In the Nov. 3 edition of The Eastern Echo we explored the pros and cons of buying a meal plan versus paying cash for food. Since then some new information has come to light. Since food expenses can be the most expensive part of a student’s budget, we wanted to make sure you have the best information available.
I spoke with Anne Klaes from Dining Services, and she offered some information that was not mentioned in the last meal plan article.
Specifically, I noted the prices of the traditional meal plans, which are the most expensive meal plans, as well as, the only ones available to freshman students. These offer two or three meals a day during the week and three meals during the weekend or eight meals a week in total.
Flex dollars are also included in these plans, which can be used if students would like to purchase more meals during the week or snacks. There are $75, $150 and $250 flex amounts that accompany traditional meal plans, according to which is chosen.
The Advantage meal plan, which is not available for those living in dorm residence halls, charges at a rate of $6.75 per meal, plus reduced Commons entry. Advantage 30 offers 30 meals at $182.25, the Advantage 60 is $357.75, the Advantage 120 is $708.75, and the Advantage 180 is $1012.50 per semester.
The Advantage Flex plan comes in packages costing $200, $500 or $1,000 per semester. The nice thing about these plans is that it works in a debit card fashion and adds 10 percent value of how much you spend to your card.
While the Advantage meal plans are better priced than the traditional meal plans, it would still be cheaper to buy food yourself if you are living off campus. Breakfast does not have to cost $6.75 every day if you like to eat eggs, cereal, toast or even bacon.
A loaf of bread with 12-16 slices costs around $2.00, and a carton of a dozen eggs usually costs about $1.50 to $2. You can have two eggs with two slices of toast daily for six days, at a cost of $4. This is clearly cheaper than spending $6.75 on breakfast each morning.
Even if you toss in $10 worth of bacon a week, which is an overestimate, you would still save money each week making your own breakfast.
Depending on which cereal brand you like, you can buy a box from $2-$3, which can last a week. A gallon of milk costs around $2.50, which can last more than a week. This means you can spend about $5 for eating cereal every day for a week, too.
If the meal plans were tailored in a way that focused on lunch and dinner, it would be worth the price. Spending $6.75 on breakfast daily seems like a waste of money.
For those who don’t have time to cook, a car to go to the store or would rather use the convenience of eating on campus, buying a meal plan is a great idea. However, if you already have a car and go to the store regularly, it’s cheaper just to buy and make your own food.
People with diet restrictions can work with the Executive Chef or team of Dietetic Students to plan meals that they can consume. However, more variety is possible when making your own food because even those without dietary restrictions you might find the food on campus somewhat limited and unvaried.
Especially for those who don’t eat until they’re stuffed, it’s easy to save money by buying your own food.
You can make meals and have leftovers the next day with options like spaghetti or stir fry.
It’s also much less likely that someone would gain excess weight from consistently eating large amounts of food if not visiting a buffet on a daily basis, and health should be a primary concern for anyone.
It can be fun and advantageous to learn to cook, as well, since meal plans won’t be an option once you’re out of college. Ultimately, whatever works best for you and your lifestyle is the way to go – but everyone knows money is an issue for any college student.
