<p>I was thinking of getting the 10 meals a week plan, but wouldn’t it make more sense to just put that money on purse 2, since purses can be used anywhere? And I wouldn’t have to worry about wasting meals with the meal plan.</p>
<p>YES. My daughter does that.</p>
<p>How much is a meal at one of the dining halls if you just have $$ on your purse?</p>
<p>I really don’t know how much the cost of a meal is without the discount of the plan. My daughter only eats there maybe once a week so it dosen’t pay for her to have even the smallest meal plan. I asked her how much it was and of course she had no idea, she just swipes her card and goes in.</p>
<p>I am sure that it is less money than most of her other dinners (at Too Jays, Friendlys, Jimmy Johns, Chilis etc). She eats out a lot.</p>
<p>seiclan, does your D have a share of a kitchen? My D hopes to in the Fall at Lake Claire and was just wondering where a decent, close supermarket was. thanks.</p>
<p>My daughter lives in Towers and she also does cook. There is a Publix on Alafaya just north of McColough (sp?) but she usually shops at Super Target in the Waterford Shops (on Alafaya, one mile south of 50/Colonial). Waterford shops is a big shopping area and has everything there (California Pizza Kitchen/Too Jays Deli/Megamovie plex/Old Navy) I will look for the link and post it so you can see.</p>
<p>I just googled it and here is a list of all the shops there…pages and pages worth!</p>
<p>[waterford</a> lakes shops in orlando - Google Maps](<a href=“Google Maps”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>It is called Waterford Lakes shops and it has everything!!!</p>
<p>Ok, I found a Waterford Lakes directory (you can see all the restaurants,stores and offices that are located there):</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.simon.com/mall/directory.aspx?ID=394[/url]”>http://www.simon.com/mall/directory.aspx?ID=394</a></p>
<p>Do you know of LYNX goes straight to Waterford Lakes from UCF, or would I have to go on multiple buses?</p>
<p>I am not sure about the LYNX buses but here is a very valuable page to bookmark and/or print:</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~citrus/services.html]Services[/url”>http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~citrus/services.html]Services[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Here is a copy of the LYNX map…I think the bus goes south from UCF to the corner of Alafaya and Colonial but then turns west on colonial. Waterford Lakes is south of that. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.golynx.com/assets/userfiles/media/pdf/systemmap.pdf[/url]”>http://www.golynx.com/assets/userfiles/media/pdf/systemmap.pdf</a></p>
<p>Thank you seiclan, those links are extremely helpful.</p>
<p>Thank you for this link! [Simon.com</a> - Mall Directory](<a href=“http://www.simon.com/mall/directory.aspx?ID=394]Simon.com”>http://www.simon.com/mall/directory.aspx?ID=394)</p>
<p>They have a Bed Bath and Beyond. D already stopped at our local BB&B store and “ordered” some dorm items. We can pick them up at the closest store when she moves in. Thanks for having the address handy!</p>
<p>Would that be the closest BB&B Store?</p>
<p>BB&B in Waterford Lakes is definitely a great resource (and the closest one to campus by far). I’ve gone there multiple times for stuff for my room–and I’m a guy!</p>
<p>As for groceries, there are two Walmarts nearby (one on Alafaya right after McCulloch, one on 50 right by Alafaya) in addition to Publiz (which is more expensive).</p>
<p>I could not highly recommend NOT getting a meal plan enough. The meal plans at UCF are a ripoff and many of them are all but scams. The 10 meals a week one, for instance, usually costs MORE than simply buying at the door will–plus if you don’t have the plan, you’re free to save money by not eating there 10 times a week! That money adds up fast! I would conservatively say that I have spent less than half on food this year (no plan) compared to last (unlimited one semester, 15 the next). And I’m a fairly big eater. For those who don’t eat as much, it’s a waste of money to be spending all that dough on a buffet all the time!</p>
<p>In short: DO NOT get a plan. (Meals a la carte cost either 7.25 for lunch or 8.25 for dinner. I thought I’d buy four or five a week, but I’ve only gone maybe ten times all semester. It’s so much cheaper to buy groceries!)</p>
<p>Would you recommend getting flex bucks instead or using a purse</p>
<p>If you lived in a dorm without a kitchen (like Libra), would anybody recommend getting a meal plan? The smallest plan seems like it’d be too much for me. I plan on living on frozen dinners and easy mac. And can somebody tell me what a purse is? As compared to the flex $?</p>
<p>Where can I read about flexbucks and purses?</p>
<p>Peruse this site for UCF id card information (including purses):</p>
<p>[UCF</a> Card Services : Home](<a href=“http://www.ucfcard.ucf.edu/index.asp]UCF”>http://www.ucfcard.ucf.edu/index.asp)</p>
<p>Waterford Lakes Towne Center is definitely the closest BB&B to UCF. It takes between 5 and 10 minutes to get to Waterford Lakes from the corner of Alafaya and University (the entrance to UCF), depending on traffic and stoplights. I don’t recommend the Super Target for groceries, though – unless things are on sale, you can buy them cheaper at other grocery stores nearby (there are Wal-Marts, Neighborhood Markets, Winn-Dixie, and Publix stores close to campus). Super Target is a great resource for anything else you could possibly need, though, and they are extremely well stocked with campus living items each August to accomodate returning UCF students.</p>
<p>My son (who is at UF, not UCF, but I imagine the situations are similar) does not have a meal plan and finds he eats better and more cheaply than he did when he had a meal plan last year. Dining hall food gets old fast. He keeps a decent fridge in his room and gets groceries weekly so he can eat on his own, plus he orders pizza with his roomates (which ends up costing a lot less than dining hall food) and hits Subway fairly often. We are paying quite a bit less for food this year than we did when he had a meal plan.</p>
<p>Also, the UCF Lynx bus used to go right by Waterford Lakes on a regular basis – however, you should check directly with Lynx to make sure, because they have cut some routes due to budget issues.</p>
<p>so on average, how much do I need to budget weekly for meals? I’ve been told average is $100, with $80 on low side for smaller appetites to $120 on the higher side for bigger appetites.</p>