<p>Our daughter does not want a food plan because she is vegetarian, picky, etc. and would prefer to buy some of her own food and use some of the restaurants on a declining balance. Can someone give some idea as to what would be an appropriate amout to put in her account per month? This would be to include food, entertainment, etc.</p>
<p>I’m sorry I can’t help you estimate a food budget, but I thought it might be tough for your daughter to shop and prepare her own meals while living in a dorm, especially when all her new friends are eating together in the dining hall. </p>
<p>Today, I ate lunch with my son in Broward dining hall and there were many vegetarian selections to choose from. (I don’t eat meat, either–too hard for me to digest.) There was a nice salad bar, cheese pizza, and a beans/rice dish at the Hispanic serving area. There was also a vegetable stir-fry that you could have served over rice…or in a tortilla wrap. They have a full-service deli that will make any kind of cheese & vegetable sandwich/hoagie/wrap you want. In the deli area, they also had a carrot salad and cole slaw. And today, they had grilled fish sandwiches (if she eats fish). They have all of this, except the grilled fish sandwiches, every day. And at night, they always have an additional vegetarian entree.</p>
<p>I just thought I’d pass this along, in case she wasn’t aware of the options available in the dining halls. Maybe your daughter could sign up for one of the less expensive food plans, where she can eat in the dining hall for ten meals a week (or 15?), and prepare her own meals the rest of the time. Kind of a happy medium. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>My son’s Summer roommate told us yesterday that he’s going to use a declining balance plan for his meals in the Fall. He said his Mom was going to deposit $500 in it now, and wait to see how fast the account ‘declines’. If that were us, we’d really have to lay out some ground rules on the declining balance account. Otherwise, my son would be taking his girlfriend out to dinner at the Reitz Union every night, and it would disappear in a flash.</p>
<p>I was just looking at the meal plan brochure we got at Preview, and they have a 150 block option (there are 17 weeks in the semester) which includes $300 in Flex Bucks for campus restaurants. The 10-meal-a-week option includes $200 in Flex Bucks.</p>
<p>Lunch at Broward Dining yesterday was $7.43 for me. And I’m guessing that the chain restaurants on campus charge the same prices that they do off campus? This morning, I bought a bagel w/ cream cheese for my son at Einstein’s, with some kind of a creamy latte to drink. It cost nearly $6.00. Maybe you can figure out a budget based on the going rates at the restaurants on campus. Girls probably skip a few meals a week, too.</p>
<p>Good luck to you and your daughter. I hope you work it out!</p>
<p>My daughter eats a small bowl of cereal (if anything) for breakfast, a piece of fruit and/or yogurt for lunch, has a light supper and rarely snacks in between. We set up a declining balance account for my daughter with an initial balance of $1000. She can eat in Broward or Gator Dining with her friends, go to the food court at Reitz or even use the account to pay for groceries at the mini marts on campus (Beatty, Little Hall, etc). I will monitor the use and add cash if necessary but as soon as her bright futures gets deposited into her Wachovia account, she can transfer funds at any time to her declining balance/Gator 1 account. Another plus is the declining balance carries over from semester to semester (year to year) unlike the meal plans which do not. It may be a buck or two more money for dinner in Broward/Gator dining but will balance out for us in the long haul.</p>
<p>the campus fast food chains.charged slighty more than off campus but its not that big of a difference. What I did for summer was go to publix get cold cuts, bread, condiments, etc., and buy snacks there or at wal-mart. (must I say it is a huge tragedy Gainesville does not have a super wal-mart). </p>
<p>I didnt eat at the reitz as often when I had food at my dorm. It was getting ridiculous that I had to eat there everyday since I didnt have anything else to eat. It was taking a toll on my budget and also my stomach.</p>
<p>oh and one more thing…most of the vending and other things sold at mini-marts are overpriced…so keep that in mind. a bag of doritos cost $.90 for the same sixe you can get for a quater at a local convienent store. buy drinks at the vending machine instead of mini-marts. $.90 for a bottle of water if you use your gator 1 at the vending maching…go into to little hall express and that same water cost $1.25.</p>
<p>What about the option of giving her a credit card for off campus use (campus will only take cash and declining balance) and put a couple hundred in a declining balance card? See how much she uses and then adjust it. Obviously you should tell her/him that they have to pay off the credit card if they go over your set limit.</p>
<p>Isn’t she able to use her Gator 1 card on and off campus since it is a Wachovia debit card?</p>
<p>I believe that since it is linked to their Wachovia accounts, the Gator 1 card can double as an ATM card for off campus cash (from any ATM cash machine) but no restaurant off campus is going to take the Gator 1 instead of a MC/VISA. My daughter has a VISA as well as the Gator 1 card and the Wachovia check card.</p>
<p>Using a Gator 1 off campus is fine if it is linked, of course…but you still can not use declining balance off campus. I’ve used my Gator 1(my ATM) off campus at a supermarket and at the gas station and it worked fine…I’m preety sure you can use it wherever Visa is accepted, you just can’t use it as credit (i’ve tried, which makes sense now since its only an ATM card), but I had Wachovia before I got my Gator 1 so I use my check card for credit if necessary.</p>
<p>yeah, i have the gator one and a wachovia check card, because i had wachovia before school. As theyve told me, you can use your gator one at any ATM or anywhere that will take a PIN. gas stations and grocery stores. probably not like… clothing shops. i know that at work we dont take student IDs (i worked at american eagle) but then again we arent in a college town… so i dont know. my guess would be to try it… and if it doesnt work have your wachovia check card ready… its the same money really anyway.</p>
<p>:D</p>