My son had a 15 meal plan his freshman year. He eats like a horse but he still struggled to use all of his swipes each week because friends preferred to dine at on campus chain restaurants that took flex. Always default to lower swipes and supplement with flex.
This year he’ll be off campus and I couldn’t be happier. Paying rent monthly is a treat and the total amount is less than on campus housing. He can also shop at local grocery stores with his flex account which should save us quite a bit on food. He’s a workout nut so he eats very healthy items. Healthy items are cheap. Most mornings he makes himself 4 egg omelets for breakfast. That can’t cost more than $2-$3. He’s also discovered tuna fish, another cheap source of protein. Back in May I bet him $20 he’d eat more than 150 cans of tuna in one year, from that date. He’s already up to 21 cans…it’s easy money and it saves us money.