For those college parents that know ...

[The Mystery Machine]

Thanks again everyone.

He's a soccer player and they are not (a) fed or (b) given any discount. Add that to the fact that the boy can go through a gallon of milk in less than two days - especially after he comes home from a game - and I think he's in trouble.

I thought about helping to stock his fridge freezer but we all know what dorms are like - there are four boys in one dorm space - somehow I don't think any food is safe if put in the fridge or freezer!

Can't you just pay more money if he eats up the 1,200 in one semester?

 

[monsterkitty]

Thanks again everyone.

He's a soccer player and they are not (a) fed or (b) given any discount. Add that to the fact that the boy can go through a gallon of milk in less than two days - especially after he comes home from a game - and I think he's in trouble.

I thought about helping to stock his fridge freezer but we all know what dorms are like - there are four boys in one dorm space - somehow I don't think any food is safe if put in the fridge or freezer!

I was a swimmer in the same boat. I weighed less than 100 pounds but I could put the food away!

My parents bought me a microwave and fridge for my dorm. Other swimmers would take those of us without cars to the store with them. I would stock up on soups, easy-mac, and any other shelf-stable food I could get my hands on. I would also buy tons of PB& Honey and a few loaves of bread because I could easily put down several sandwiches after practice. Tuna also was another favorite as long as my roommate was not around when I made it.

The freezer in the dorm fridges is not big enough to put more than an ice cube tray in, so forget about freezer foods.

Also, get a Brita pitcher and have him use that instead of bottled water. He can get a few of the reusable water bottles to have on hand. It is cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

Finally, many of the non-athlete friends I had took pity on me when we went to meals together. They would get food that was covered under our meal plan and just give it to me when we sat down. Have your son make friends with a few of the non-athlete girls.

 

[justjulie]

I can top up the meal plan at any time but I'm also trying to teach him to BUDGET as my funds are limited.

He has a microwave and a full size fridge in his room. He also has a small fridge of his own in his bedroom. I think he's secretly hoping to get matched up with someone from the culinary arts program so he can be their "test pilot" for all things food LOL!

He'll be stocked with peanut butter and jelly, Carnation Instant Breakfast, cereal, oatmeal and the common staple of popcorn.

I like the Brita idea and I'll pass that along to him but if it's anything like the ice cube trays, he'll never remember to fill it ... a few hot days on a soccer pitch with luke warm water might teach him a lesson

I wonder how much of a smooth talker that boy might just become - I'm sure he can be ultra charming if it means someone will feed him.

He has an all access bus pass so he can go anywhere on the bus - I'm pretty sure they is a grocery store on one of the routes but if he's lucky he can find a team mate or new friend with a car to tote the goods back and forth.

 

[novajeanjellybean]

Not a mom here but former college student.

My freshman year I went to a school that did the meal plan by meals. I had 19 meals per week and I was there most weekends. It was too much. I ended up giving meals away by the end of the semester.

The rest of my college years were spent at a school that gave you X amount of dollars to buy food for the whole semester. The food was very expensive at that school but we had places like Pizza Hut, Chick Fil A, Starbucks, and Subway to choose from. I think I had like $1200 at the beginning. I went home every weekend so by the end of the semester I had $300 or $400 left over. I ended up going to one of the little convenience stores on campus and basically going grocery shopping at the end of the semester. After that I got the $700 meal plan.

If it were me, I would get a meal plan thats in the middle and see how he does. If he needs more add to it for the next semester, if he needs less get a lower plan for the next semester. Hope this helps.

 

[disykat]

The minimum is really meant for people who don't eat in the cafeteria very much. You simply have to give him more money. Teaching to budget is one thing, but figure out how much two meals a day should add up to and give him that much. I'd start with at LEAST double the minimum.

 

[mamacatnv]

College kids are amazingly resourceful especially when it comes to food. I can relate to the gallon of milk a day, DS is home for the summer and we keep running out. It took us almost the entire school year to stop buying too much and now we can't keep up.

DS had a mini fridge and a microwave, it is amazing the things they can come up with. You can ship him the dry stuff without it costing you a fortune if he is unable to get to a store. DS frequented Wal-Mart and often was the driver for his friends without cars to stock up on the stash. Water was a big deal and we sent cases, then periodically dropped off more cases. The Britas are great - our dorm set up there was no faucet that could accomodate the pitchers and filling it with a cup "was just too inconvenient".

Also, the campus market had milk, bread etc that the kids could purchase and it was not ridiculous in price. You should be able to get more information online or by calling housing directly. Can you get a sampling of the menus and the pricing? that should help in your estimating.

I was on the phone to housing just this morning, DS will be living off campus in student housing and we are buying him a "commuter" meal plan. 75 meal swipes good for lunch only $565 - but it is also good at the all you can eat venue and they don't expire!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

The minimum is really meant for people who don't eat in the cafeteria very much. You simply have to give him more money. Teaching to budget is one thing, but figure out how much two meals a day should add up to and give him that much. I'd start with at LEAST double the minimum.

Right. I would go by what your son needs first. Then I would adjust later.

We are doing that with my dd. She has many plans to choose from and we are picking on we think will best suit her and then have her budget off of that.

Frankly $600 for a semester does not sound like a reasonable amount for your son, esp. if he is going to be there alot and he eats as much as he does.

Perhaps you can get the prices of the items since they are a la carte. Then you can make a more realistic budget.

 

[ugadog99]

My freshman's plan is unlimited at $1335 per semester. This also includes a bonus of $25 "Dooley Dollars" to be spent at the coffee shop or grill per semester. With the unlimited, though, she probably won't even touch the Dooley Dollars. I think it's a great plan since it's unlimited. Oxford/Emory is on a push for healthy/organic eating, too. That is a definite plus.

 

[mamacatnv]

This just occurred to me - are you speaking of Canadian Dollars and if so how does that equate to the US dollar? (I used to know, I don't anymore )

 

[ozarkmom]

At my son's school there are several options per semester.
Unlimited meals in the cafeteria $1050.00
15 meals per week /$30.00 DCB (that can be used in coffee shop or any of the eateries on campus)
10 meals per week/ $50.00 DCB
8 meals per week/ $140.00 DCB
220 block meal plan $1135.00 (this is in the cafeteria or any location that accepts meal equivalency.

 

[xCourxCorex]

I have the lowest meal plan at my school - 10 meals/week for $1850ish per semester. That also gets you $37 in "points" to spend in the "cafes" which have on-the-go type foods.

 

[englishteacha]

Our college had a # of meals per week plan. It worked out really well, but it was a small school and we only had 1 dining hall and 1 snack bar. I'd find out if you can add money mid semester. He may not get to the cafeteria as often as you'd think with classes and practices and such. I know there were times that I had class right up till the end of dinner time, then play practice. I ended up eating cereal for supper just because the dining room was closed.

 

[MrsPete]

I'd need more information before I could really have an opinion:

I assume there's an all-you-can-eat cafeteria. What's the cost of one meal there?
What's the cost of a typical meal in a pay-as-you-go cafeteria?
Armed with this information, you can figure up how much he might spend in a typical week. Remember that many college students sleep through breakfast.

Is he allowed to have a small refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven in the dorm room? Does his dorm room have a kitchen?
Does he have a car / access to a grocery store?
What's his comfort level with cooking? In other words, will he go hungry before he'll whip up a Steak-um sandwich, or will he have no problem whipping up a simple meal with limited facilities?

If your student "runs out of money", can you add more to his account, or can he pay in cash?
If he doesn't use all his money this year, does it "carry over" to next semester?
Is he good with money, or is he likely to run through his account quickly and need more?

Without having all the information, my best guess is that you should put in a minimal amount, then plan to refurbish it if necessary. I think it'd also be a good idea to discuss with him a per-week allotment. Many college students arrive on campus having had limited exposure to budgeting, and many of them go through the money their parents thought was for the whole year in just a few months. I'd suggest that instead of saying, "You have $1200 for the year", you tell him to look at it as, "You have about $50/week for on-campus food". If he learns this lesson as a freshman, it'll never be a problem again.

 

[justjulie]

Here are the answers to your questions:

There is no "all you can eat" option at all - none.
I have researched and called and no one can provide me with a price list for cafeteria items - prices at the Tim's and Mr. Sub are the same as the off campus retail outlets -no discounts

He can rent a bar fridge - you cannot take your own - and there is a microwave in the room. Four boys share an apartment sized fridge in the common eating area. Every other floor is equipped with a stove.

He has no car but a bus pass. If he's desperate he'll make scrambled eggs and toast - I guess he's going to learn to love them or branch out and explore his culinary skills - you can only eat so many scrambled eggs.

You can add $50 increments throughout the year. There is no carryover for the next year.

I completely agree with you - at home food is free - not so much at school. Once we figure it all out we'll break it down to a per day amount so he knows exactly where he stands. We're going to ask him what he thinks he need for food and spending money and if his number is lower than ours, we'll use him, if his number is higher than ours, we'll go with our number