My Meal Plan is a Waste of Tuition

I am in crucial debt, but at least I can buy 30 bags of chips.

As a non-residential student, I am barely on campus. I spend more time driving to school rather than being there. My school hooked me up with a meal plan, though. This is week four of the spring semester and I have 300 dollars to spare for food.

I did not choose the meal plan. The meal plan chose me. Schools like to give meal points because why should the off-campus students be hungry? The only problem is we are attending remote classes and limiting our presence at school. The meal plan sits there and once the semester is finished, the money vanishes.

College is expensive. Students have to pay for their classes, boarding, technology expenses, and maybe even a fee to set up a payment plan. School fees constantly build with going to graduate school or pursuing higher education. It is sad people study hard to a get degree and at the end of the day, they are punished because they cannot afford what they earned.

Federal and private loans are coming in the way of young people becoming independent with owning homes, cars, and might prevent them from having children. It is hard going to school knowing after I graduate, I might spend a good 10 to 15 years paying back my loans. This world lives on money, and it is hard to get money to live.

The meal plan is the core of my financial crisis. I know that school costs thousands of dollars, but my 300 dollar meal points balance is stalling. I feel that I am throwing money away because I am not on campus very often.

Before the pandemic, I would be on campus every day. I would buy a buffalo chicken sandwich and a bottle of sweet tea. The go-to. The meal plan would go down with constant use. I would have to figure how much money I should spend weekly, so I wouldn’t have to put more money into the plan. However, it is very different now.

I struggle with figuring out what should I eat on the few days I am at school. I consider buying a simple meal or maybe buying a bit more. I don’t want to waste food either if I’m not hungry. I also don’t want to spend too much just in case I am in the situation that I run out. I am in a constant dilemma because I see the future of repayment.

There is a panic of thinking school may switch back to remote classes only. Then, the meal plan may get transferred to the following semester. I would be back to square one trying to figure out to spend even more money.

My plan currently is to buy what I want for the day. When the semester comes to an end, I guess I might have to stock up on sweet teas to bring home.