<p>I got the 10 meals/week + $50 grocery money meal plan at my university.
The first semester is 3.5 months (September until mid December)</p>
<p>I am planning also to each day eat breakfast of oatmeal/cereal in my dorm that my parents would have stocked me up on in their visits (2 hours away college)</p>
<p>That means I would have at least 3 meals a day 3 days of the week, and 2 meals a day the other 4 days</p>
<p>Do you think it’s too little?
I’m a pretty slim girl so I don’t eat that much…But with all the walking in college and stress do you think I’ll need more sustenance? I could eat oatmeal/cereal for 2 meals on those 4 days…?
How far can $50 for 3.5 months go?</p>
<p>Any experiences with 10 meals/week plans like this?</p>
<p>My plan is 10 meals/ $250 “Express Dollars” to be used at on campus retail outlets. You’ll probably eat a meal or two out with friends especially on the weekends. Does your school have the option to change plans before a certain time? My schools allows you to change meals plans within the first two weeks. If your’s does, really pay attention to your habits.</p>
<p>Honestly, if that’s what you eat, you might not be that bad off. I would suggest going up one more level or stocking up a bit in your room. I would go days without eating in the caf because I was just too busy and I hated the fact that my school made us buy an unlimited plan. I would have definitely survived on 10 a week as I generally only eat 1-2 meals a day, but the flip side was that I ate at fast food places a lot because I was always on the move (working). If you can stick to eating oatmeal and such and only need another meal or two then you might be ok. If not, upgrade to the next biggest package.</p>
<p>At my school, freshmen are required to buy a meal plan of at least 10 meals per week and few freshmen use that many meals. Remember that you will likely want to eat off campus or make yourself something in your dorm. Even with a lot of choices, dining hall food can become very boring over the course of a semester as many dining halls operate on a cycle of main courses and offer a set selection of side options.</p>
<p>I think you could be pushing it, especially if you have to make 50 last for 3.5 months. You will likely find yourself over spending or wanting your parents to send things. If you find a job then you can budget better. </p>
<p>I have a 10 meals/week plan that also comes with 250 $ dining dollars/semester to use on campus. I do get free meals when I work at one of my jobs but generally this meal plan was plenty. With the 15 meal plan I still had meals go to waste so I downgraded to 10. About 2 times a week I end up eating Ramen or Rice in my room. I also don’t really eat breakfast other than a nutrition shake or a small bowl of cereal + coffee so I didn’t feel like wasting my meals for breakfast.</p>
<p>Personally, I could do that because I’d eat Ramen all the time, but it’s really up to whether you’re comfortable with that amount of meals or not.</p>
<p>It should be obvious, but Ramen isn’t exactly the best source of nutrition. Aside from the high sodium content (often around 30% of your DV with a <300 calorie meal) you only get one food group. Believe it or not, a healthy diet is more important than paying a bit less for a meal plan, especially in college where the daily stress will very possibly catch up to and surpass your metabolism.</p>
<p>Eating one lunch or supper a day plus a small breakfast doesn’t sound like adequate nutrition to me… and you want to do this four times a week… so that sounds even worse.</p>
<p>I have a 16+ plan at my school, which is 16 meals a week +$100 in food overages for the semester. I can’t imagine only having 10 meals a week. o.O</p>
<p>If I were you, I’d either go up to a 14 meal plan or make sure that I had more than just the $50 for the semester to pay for other foods. One large meal and a small breakfast is enough to keep you functioning… but it isn’t necessarily adequate for your physical or mental health. Your brain needs fuel.</p>
<p>Yeah I heard that a lot, that usually cafeteria meals go uneaten.
There is the option to change it in the first two weeks and I guess I’ll just have to see then</p>
<p>I’m guessing if I didn’t like cafeteria food in high school, I won’t like it college? I go to a big school</p>
<p>^Its the opposite at every college i’ve been too. That’s one of the best things about college. They really improve the cafeteria food. At some schools its almost like a restaraunt.</p>
<p>But anyways i’d say its sounds good but I don’t think 50 dollars is gonna last that long. You’d have to really stretch it. At my school (FAMU) along with the meal plans we have flex bucks to use at on campus restaraunts. Gives a bit more variety to what you can eat if you don’t wanna go to the cafeteria. As it is i’d say you should think about upgrading your meal plan to the next level.</p>
<p>I did 10 meal plan meals a week last semester, and honestly it was a waste of money (we had to have it our first year). I only used 5 meals for food, and just for coffee or drinks or chips with the rest. This year I’m not getting a meal plan and will just cook or go out to eat. It’s going to be cheaper, and if I really need to go to the caf, I can pay the $8 they charge us.</p>
<p>I know what you mean, naokifresh. I went to school with the 10 meals a week plan (but we had more flexible dollars, i think about $80) and ended up getting a smaller meal plan, actually. I lost 10 pounds in my first two weeks of school, not because I didn’t eat enough, but because I did so much walking. It didn’t help that our meal plans could only be used at the cafeterias on opposite ends of campus. I ended up eating lunch in the food court in the middle of campus OR getting a sack lunch with my meal plan. Second semester I ended up going with 5 meals/week with ~$120 of flexible money. If I was going to do it again, I’d probably go with that 5 meals/week plan again, but I’m not living in the same situation this year. </p>
<p>I think it really depends on the person and the campus. 10 meals/week seems like a good place to start at, and surely you can change your plan at the beginning of the semester (maybe a deadline a couple weeks in, but by then, you’ll have a more regular schedule and know what you need)</p>