Food expenses, quality varies with housing situations

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So your work hours have been cut back and you simply can’t dish out money for your meals as you have before. Or maybe you just want to start saving a few bucks. Either way, knowing about your food options before moving into a new pad is essential. Look no further for your guide on pricing and living options.

Co-ops

Student Housing Cooperatives that offer meal plans include Avalon, Vesta, Raft Hill, Hedrick, Phoenix, David Bowie Memorial, Bower and Orion. Vegetarian and vegan meal options are offered at Raft Hill, Hedrick, Phoenix, Bower and David Bowie Memorial. Orion offers a pantry-style meal plan, which provides residents with groceries and they are responsible for preparing their own food.

The average cost of rent per month for a single room at a co-op without a meal plan is $436. Including a meal plan, the cost is $458, said Adrien Vlach, executive director of the Student Housing Cooperative. Food plans often are mandatory for residents to lower food expenses for all the members. These prices include all utilities.

Most of the houses that offer meal plans budget $50 for food per person per month, Vlach said.

Meals are considered an important part of the co-op living experience, with most houses making meals four to five nights a week. Late plates also are available for students on the go who miss scheduled meals.

Dorms

Students living in the dorms purchase meal plans through housing contracts. Meal plans for off-campus students are available at www.eatatstate.com. Students with meal plans can eat at all 13 undergraduate cafeterias on campus. Some of these cafeterias are open from 7 a.m. to midnight every night of the week.

The most expensive dining plan offered by MSU is the Platinum Plan, which costs $2,363 per semester and features unlimited access to all 13 undergraduate dining halls, eight guest passes, one Grab & Go! visit per day and $300 in Spartan Cash. There are a variety of cheaper alternatives available.

For students in a rush, Grab & Go! dining offers an alternative to the dining hall, with one visit per day. At Brody, Landon, McDonel and Wilson halls, students can create a lunch featuring a pre-made sandwich or salad, cookies, chips and a drink. Shaw Hall offers a wide selection of food available for points. Students have 14 points to use each visit.

Off-campus students can also purchases meal plans to escape cooking every now and then. Single meal access costs $8.50 for lunch or dinner and $5 for breakfast. Ten dining hall access passes also are available for purchase at a cheaper price than buying multiple single access meals at the dining hall manager’s office.

Fraternities and sororities

While prices vary depending on each fraternity’s budget, Sigma Nu brothers who live in the house pay about $800 per person for a semester of food, Chapter President Will Munaco said. This gives men living in the house eight meals a week at a price of $6.50 per meal.

The fraternity also has some members paying for half of the meal plan, with which they receive half the normal amount of meals per week at half the price. Those who miss dinner during the week due to classes or work schedules can request that a plate be set aside for them to have later.

Delta Gamma Vice President of Finance Sahar MirRasekhian said the sorority sisters pay on average $1,200 each semester to eat 10 meals per week plus snacks. Monday through Thursday, members who live in the house are provided lunch and dinner. Friday and Sunday one meal is served. Other sororities on campus charge similar amounts.

There also are snacks in the house like chips and cookies, as well as breakfast foods. Leftovers are set aside for members who will miss meals, similar to the fraternities. Members of Delta Gamma who do not live in the house can also snack on the food for a price. The sisters pay $5 for dinner, $3 for lunch and $1 for a snack.

Apartments/houses

The amount residents pay in an apartment or house can vary drastically from student to student. Depending on individual budgets and eating habits, residents might spend more or less money on food. Some roommates share food and others label what is theirs. Students seem to pay on average between $20 and $50 on food per week, although every student budgets differently.

Something that seems to get to every apartment and house resident is the bill for eating out. Whether students have the money to spend on extra groceries in the week, most find a way to eat out on multiple occasions. This can drain cash fast and often leaves students’ wallets empty.

Living without a meal plan and someone to make breakfast, lunch and dinner can be difficult. Getting motivated after a long day of classes to make dinner might not be easy. Keeping cookbooks with easy recipes around might help.

Pooling money and sharing food between roommates might help with grocery costs. However, it can also cause some big problems. No one wants to admit to eating the last of the ice cream. If one roommate eats more than their share, hostility could arise. Roommate dinners might be one perk to sharing — making dinner together gives everyone a break from frozen pizza and ensures at least one good meal that week.

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