Meal plan or not and how much $$

[3drummersathome]

Son's dorms for fall 2008 have kitchens and optional meal plan. The meal plan seems like a good deal IF he actually uses it. I asked a housing staff member and they were honest in saying most students living in dorms with kitchens do not buy the meal plan. So I'm thinking, how do I plan for budget on food?
I'd like to give him a reasonable amount to stay healthy but not eat out all the time. He doesn't really cook but I think if he tries he could make basic stuff and eat out some of the time. If he wants more I think he could supplement by getting a job.
So what might be a good allowance for food for college? We're not getting any fin aid other than the basic subsidized loan.
The standard meal plan is $2750 for the year which would be 8 meals in the dining room and $1400 extra spending dollars for other on campus meals. That would be about $300 month. Is that livable if I just put that amount into his account each month? it doesn't sound like enough.

[historymom]

I think that is more than generous. What do you spend on groceries now? Divide that by the number of family members and you will get a rough idea of how much he will need. But if you think about it, the grocery bill you have includes things he won't be using. I'm thinking household cleaners and other specialized items that are really for one or two other members of the family. You can acutally figure out an average between now and the time he leaves. I would also suggest going shopping with him to really show him how to live within the constraints of a budget. You can blow through even 600.00 a month if you aren't smart about how to shop. But 300.00 for one person will keep him well fed and I think even provide a little extra for special meals and nights out. I don't know your S but if this is his first experience budgeting it may be easier to dole out his monthly food $ every other week until he gets used to it. It may keep him from running out early.

Another kind of fun thing that you may want to think about is teaching him to make the basics: browning ground beef for mexican or italian dishes, marinating and broiling chicken, pork and beef, assembling a healthy green salad and making an omelette. That kind of thing will serve him well in the dorm kitchen. You could even get fancy and take a class together. A rice cooker is a cool thing to have as is a water boiler if they are allowed in the dorm rooms. It's handy not to have to use the whole kitchen for quick meals.

Sorry for running on...I know I got all teachery on you

[mominva]

It is probably do-able for shopping and cooking. He might need a bit more for the first month to buy staples and a few pots and pans.
When my son was in a similar position, he requested the 5 meals/week meal plan. This allowed him to eat between classes some days without heading back to the apartment.
One question: Is your son managing now with the standard meal plan, or are you supplementing? You might need to add you current supplement to your monthly estimate.
Will there be other expenses coming out of that fund, internet, books, travel?

[jmmom]

My son prefers not to have much of a meal plan. 1) He rarely eats breakfast on a weekday. 2) He gets tired of the food choices. 3) He doesn't think it's a good deal as, at his school, $1 dining dollar costs ~$1.29 because there is overhead (I don't know whether other colleges are as transparent about that, but they do have to have overhead). Anyway,...

He is a frugal guy. He's skinny too, although not in an unhealthy way. He has a small kitchen and likes to cook, but really only when in relaxation mode (vacations etc.) and then only when the spirit moves him. So he mostly eats out. It's kind of funny that he "gets tired of" the school-profferred food, as he pretty much goes to the same places over and over again, all walking distance from his dorm at an urban campus.

So... he gets the minimum required meal plan for on-campus students ($500/term) and it is a dining-dollar type which he uses mostly at the University Market rather than at a dining facility. We then put into his account $700 additional/term. That equates to the minimal "full" meal plan for upperclassmen (*without* overhead added on, so we save too ). It is actually more than adequate for him (YMMV) and he will probably "profit" in that he will probably leave campus with some of those dollars unspent. We would happily pay for a larger plan, if he chose, on campus or the equivalent food "allowance," but he just doesn't use it.

As you can see, that is $2400/year. So I'm not sure your son would come up short if you allowance him the equivalent of that $2750.

Obviously, it depends on how often, how much and where he eats (probably the Ritz is not handy by his campus ). But the amount might work. I'd suggest doing it for, say, two months and seeing how it's working. One month might not be a fair trial, as that first month (Orientation, getting settled in, learning the way around) might be atypical.

[3drummersathome]

Thanks for the replies. To be clear, he will be a freshman in the fall so he's not currently on a meal plan. The meal plan is not required, but if we sign up for it, it is a commitment for the entire year. The 8 meals a week are only able to be used in the dorm dining room which is quite a walk from classes. I doubt he will ever eat breakfast there as he doesn't eat breakfast at home, usually just some Instant Breakfast mixed with milk and/or a bagel.
It's hard to calculate groceries and divide it at this time because he often eats at a friends or with girlfriend these days. And I use coupons and plan my shopping so I'm able to make my money go a long way.
It is fun to work with him on things that he can make himself. He recently asked how to make a grilled cheese sandwich the way I do.
He can eat in the dining hall without purchasing the plan but each dinner will cost $8.95, lunch $7.95.
I'm really hoping he gets a job at the smoothie place on campus. He worked at one near here last year and I think it would guarantee that he would get fruit regularly
What do any of you pay for meals and/spending money in addition to student's job?

[calmom]

I'd say skip the meal plan - I have no idea what my kids pay for food (I don't subsidize that -- they have to buy their own) -- but I did buy my son a $20 rice cooker to start off the first year he was on his own for feeding himself. You can do a lot with care packages when the kids are on their own; ship them a box filled with staples like pasta & canned tuna from time to time.

[jmmom]

3drummers ( I only have one ),

As he is a freshman, I would want to hear an idea about the nature of the campus and how many freshmen tend not to have meal plans.

As freshmen, at many campuses, walking to and from the dining hall, and eating there, is a reasonably significant element of socializing. Around dinner time, you'll see one kid or another kind of walking down the hall and "rounding up" others to head over to the dining hall. It can be a key way they all get to know each other.

I would want to be sure he won't be removing himself from an important social aspect by not having the meal plan.

[sueinphilly]

My son's meal plan for this year was 3600 for 19 meals per week plus $150 dining dollars per semester. that was $120 a week.

next year he is going to be in an dorm with a kitchen. He doesn't want the meal plan. He has a trader joe's and whole foods and all of NYC to find food.
I plan on giving him $120 a week. If he figures out how to eat cheap he can pocket the difference.

[natmicstef]

I would like to know the answer to this too. My D, a freshman in college took the biggest meal plan..she loves to eat and was scared she'd run out of food! She got bored very quickly with the food and ate much less than she or we expected (no freshman 15 for her). Luckily the school allows you to carry over left-over meal plans so she can use them up next year when she will be off campus. We will be paying for her food bills and need to figure out how much to send her.

[Ctheflute]

I cook for myself with an allowance of $50 a week. That amount basically allows me to get whatever I want without worrying about the price of it. Students who go for canned/frozen/prepared meals will go through a lot more money for the convenience (I get a lot of fruits, veggies, bottled sauces, and raw meats).

Things to keep in mind when considering this:
Will your child have easy access to a grocery store? If a grocery store isn't within walking distance, how will they get there? It's not a good idea to depend on getting rides from a friend because they will go hungry if the friend doesn't have time to go shopping when they are available.
What is the cost of food in the area (there are plenty of online cost of living calculators that have food cost as a subcategory)? See how it compares to your home area and divide it up by the number of people in the house, or take my number above and adjust (I'm in the Cleveland OH area)
Giving students the cash can work out fine, or consider having a credit card for them that you pay - if they go over their set amount they're responsible for the difference. Just be clear with your expectations.

[cbreeze]

Although my S lived off campus for his last 2 years at college, he never cooked. The kitchen that he shared with 3 other guys were constantly filled with dirty dishes, pots and pans and moldy left overs from his roommates that he just didn't want to deal with it.
Suffice to say we didn't save any money in the meal department.
Some questions to ponder........
If your child will be using a kitchen in the dorm, how many people will be sharing it? Will everyone cook at the same time?
Will it be a sanitary place to prepare food?

[sueinphilly]

cbreeze - those are all thoughts that have crossed my mind, but not his yet.
I think we will have to wait and see. this is a 6 person suite. We won't know the answer to all that until school starts. I have some older pots and pans and I will recommend he uses paper plates, etc. Yes, it is wasteful, but there is that dirty dishes issue.

I just know that I'm not spending more than 120 a week. He has a million choices for food, some of it cheaper than others. I'm sure hoping it's possible not to starve in NYC on a mere 120 wk. (which is more than 2x that I spend on myself here at home)

[3drummersathome]

Thanks! I'm reading all the responses. We've already scoped out how close the grocery stores are when we went up for advisement a week ago. He'll have his car with him so he won't have trouble getting what he needs. It's a CSU in a suburban location but not too far from LA. I know he'll go into the city to visit friends at other campuses, see concerts, etc.
He's much more likely to eat at the Pub on campus, Panda Express, subway, etc. I'll be able to send him with a few older pots and pans if he needs them and I too plan that he should just have paper goods for the most part. I do have some mismatched flatware to donate though.
The dorm is two bedrooms with two guys in each bedroom, so four guys together. I hope it doesn't get too disgusting
I'm hoping he'll match up with kids who don't live too close so they don't go home all the time.

[bessie]

My son also used to live in a house with a bunch of other guys who were filthy and he ended up not being able to use the kitchen either, which led to food he could prepare in the microwave/fridge he kept in his bedroom and a lot of eating out ($$$). I think this is probably a common problem and not one a parent can predict. If you can buy the minimum food plan for at least the first semester, it might be a good idea.

[wis75]

Different areas of the country have different costs. At UW-Madison the dorm students can use money put into their dorm account- as little or as much as they want. Anyone can eat in the dorm food service areas, others use their campus cash accounts or pay cash- prices are ala carte and since the cost of rooms includes the dining halls et al subsidy the prices are cheapest using the dorm account. Food service includes meals, snack bar, convenience store and carryout/delivery of pizza and subs into the night- they say the average student spends a bit over $1000 per year. Of course this doesn't include any Union or off campus food. Leftover funds are either refunded (to the student, of course, even if parents put the money in) or rolled over to the campus account if a small amount. And the food is good. Cases of gatorade and snacks from home, dorm refrigerator and his microwave for mac'n 'cheese, etc affect costs.