College meal plan or learn how to cook?

[Syringer]

So next year at UCLA I have the choice of paying $1000 a quarter, x3 $3000 for the year :Q..and that's for the 14 meal a week plan, and..this is supposed to be nationally recognized food.

Or I can buy and make my own food through my kitchen.

Now, I can cook really basic stuff, and am willing to learn if need be..and would probably cut my food bill by a good dela if I do so. And..since the meal plan is only 14 meals a week, and given that I'll probably eat a lot more than that I'll end up making some of my own stuff anyway..

 

[spanky]

learn how to cook, or at least know the # for cheap pizza.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Get a microwave and cooking will be easy Syringer

 

[minendo]

Use the $3000 towards your own food. Even at $200 for food per month and 9 months of school you have $1200 left over.

$200 per month for food is a lot of food and high quality food as a matter of fact for one person.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Cook yourself -- start with the left foot and work upwards.



But seriously: you save money, become more self-sufficient, and (if you need more exercise) you could try walking to the store to pick up fresh produce & fresh bread several times a week.

 

[Anubis]

cook it yourself

teh food at my school is rated #5 in the country and i still hate eating it. luckily ill have a kitchen next year.

 

[alm99]

I did both. Freshman and sophmore year I had the meal plan. Junior and senior year I made my own. Let me tell ya, the food might be crap in the dining hall, but the convenience way overweighed the taste. I would stick with the meal plan. There were so many times I wanted to just go and get something to eat without the hassle of making it or getting the same fast food everyday

 

[Anubis]

at our school you can do both actually. you can get teh apt meal plan. so you can still eat in teh caf if you want to every now and then

 

[rawoutput]

Get a meal plan. You'll start out cooking but eventually you'll get lazy and not want to go grocery shopping, so you'll spend your grocery money on crack or whatever. Then with what you have left you'll eat out every single day, and that $3,000 will be gone in a few months. Or you could get a meal plan and not have to worry about what you'll cook, what food you have, how to get to the store, etc etc etc. Meal plan is the better choice, not everything is about numbers.

 

[McCarthy]

You need to work on your math if you're getting 3 quarters = 1 year. Or is there some rebate/coupon code deal here I missed?

Ok, go on the yearly basis. $3000 is a wad of cash, but it's $8.21 a day. If you use it for all your meals it'd be hard to beat that cooking for yourself. If you plan to eat Cheerios at home, grab lunch somewhere else half the time and use the meal plan the other half, then it gets questionable.

Your first semester though I'd say get it, if you find you're not using it effectively, switch. If you are using it for almost all your meals it's probably cheaper.

Cook yourself you have to include: Food cost. Cooking cost (increased electric bill). Utensils cost - unless you're going to live on frozen pizza you're probably going to buy a pot or pan, definately a skillet. Clean up cost - ok, one bottle of dishsoap will last you. Opportunity cost - time you give over to cooking, shopping for food and cleanup rather than studying more, taking an extra class per semester and graduating earlier.

 

[KingNothing]

Cooking yourself is easy and if you want a fast meal, cook your food the night before and eat it the next few days.

 

[alphatarget1]

learn how to cook, buying your own food (learn how to go smart-grocery shopping) and cooking it yourself might take some time but it tastes a LOT better than dorm food, you can have more varieties and you can have like a better diet. dorm food=teh suck

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: McCarthy
You need to work on your math if you're getting 3 quarters = 1 year. Or is there some rebate/coupon code deal here I missed?

There's three quarters during the school year, fourth is the summer session..

Ok, go on the yearly basis. $3000 is a wad of cash, but it's $8.21 a day. If you use it for all your meals it'd be hard to beat that cooking for yourself. If you plan to eat Cheerios at home, grab lunch somewhere else half the time and use the meal plan the other half, then it gets questionable.

I think if I go to Costco and stock up on stuff from there I can save money through there.

Your first semester though I'd say get it, if you find you're not using it effectively, switch. If you are using it for almost all your meals it's probably cheaper.

Good idea..

Cook yourself you have to include: Food cost. Cooking cost (increased electric bill).

We get free electricity

 

[ShawnD1]

learn how to cook rice and pasta. rice and pasta are amazingly cheap as well as very high in starch. spend $10 on a 20lb bag of rice and you'll have food for a month. you'll need some vegetables and meat just to keep your body in good condition but the majority of your meals should consist pasta or rice.

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: alphatarget1
learn how to cook, buying your own food (learn how to go smart-grocery shopping) and cooking it yourself might take some time but it tastes a LOT better than dorm food, you can have more varieties and you can have like a better diet. dorm food=teh suck

Supposed to be good and full of variety at our school..

http://www.dining.ucla.edu/

 

[dolph]

you'll feel guilty for every meal you eat out if you get the meal plan. keep the money and learn to cook

 

[Looney]

Learn to cook a turkey... you can get them for as cheap as $0.50 a lb in the offseason. A $5 turkey will last you all week!

 

[alphatarget1]

Originally posted by: Syringer

Originally posted by: alphatarget1
learn how to cook, buying your own food (learn how to go smart-grocery shopping) and cooking it yourself might take some time but it tastes a LOT better than dorm food, you can have more varieties and you can have like a better diet. dorm food=teh suck

Supposed to be good and full of variety at our school..

http://www.dining.ucla.edu/

wow the cafeteria looks nice... a lot nicer than ours actually the dorm here we get all-you-can-eat crappy food and it's fairly expensive (rounds up ot 6 dollars a meal). Thank god i didn't get a mealplan

 

[McCarthy]

Oh, you're not going over the summer. Bummer. Well, that drives up the cost per day.

Ok, now I change my suggestion, still get it the first quarter so you can ease into cooking. But then cook like a madman. And make friends with people who like to cook

 

[Spac3d]

What kitchen do you have access too? If it is a floor kitchen, just go with a meal plan. If it is a kitchen is for you and your roomates, then dont get the plan.

 

[TheBoyBlunder]

Originally posted by: Syringer
So next year at UCLA I have the choice of paying $1000 a quarter, x3 $3000 for the year :Q..and that's for the 14 meal a week plan, and..this is supposed to be nationally recognized food.

Or I can buy and make my own food through my kitchen.

Now, I can cook really basic stuff, and am willing to learn if need be..and would probably cut my food bill by a good dela if I do so. And..since the meal plan is only 14 meals a week, and given that I'll probably eat a lot more than that I'll end up making some of my own stuff anyway..

are you living on campus (dorms or on campus apartments?) or off campus?

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: TheBoyBlunder

Originally posted by: Syringer
So next year at UCLA I have the choice of paying $1000 a quarter, x3 $3000 for the year :Q..and that's for the 14 meal a week plan, and..this is supposed to be nationally recognized food.

Or I can buy and make my own food through my kitchen.

Now, I can cook really basic stuff, and am willing to learn if need be..and would probably cut my food bill by a good dela if I do so. And..since the meal plan is only 14 meals a week, and given that I'll probably eat a lot more than that I'll end up making some of my own stuff anyway..

are you living on campus (dorms or on campus apartments?) or off campus?

Campus apts.

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: Spac3d
What kitchen do you have access too? If it is a floor kitchen, just go with a meal plan. If it is a kitchen is for you and your roomates, then dont get the plan.

We get our own kitchen.

 

[elanarchist]

Am I the only one who will be paying 1900 per semester (3800 a year) next year for a simple 14 meals a week plan? Ah, no wonder everyone at my school seems to have a student job...

 

[monk3y]

Hey if the meal plan is payed for might as well use it till you HAVE to learn to cook. Thought you will end up making stuff that tastes better than anything you can get outside by the time you learn to cook so I really don't know. I love cooking but it does become a hassle at times.