At my son’s college (Boston University) students could sign up for a meal plan…but they could,change within the first week or two of classes to a different one. This gave the kids a chance to see what was what. DS had the unlimited meal plan…and switched after a week to one with flex points plus meals. He never ran short.
twoinanddone has a point. You are likely to find that your son does not come home as often as you think. Coming home often can be very disruptive to a student schedule. Both socially and academically. Frequent visits by the family can have the same effect. Image if you went home to your parents or they visited you frequently. Same idea.
Every kid is different. You don’t know how this will play out.
If money is tight, ask yourself what happens if he doesn’t come home as often as you think. Will he have enough food. Granted it is nice to save money by using his plan for meals when you visit but it might be better to play it safe for the first semester and then pick the best plan for second semester. At that point, he will have a better idea of what the food options are available and at what cost.
I can tell you that eating all his meals in the dining hall gets old very quickly. I doubt he will eat all 21. He could have class conflicts or just decide not to get up for breakfast.
Neither of my kids ever ate three meals in the dining hall…ever. We parents ate one meal with our kids in the dining hall…one…and that is over eight years of college.
And yes, our kids both ate three meals a day here at home.
Both had a hearty supply of packaged snacks in their dorm rooms…we stocked them up on applesauce, granola bars, etc. both had fridges as well, and both would get yogurt, for example, for a quick breakfast,when they were in a rush (which was just about every day…).
If your kid has 14 meals a week, plus some flex points, he will probably be fine.
Again…I would not purchase a meal plan with the intention of feeding your family when they visit. The meal plan should be for meals for your college kid…not you. If you want to eat with him at school, take him out, or bring a picnic lunch.
He is starting College on Tuesday due to being in Band… we just learned this today…he got in at the last minute… we just changed Colleges last week… (other thread about that)… His band schedule has him going to breakfast, lunch & dinner his 1st week there… so we’re just going to opt for the 3 meals a day… that way he is covered no matter what…
This is not about getting free meals for my family so much as not feeling the FLEX is a better deal over the 220 Block vs 180 Block plus Flex… that’s my issue… but everyone here seems to think less meals a week and buying expensive sandwiches is some sort of deal… I just don’t see it that way… none has come forward stating how expensive it is to eat a small meal outside of the main smorgasbord hall. ??
And I agree… he probably won’t be coming home that much… and that’s OK too!@# I hope he loves it there. I want that very much !
The flex points are usually at the ‘fast food’ places at the school and cost about the same as they would at an off campus place - smoothies about $5, sandwiches chips and drink about $7, Starbucks kind of drinks $5. Usually they can use flex point for the dining halls too, and they get charged a set $10-12 for a dinner. On a school term of 15 weeks, that’s only $10 per week average. You are right, $150 in flex dollars will not go far if he’s actually eating meals at them. If only using for coffees, sodas, bottles of water, he’ll be fine.
My daughter is living at the sorority house, and it charges about the same as the 12 meal/week plan at the dorm. The nice thing is that there is a snack room for off hours of meals with things like Mac and cheese, leftovers, granola bars, etc. to grab and go. I think it is a better deal than 12-15 meals at the dining hall just because she can get something at any time without needing to swipe for a full meal. Still a boat load of money for a few granola bars and some apples. I can feed my entire family for less than I pay for 1 term of meals at either of my kids’ schools.
If your son is used to only eating 2 meals per day at home and may be coming home on many weekends, he would only need the 12 meal plan and the flex dollars could be used for snacks. I realize from the “bang for your buck” standpoint it seems like the other plans offer more, but if he really doesn’t need 3 meals and has the flex dollars for snacks, it could save you (him) money by not needing to pay out of pocket for snacks. That being said, I’d want to know what kind of snacks are available and what they cost.
My D is not in college yet, but a few tour guides from different colleges have made it seem like many students only have time for snacks and a quick bite here and there on many days. My D and I are already talking about what her weekly budget will need to be and where that $ is coming from. I like the idea of the flex dollars for that reason, but 150 doesn’t sound like a lot.
In the end, you are the only one that knows what his eating habits are. For us, my D is not a breakfast eater and would not eat 3 meals a day just because they are available to her. I can see her eating 2 meals a day and spending $$$ on smoothies and snacks. So, the flex $ plan would save us money. (Just wanted to explain how some people may view that plan as the better deal!)
Best of luck to your son!
Ok… our family… can I say this without sounding bad… we are Cheap !.. Crazy cheap… we don’t waste money…and on food…it’s a mortal sin… with 8 people on an income of $65,000… you learn to be frugal, use coupons, compare prices…
2nd son is not as frugal as 1st & 3rd son (those 2 are funny, 1st son refused to get a meal plan at all at his college after the 1st year telling me what a waste of money it was…he cooked at his apartment buying everything in bulk & he was very proud of how much he saved)… 3rd son. … some of the things he has said. thankfully his girlfriend understands and appreciates a SAVER … being a “tightwad” or they would not get along. ha ha
Back to 2nd son…I’ve noticed in the last couple years… yeah… he’s watching his money… he will make comments, even faces to the high prices of some things… like “are you kidding me?”…
Now, sure there will be exceptions… going out with some friends, he may want to try one of those $5 smoothies… I can’t at all see him making this a habit… because it will come out of his bank account…and he will know that… Whatever plan suits him is fine… but he’s going to manage it -and if he needs more money, it’s on HIM to buy more Flex dollars…
Does he need 3 meals a day…Not at all… but a couple things here… this is a SMALL college campus… (only a little over 1,000 students attend )… there is not many other options to eat anyway… no Starbucks or anything like that… would he want to grab a coffee, a few sausage links & a muffin in the am… and that’s all for breakfast… he COULD… then fill up more at Lunch & dinner…
With our family… when we plan a day for a smorgasbord…well sometimes that’s the only meal we eat all day… that’s a real Treat !.. he knows all about “filling up” when the food is there… I don’t see , with a plan with 3 meals a day… any need at all for snacks… he will feel like he’s eating like a King.
I doubt 1 person in our family has ever used a vending machine in our lives…this to us, would be a colossal waste of money…
If he wants snacks on hand. they will be bought outside of campus -where it’s a deal… He would understand this is most cost effective… and agree.
Only if his schedule permits him to go to the dining hall for all 21 meals, and it may not.
College classes and activities are not necessarily scheduled in a way that allows students to go to the dining halls for every meal, and dining halls are not necessarily located in central places that students can easily get to during the day. Also, an hour may not be enough time for a student to walk to the dining hall, get through the line, eat, and get to his next class. So a student who has, say, a class that ends at noon and another than starts at 1 p.m. may not have time to eat lunch in a dining hall.
One other factor: College students tend to conduct their lives on relatively late schedules, but dining halls serve food at conventional times. Masses of students rarely or never eat the breakfasts they have paid for because they’re still asleep when breakfast is served, and they also find that they’re hungry late at night, when the dining halls are closed, so they end up spending points or cash on evening snacks.
Minimize the meals. Maximize the points. You won’t be sorry.
^^ except that this is a small school, and it said in the quote OP made that the student can use the ‘meal’ at the ‘Brig’ (which appears to be more of a sandwich/deli kind of food service) so if he wants breakfast at 10:30, he could go to the deli and get it, then go to a regular lunch and dinner.
Sounds like this guy will eat 3 meals a day, no snacks.
My son, probably like many other kids, would eat 3 meals a day: lunch, dinner, and late night.
Classes didn’t start until 11, and the midnight study groups were the most popular. So, I’d suggest a plan with flex plan.
Son seems happy with the 3 meal option… If he misses a meal… it wouldn’t be a big deal… he’ll make sure he gets the next one… he’ll have some snacks on hand… he’ll get a better idea how & what works for him once he starts there… it’s hard to judge at this point what will be the best…, What I am seeing in these responses is… everyone’s lifestyle is different… and people spend differently too.
The way Geneva is set up… these 3 plans cost the same amount the 1st year… and IF you don’t click on one of those Block plans. (220 block or 180 block/ $150 flex)…you are automatically enrolled in the “3 meals a day” option…
I’ve decided to just allow that to be done by the School… if he decides that is not the best plan for him… Worst case scenario is …it would cost us some extra money (he’s use his Graduation party $$)…for him to eat at these other places when he felt like it…(to make up for loosing that $150 flex)… doesn’t seem that huge of a blunder to me.
Weighing these options… it just seems worse if he has to keep tract of meals so he won’t Run out by the end of the semester … then worry about not spending too much on flex…
Does the school allow people to buy meals for cash in the dining halls? If they do, running out of meals before the end of the semester wouldn’t be a crisis.
Running out of meals wouldn’t be a crisis…if they allow lay as you go…but since these plans cost the same, it would mean more out of pocket for the family.
My DD went to a school that was totally on a points system…not a per meal system. In addition, a certain number of those points were flex and could be used at a number of places off campus. My kid used most of her flex near the end of the second term when she bought cases of water, and treated off campus friends to dinner. She had plenty of meals.
DS had 12 meals per week, and flex points. He found this to be his best plan. Often on weekends, he and friends would share a pizza for dinner…no dining hall at all. I’m not sure he ever ate breakfast on the dining hall. BUT they had a terrific Sunday brunch and I know he was at that!!