Controlling College Costs – Meal Plans
Ya Gotta Eat
There are a lot of costs involved in going to college. Besides tuition, books, and housing (which we will get to in due course), you are going to want to eat – some, at least. Some scholarships are set up to pay for expenses beyond tuition, and even without financial aid, you still gotta eat. Unless you plan on following the strict Raman student plan (buy a case of Raman Noodles and live off that until they or you are totally gone) you may want to consider the school’s meal plan.
Not Just About the Food
As bad as the food at many school cafeterias is, the one thing you get by eating on campus, is the chance to sit down with others around a hot meal at a (usually) reasonable price. Eating off campus requires a little more time and effort, maybe some transportation, and usually more money. Be careful when evaluating the meal plan choices that you not buy more than you will eat, because there usually isn’t a refund mechanism for leftover food credits.
On Your Own
If you are in an apartment, you may be able to shop at grocery stores and save some money by preparing your own meals. In a dorm your options are limited. Peanut butter is a great standby, but you can’t live on it forever. Even in an apartment, my daughter found value in an occasional meal in the school cafeteria, particularly for lunch between classes on days with tight schedules. Her school offered choices of plans and she went with the “light eater” plan that got her a couple of meals on campus each week. The rest of the time she was on her own. The plan also came with the “campus bucks” program that gave her dining dollars she could spend on campus or at local establishments that were set up to take the card.
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