If when you go to college you consider getting a meal plan, think again. There are many disadvantages that come with getting a meal plan, and if you have the option not to get it then you should consider that option. In this article, I will talk about 5 reasons why you should not buy a meal plan at all while you’re at college.
In this post:
1. They Are Expensive
Yes, this is correct. meal plans are very expensive, they usually cost hundreds or thousands of dollars and that money has to be paid upfront or in 2 payments. If you do not have the money to get a meal plan then that should be reason enough for you to stay away from these money wasters. You can come up with a budget for yourself and then go out and buy food with that money instead of spending a lot of money on meals that aren’t worth that or that could’ve gotten you something better.
2. You Will Get Bored Of The Food
This is a good reason to not get a meal plan. You will soon get bored of the food that is served. It’s true, cafeterias where you can use your meal plan usually are buffet style or have many options for you to choose from but just think about having only these options for the rest of the semester or year. It’s not something that you will get used to and love forever; the meals might be good the first couple of days and even weeks, but it will get old and you will want something different.
3. You Won’t Get Refunds For Unused Meals
If you get a meal plan with too many guaranteed meals because you think that that’s how much you’ll eat or because you don’t want to buy a meal plan that will leave you without food half-semester know that if you don’t use all of your meals you will not get refunded the money you didn’t use and it will not be rolled over to the next semester or year. This is very unfair and it’s probably the main reason why you should stay away from meal plans; you can end up losing hundreds of dollars.
4. You May Not Always Be There During Open Cafeteria Hours
If you are not always near a cafeteria when it’s open, if you have to work at a place where you’re not guaranteed a set schedule, or if you just have too much going on and you can’t schedule yourself to eat every day at certain times then stay away from meal plans as they will limit what you can or cannot do and when you do those things. If you get a meal plan and you’re not there when it’s open then you will just be losing money and that’s money that you can be used to eat out or buy your own food to cook at your place.
5. You May Not Like The Food There
Before buying a meal plan you should visit the cafeterias and taste the food. If you do not like the food there please do not even buy a meal plan because you will not use it. If your school tells you that you have to purchase your meal plan before a certain date and you can’t go and taste the food before that date then don’t buy it; they are usually just bluffing to get you to spend your money already and you can buy a meal plan once the school year begins.
