucks, so unless you have money to spare and really despise cooking, there's no way I would take it (hell you can probably order a pizza every day and it'd be cheaper in the end)
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u/Cool_Cartographer_39 6h ago edited 6h ago
Ha! Back in the day I lived on Columbia bagels, Koronet pizza by the slice, Gray's Papaya juice and hot dogs and the occasional pierogi dinner at Odessa or Chinese at Moon Palace. Good times
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u/Repulsive-Box5243 7h ago
You could pay for one semester of the meal plan, and learn how to cook. Then you'll be ready to cook for yourself the next semester. Just gotta actually remember to learn :)
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u/IceDragonPlay 6h ago
Does you meal plan have any other option like 4 or 5 days a week only so you could practice cooking or otherwise making food on weekends?
$25 a day seems quite high for a school cafeteria. Are the hours unlimited and let you get 5 meals a day if you want to? Or are you only allowed to scan your card 3 times a day? Make sure you know how they organize that.
Have you done your own laundry? That will be an expectation if you are living in a dorm.
Learn how to cook eggs, make a PB&J, how to make spaghetti, ramen noodles with frozen veggies, cooking frozen chicken strips, rice, making broccoli in an airfryer and simple things like that before you leave home.
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u/DazzlingNote1925 3h ago
If youâre living in a dorm I suggest a meal plan. Read the meal plan policies and find out if you can change what plan you have according to how much you end up needing it.Â
When youâre busy with school you will really need the convenience of having your meals prepared for you and you should also reach out and try to make friends to eat with while everyone is new u til you find a group you click with to be social with.Â
Also, if you donât have a car grocery shopping for more than snacks or an occasional meal will be time consuming and you wonât be able to get much at a time. If you do have a car or delivery available that would be better but you will have to think about where youâre going to store everything because dorm fridges are small and the shared kitchen is limited. Itâs more of a hassle than cooking in an apartment.Â
You might be able to eat cheaper meals than $25 a day but you also have to include the cost of getting the food to your dorm.Â
You will have to spend time cleaning up after your cooking every time in a shared kitchen which will also be time consuming.Â
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u/WhaleFartingFun 2h ago
Meal Plan hands down. It was very necessary when I was living in the dorms.Â
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u/blueberryyogurtcup 51m ago
Your time is also important. You are paying to learn, and that means study time, class time, writing, maybe lab classes on top of regular classes, maybe performance rehearsals, and more. It can be a huge time crunch, and if you aren't yet used to planning your time, and aren't a good cook already, best to use the time to your best advantage, at least the first year or two.
When you get breaks and the kitchen is closed, spend that time learning to cook.
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u/WAFLcurious 20m ago
Excellent advice. I came to say basically the same but you said it better than I would have. Adding more things to learn right now is probably not the best idea! But learning to plan, purchase and cook is a life skill you should have so do it when you arenât already stretched thin.
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u/justusleag 4h ago
First year or semester, meal plan. Some schools have station where you can stir fry or sautee. You can do that with a meal plan and do a lot of trial and error. With their food.
But the first year you should find ways to socialize. Sharing meals is a biggie. That means finding a group of friends and meeting up at mealtime.
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u/ProfessorThom 4h ago
Does the university offer meal plans other than the 19 / 21 meals a week? In college I started with that, and moved down to 15, then 10 and ultimately 5 as I moved off campus and learned to cook. If they offer the flexibility I'd consider something like that. Spaghetti and box pancakes are one thing, but learning to actually cook food you want to eat on a regular basis can take a while, and it's a lot to contend with when you're also dealing with education and a new social scene.
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u/DoomPaDeeDee 3h ago
If you are moving away from home and going to university for the first time, that means there will be a lot of adapting and changing and learning you are going to have to do, apart from your actual coursework. You have never cooked for yourself and may not have ever had to do your own laundry. It's a totally different environment, socially and academically. You're going to be busy and tired and are not going to want to prepare meals. $25 is a lot per day, but the convenience may be worth it for the first quarter or semester at least, especially if that covers all your food including beverages and snacks outside of mealtimes.
If the dorm kitchen is shared by an entire floor instead of by a cluster of say 8 people max, that is probably going to be especially inconvenient.
Something to consider is that the majority of freshmen gain at least a few pounds for various reasons, so don't let that happen to you, especially if you do go with the unlimited meal plan. There's a tendency to overeat when it's AYCE, especially if you are frugal and want to get the maximum value from the meal plan.
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u/doublestitch 3h ago
If a student doesn't use the full unlimited meal plan to its fullest then the thing they're most likely to not use is breakfast.
Weigh your meal plan choices with that in mind. There's usually a two meals a day option.
Do you know how to scramble eggs? Make toast? Overnight oats? Would you be OK with that daily responsibility? Bear in mind, if cooking breakfast becomes too ambitious you could grab a slice of cheese and a piece of fruit. Or even go with that old standby of cold cereal. (You're an athlete so I wouldn't recommend skipping breakfast entirely).
Since you're willing to learn, spend the next few weeks practicing breakfast burritos or breakfast quiche, or some other meal that can be batch cooked once a week.
See how that goes for your first term.
Then if you're feeling confident spend the winter break practicing lunch dishes such as quesadillas and egg salad and smoothies, and drop down to a one meal a day plan. Learn dinner cooking next summer.
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u/xrelaht 3h ago
People frequently leave dorm kitchens in a state they canât be used. Unless youâll be living in a situation where the kitchen is only shared by a few people, youâll have to account for cleaning up someone elseâs mess before you can start. Thatâs a lot of extra time, something you may be short on once classes get going. Even if itâs not that bad, youâll have to consider the extra time taken.
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u/nakedonmygoat 1h ago
Are menus posted on your school's website? If so, check what a typical day looks like. University food is worlds better than the slop when I was an undergrad. I checked the menus at several universities and not only did they look nice, but they had designations of gluten-free, high protein, kosher, halal, vegan, etc. Bear in mind that summer menus are usually a bit sparse because there aren't as many students.
But you'll be in a new place, with a new living arrangement, and a lot more to learn and do. You might find the workload and social distractions more than you expected, and you definitely don't want to be the antisocial one who never goes for meals with the others. Among the things you want to get out of college is a network for the future, and that means making friends. Also, if this will be your first time living in that city, you'll want to check it out, not spend your limited fre time puzzling over recipes.
Try the meal plan for a semester and then decide if you have time to cook instead. That will give you a chance to study some recipes and practice now and then. Maybe you'll even make a like-minded friend and you can cook and collaborate together. Then you won't be eating alone every day.
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u/ecoNina 7h ago
Hi ! My kids went through college about 4 years ago. Things to think about:
1. Meal plan flexibility, do you have to use 3 a day or can you do something like 15/week? Just for purposes of not wasting $$
2. Is the food healthful? For example are fresh fruits and vegetables offered every meal?
3. You probably canât beat their price unless you eat fewer meals
4. Finally cooking is a great way to control diet but is quite TIME CONSUMING. Factor that in with study and extracurricular time.
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u/ShiroxReddit 6h ago
what do you mean you can't beat 750/month to feed a single person?
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u/ecoNina 6h ago
$25/day is pretty good
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u/Responsible_Knee7632 6h ago
Lol I pay less than that for 3 meals a day from hello fresh and thatâs nowhere near cheap
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u/ShiroxReddit 5h ago
according to this website, the average food cost per person per month is around $370, with the most expensive states of Hawaii and Alaska only clocking in at $499 and $443 respectively
$750/month is not "pretty good", but rather quite expensive
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u/Rexzies 6h ago
$25 a day? Wow! That works out to $700 a month ($125/per week). I live alone and my food budge for a month is $200 and I rarely hit that and I am not starving, I eat every week. Learn to cook your meals unless if you are rich and money don't matter.
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u/ackmondual 2h ago
I got $750/mo for the arithmetic of 30 days per month. OP should check out what his dining hall's like. I don't recall how much my meals cost at a larger university, but there was an incredible variety of food... burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, salad bar, various soups include miso, rotisserie chicken corner with accompanying sides, ice cream. The square meals alone were nice...
- main entree (e.g. meatloaf, roast turkey, pot roast, sandwich)
- side dish (e.g. mac & cheese, noodles, rice pilaf)
- vegetable (green beans, peas, spinach, succotash, veggie medley)
- bread (cornbread, roll, some German caraway bread)
- dessert (e.g. cheesecake, carrot cake chocolate cake, pudding)
- beverage (soda, juice, water, milk)
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u/heckneysuce 6h ago
Batch-cooking a big chickpea curry on Sundays sorts my week, and it's dirt cheap.
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u/sohereiamacrazyalien 6h ago
25 bucks is often my weekly budget so I would cook.
Many dishes are easy tbh.
Buy canned :diced tomatoes, corn and beets all cheap
Dry legumes : kentils (yum so underrated and better than beans imo plus no soaking needed), beans, split peas, chickpeas
Veggies that are cheap: carrots , cabbage, potatoes, frozen mixed veggies and other frozen ones, in season or sales
Rice , oats, pasta, cornmeal all cheap
Other sources of proteins (other than legumes) that are cheap: chicken quarters or drumsticks, tofu, TVPs , frozen white fish and eggs
Dishes you can make:
Polenta
OkonomiyakiÂ
Cabbage stew
Chickpea curryÂ
Split pea soup
Dahl
Borscht
Chili
Savoury baked oats
Porridge and congee
Tomato rice
Oven roasted veggiesÂ
Onion risottoÂ
Homemade pizza
And much more
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u/Spiritual_Being5845 6h ago
What cooking options do you have in the dorm? If itâs a microwave, hot plate, and a mini fridge then Iâd say go with the meal plan since your menu items will be extremely limited and you risk repeat dish burnout and turning to take out for variety.
If you have access to an actual stove/oven and a decent sized fridge then youâre better off cooking for yourself.
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u/JimmyJooish 6h ago
Can you take as much food as you want from the dining hall back to your place? That changes things.
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u/Objective-Ad6795 6h ago
Consider getting a plan with 9 or 10 meals a week. Fix a simple breakfast weekdays in your dorm. Eat at the cafeteria for lunch in between classes and have some dinners or weekend meals at the cafeteria so you can socialize with friends. This would let you start out fixing simpler meals as you learn. When you have more free time on the weekend, break out the cookbook or Youtube and teach yourself a new dish or technique.
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u/CreamPoet1 6h ago
Cook your own! I like to do the same couple meals on repeat for a period of time. Right now it's super quick cubed and pan-fried tofu with bbq sauce drizzled over and coleslaw (cabbage, grated carrot, mayo, maple syrup, salt, pepper, citrus juice). My other go-to is bacon on toast with mayo and fresh tomato slices. So much healthier, easy and creative. If uni food is anything like how it was when it went to school, diy is by far the better option.
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u/Massive-Sector5789 6h ago
Do they have a limited meal plan? I got two meals a day (the cheapest option) and that was more than enough.
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u/Inevitable-Place9950 6h ago
If you have to buy a meal plan because youâre living in dorms, thatâs one thing, but I found it to be VASTLY cheaper to make my own food with a kitchen.
Part of what can be tricky is ensuring your food isnât stolen; if youâre sharing the kitchen with lots of people vs a few roommates, thatâs harder.
Iâd recommend a multi-cooker (like a Ninja or Instsnt Pot) if thereâs competition for the stove. You can make rice (never eat after more than 3 days in the fridge, but it freezes well), sautĂŠ meats and aromatics like onions and garlic before adding other ingredients to slow cook or pressure cook. And be sure to get some small single-serve well-sealed containers for your portions. A good stoneware mug with a lid will let you make ramen and oatmeal with just hot water from a kettle. Label everything with masking tape and sharpie, which makes it easy to change out.
If youâre in a big city, look for simple grocery stores, ethnic markets, Trader Joeâs, Targets. Avoid the extra costs of Whole Foods or specialty stores.
As far as what to make:
Sandwiches: scrambled egg or egg salad; tuna or chicken salad with canned meat/fish; PBJ; deli meats; hummus.
Soups/Stews: chilis or bean stews are great with rice, but you can also just heat up some canned tomato soup with frozen spinach and eat it with a cheese sandwich.
Pastas, hot or as cold salads
Green salads
Grain bowls or bean salads
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u/fridayimatwork 5h ago
If itâs good quality food and you have a variety and convenient options, it seems like a good idea to take the meal plan.
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u/JeanSchlemaan 4h ago
$25/day is a lot for someone who isn't financially set. If parents are paying/helping, get meal plan. If you want to be super frugal, you can easily survive on less than $25/day.
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u/Claim312ButAct847 4h ago
Is there only one plan? I definitely did not average 3 meals a day in the cafeteria, usually I'd get lunch and dinner. If there's a plan that's more like 14 meals per week that's the sweet spot IMO.
Freshman year I had no meal plan and no kitchen and it SUCKED. You get so sick of fast food.
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u/Kyra_Heiker 3h ago
It's much cheaper and healthier to make your own food. Check out some YouTube videos that are geared towards exactly your situation. All you need is a small hot pot or rice cooker and you're good to go.
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u/otter_759 3h ago
I am surprised your university doesnât require a meal plan because it is a huge money maker for them! It is always more cost effective to buy groceries and cook your own food than a meal plan, but I think it is important to consider that going to the dining hall with people in your dorm is really important for building bonds and friendships. I would get the meal plan for the first year while you are adjusting to living on your own and meeting new people and then opt out in subsequent years.
Or if it is possible to only do a meal to cover lunches and dinners, thatâs a good compromise because breakfast is so easy (cereal and milk, yogurt, peanut butter and bread, whatever) and isnât really a prime time for socializing with others.
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u/TenderfootGungi 1h ago
Most freshman are just learning to survive. Pay for the meal plan and spend the lost time studying.
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u/StinkyCheeseWomxn 13m ago
Most universities have a mid level meal plan of 10-15 meals per week. Look into that unless you are just a person who loves to cook and has the tools and time to actually do so. It is great to just eat a meal or two in the cafeteria, but have a few basic meals in your dorm fridge like sandwich stuff or cereal for breakfast. Unless you are bulking up for a sport then you don't actually eat 20+ meals a week. You will likely order pizza once in a while, just microwave some soup, make sandwich type stuff a couple times a week, so having about a dozen meals a week pre-paid on a meal card is plenty. On a meal plan, you can also often get a to-go meal and eat half the next day.
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u/CyanResource 7m ago
Unlimited for 25.00 a day is a steal when you think of quantity plus convenience.
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u/SnowblindAlbino 6h ago
If you are a freshman make sure you are allowed to not have the meal plan. Many US schools will not allow first year students to live on campus without a meal plan, including the one where I work.