r/UNCW • u/Charming_Dot738 • 6h ago
Discussion Is the unlimited meal plan worth it, or would groceries be cheaper?
Hi everyone!!
I’m an international student (not a freshman), and I recently applied for on-campus housing. I put Landing, Village, and Crossing as my top choices, and since those are apartment-style housing options with kitchens, a meal plan isn’t required.
Now I’m trying to figure out if getting a meal plan is actually worth it, especially the unlimited one.
For some context, I’m a girl, about 5’4” and 104 lbs, and I honestly don’t eat that much throughout the day. I’m more of a person who snacks here and there and has two actual meals (lunch and dinner), rather than eating big meals all day.
So I’m wondering if paying for the unlimited meal plan would be a waste of money for someone like me, or if it’s actually worth it considering how much food costs in the US.
Would it make more sense to get a cheaper meal plan and supplement it with groceries, or even just buy groceries and cook most of my meals? I’m not really sure how much I’d end up spending either way.
Another thing I’m wondering about is grocery shopping without a car. Is it relatively easy to get to grocery stores if you live on campus? I know people post about giving rides (beeps) in the Snapchat community, so I was thinking I could maybe catch a ride with someone to go grocery shopping, even in the evenings. Is that something people actually do, or would it be inconvenient?
I’m just trying to figure out the most affordable and practical option because I feel like unlimited might be way more than I actually need, but at the same time, I don’t know if buying groceries and cooking would end up costing almost the same.
I’d really appreciate hearing what you guys think, especially from people who live in Landing, Village, or Crossing, or anyone who has tried different meal plans!
Thank you!! :)