<p>Our food bill at home has also dropped somewhat, but since we still have a teenage son at home, it’s probably still high compared to families with girls. Our son has a Declining Balance Account, so is just charged the cost of each food item he takes. I think it started out with about $1300 for the quarter, and I’m guessing that he’ll go over a little bit. This is even though he came home for a weekend and we’ve visited and taken him out to lunch/dinner a couple of times. I don’t know how any student could live on $900 for a SEMESTER, and my kids are both very lean. So I think the issue is that the expectation probably wasn’t set correctly – $20/day seems like a reasonable budget for food.</p>
<p>As Kathiep suggested, this is not a make or break item as far as choosing a college. I just wanted parents new to this process to ask specifics when visiting. You will then be able to plan and budget accordingly.
Another point I would like to add is that most of the boys are in the same predicament as my son, and most of the girls will end up with a surplus. (At this college.)
In any event, he will not have to worry any more about food, as I put extra money on his account. I’m beside myself that he was so worried about food. Thank God he didn’t try to make it the whole semester!
Again, this information was available online to me, but I just assumed he would have 3 meals a day.<br>
Hazmat makes a good point about the kids who may not have access to additional funds.</p>
<p>chocolate, you’ve provided a service to the CC community by raising this point. I would imagine that most colleges’ food plan would be similar in reality, although they may not make that clear up front. We, too, talked with our son about the food budget. I wanted him to be aware of it (not treating the entire dorm to dinner, for example!) but I don’t want him to worry about it. I told him that I needed to have him just eat normally, so that we could establish a baseline of expectations.</p>
<p>One interesting thing to me – after years of trying to make sure he ate a healthy diet, he seems to have reduced the amount of soda/junk food he would eat at home. I think the girls in his dorm are a good influence – he’s even mentioned eating a salad!</p>
<p>Choc, based on the figures you cited for meal costs, a weekly 21 meal plan would cost about $1900 per semester. That is about what my son paid last year.</p>
<p>Happily, he is in an apartment this year and it looks like his food bill will be cut in half plus he is learning how to cook!!!</p>
<p>Chocolate,</p>
<p>You do raise a good point because food plans vary by school. I was talking to one of my class mates who works at a college and she said they are changing their meal plan because they currently have one that allows for 3 meals at day. At those three meals, you can basically load trays of food, swipe your card at the register and it counts for one meal. They are going for the declining balance option which it seems a lot of us are paying for.</p>
<p>At many schools even if you run out of money the school will still allow you to eat as they will just bill you on the next term’s bill.</p>
<p>Daughter goes to school that is on a quarter system and usally has a few hundred dollars left over at the end of the quarter. She usually feeds any ane everyone in sight during finals because it is a use it or lose it plan. However, she has guy friends who play sports especiallly football, swimming and crew who easily go over their plan by a few hundred dollars each term. </p>
<p>It is a declining balance account and all freshman must take a food plan.</p>
<p>Their plan is as follows:</p>
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<p>Heck, my very athletic, very active, works-out twice a day 5’11" daughter eats like a horse. I’ll be checking out the meal plans. Her’s may be more than tuition.:eek:</p>
<p>On our many visits I have eaten at about ten traditional dining halls where you go thru a cafeteria type line and none of them priced the food ala carte and it was always all you care to eat. Of course, one plate was always plenty enough for me. Yuck! I don’t do “cruise food” or “all-inclusive buffet” either. I lasted through junior year but after that, I refused to eat in the cafeteria style places. Now, most of the grills and the like we visited were plenty O.K. . Just the mess halls were a little rough.</p>
<p>These are the plans that my school offers. </p>
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<p>My D’s school still does the all you can eat certain number of meals a week and $250 extra per quarter to use at on campus food places. A few times a quarter you can swap out meals for meal cash at 3.50 a meal and vice versa. she is so busy that she doesn’t find enough time to each more then one meal a day. It doesn’t carry over.
For those mom’s of boys they might ask there female friends how they are doing. Since so much of it goes to waste. I would much rather my D feed a friend then just have the meals fade away.
Tulane’s meal plan was similar.</p>
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<p>I am reading lots of suggestions for sharing the scan/swipe cards…I cannot encourage students who live w/ me to do that. A young woman could take a guy to dinner I suppose,scan and depart…but you may wish to check the terms of your contract at each school. Perhaps this is not enforced but I wouldn’t want to jeopardize one’s status for a meal. Just to share what the policy at my school is.</p>
<p>I can see if a student was using a stolen card- but it isn’t the same as using somebodys discount card- if a student has a card that is for say 500 dollars- that has been paid for by the student.
For the school to penalize the student because they want to get their $500 out of it- whether they are using it themselves, or whether they are treating a friend, that seems unnecessarily punitive and petty.
That is good to know- obviously schools vary a great deal.</p>
<p>I agree that it shouldn’t matter, it is like a coffeeshop card…gift it away if you will but NOT at my school. As I have heard one contributing factor to this is the worry of parents that kids will sell the card and end up needing additional money for eating. The whole meal thing and freshman is overplayed in that sense. I just don’t want kids not being aware of the possiblity of disciipline. I’d guess this becomes more of an issue at the end of a term…so if you know you are going to be under…give it away before finals begin.</p>
<pre><code> Take A BUD to dinner I guess.
</code></pre>
<p>Both of my kids are now cooking for themselves and/or eating in restaurants. I think my son eats more in restaurants and my daughter cooks more for herself. They each get the equivalent $$ of the cheapest “regular meal plan,” which is $1800/semester (for the cheaper of the two schools). My son goes slightly over (and covers it, without complaint, from his job); my daughter used her <em>extra</em> to pay for food and (hostel) room in London for 10 days last year (I popped for the frequent flyer mileage ticket). </p>
<p>Realistically, I think the minimum for a student who cooks carefully for themselves (and likes beans and peanut butter) is probably around $1100-1300/semester. As far as I can tell, $1500 is about the minimum for a student eating on campus.</p>
<p>My son’s getting two meals a day for one quarter (approx. 150 meals) for about $1200. That works out to a semester-equivalent of $1800. It terms of meals, it’s about $8 per meal. Not cheap, but convenient.</p>
<p>Dig, that’s about the same for my S. We signed him up for “standard” plan of $1250 per semester but it wasn’t enough, so added $500 to see him through.</p>
<p>Also, his university allows sharing the meal card. From the website: “Unlimited guest meals - use your points for as many guests as you want.” (not sure I like that idea as the paying parent!)</p>
<p>They also offer to-go meals. Phone ahead and pick it up to eat somewhere else! (wish I’d had that when I was in college).</p>
<p>Momof2inca- I wish my D’s school had the phone ahead option. they are strict that the food needs to be eaten there unless you have proof that your class schedule conflicts with the caferteria opening times.
I would rather my D feed a hungry friend then have the meals go to waste. There is no way she will even come close to using all of hers. We heard of a family that drove down to their D’s school at the end of the term and bought cases of water and other non-perishables with the remainder of their D’s food cash and donated it to the food bank.</p>
<p>Wow, Mom60. How does your D survive on one meal a day? Is she petite? I wish she could send her unused meal points over to my S! :)</p>
<p>DD spends about $200. per month on food eating off-campus. Big savings! Unfortunately (or fortunately) she is probably moving back on campus next semester and will need to be on the meal plan. It is all-you-can-eat, 3 meals a day (2 meals only on Sat and Sun), no options and it is $1640 a semester.</p>
<p>I wish she would eat more. She is in an on-campus apartment and they have a kitchen. She tends to grab and go not the healthiest habit. She says she is eating way to many carbs. Nutrigrain bars, cup a noodles all junk. My constant rant with her everytime I talk with her is did you eat in the cafeteria today since I have paid for it.</p>
<p>So if one lives in university housing a meal plan is compulsory? Despite not being a freshwoman???</p>
<p>hazmat, that’s the case at many schools. It usually is dependent on the type of dorm. If it’s traditional, a minimum mealplan is required. If it’s apartment style, with a kitchen, it may not be.</p>