DawnM Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 So, my oldest is at a private school. They have over 10 eating establishments on their campus and you can swipe your card at any of them. And they can get an item at one of them and use their declining balance dining dollars. There are vending machines, but those cost extra and you pay out of pocket. This annoyed me as he usually has some dining dollars left to use at the end of the year but uses cash at the vending machines. Now my middle son is at a state school. They have a HUGE amount of declining dollars and it CAN be used at vending machines! Now I am annoyed by that as he is using it to buy too much junk! ETA: he clarified that they can use their declining balance for the food vending but not the drink vending.....I don't have the slightest idea why. See, I am a mess. What does your school do about vending? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 Neither school my dc have attended allow meal plans or extra dining dollars to go toward vending machines. However, both have places to eat all over campus, with junk available for purchase with extra dining dollars. At the end of the year, one of my dc bought a bunch of snack food to bring home and then was allowed to donate the remainder to a local food pantry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 DS19's school is simple--all food purchases, whether at a dining hall or other on campus restaurant, vending machine or on campus convenience store (large state school, lots of options), comes out of the meal plan money. The vending machines in their dorm had the usual snack stuff but also things one could make a meal out of like Hot Pockets, apples and bananas. And sometimes DS did that when the weather was really bad and he didn't want to walk to a dining hall. Like klmama said, DS spent his remaining dining money at a campus store. It was the day DH and I went to help him move out of the dorm, and many people were doing what we referred to as their "The Price is Right" run through the stores. They take donations to a local food pantry. We gave some to that and also brought home several cans of nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 23, 2018 Author Share Posted July 23, 2018 Well, you are right that there is junk to buy all over. The non cafeteria style options have junk you can stock up on.....sodas, chips, etc....so I guess it is all the same in the end. So, maybe it is better to be able to use your dollars.....oldest pays more if he is across campus and needs a soda. There is no food pantry donation at my doest's school. I can't remember why the school said they couldn't do it. Not sure about middle as he just started in the summer and hasn't gone for a reg. term yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch at Home Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 My DD's private school has unlimited swipes on her card and $50 to be spent at the coffee/convenience shop, grill, or sandwich shop. There is no money to go towards the vending machines. With the variety limited amount of money on her card, she has not had any left though she could have spent it at the convenience shop if necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 I haven't noticed very many vending machines at either of my dds' schools. For sure, neither meal plan mentions them. There's a vending machine in the library that sells only school supplies like Scantrons, pencils, and notebooks. For some reason, I am endlessly amused by that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arch at Home Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 There is some traction at DD's school to allow the food bucks be used for laundry and other on campus expenses. Food is definitely covered but some have troubles with the miscellaneous expenses. I could definitely see the benefit of a school supplies vending machine. Think of all of those last minute dashes to the book store for a scantron that it would head off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 Vending machines were not plentiful at DD's school and meal cards were not accepted in the machines. At DS's school, some vending machines will use some meal plan money. It is a complicated system, in which there are unlimited swipes in the cafeteria, so many meal exchange swipes at some campus food locations outside of the cafeteria, so many dining dollars that can be used at on campus dining establishments and some vending machines, and campus dollars that can be used in the campus bookstore (including the Starbucks located there) and even at some restaurants in town! Washers and dryers are free at both schools. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 28, 2018 Author Share Posted July 28, 2018 On 7/24/2018 at 1:53 PM, jdahlquist said: Vending machines were not plentiful at DD's school and meal cards were not accepted in the machines. At DS's school, some vending machines will use some meal plan money. It is a complicated system, in which there are unlimited swipes in the cafeteria, so many meal exchange swipes at some campus food locations outside of the cafeteria, so many dining dollars that can be used at on campus dining establishments and some vending machines, and campus dollars that can be used in the campus bookstore (including the Starbucks located there) and even at some restaurants in town! Washers and dryers are free at both schools. Oldest son's school (private) doesn't have an unlimited plan option. The largest plan is 18 meals per week and $100 meal dollars per quarter. He is now in the on-campus apartments and we haven't decided on his meal plan for Fall quarter yet. He can have none, but he has no car and I know he won't spend a lot of time cooking, so I will get him a small meal plan of some sort. Washers and dryers are $1 each at his school. Middle is at a state school and in the dorms and has a choice of 2 meal plans, unlimited with $300 declining balance per semester or the 175 meal swipes and $600 declining balance. He is choosing the 2nd one. They have about 13 vendors on campus (Chick Fil A, several sandwich places, Chili's, Arby's, Starbuck's, etc... and those all use declining balance.) Washers and dryers are free at the state school. Campus dollars are like cash and I add money to those at both colleges. They can use those anywhere on campus, including the bookstore, and if they have leftover $$ at the end of their time there, I get that back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted July 28, 2018 Share Posted July 28, 2018 I think universities have a difficult time navigating this. I know some administrators who have received a call from one parent complaining that their child cannot use campus dollars in any way they want on campus; these parents say they completely trust their child to spend money wisely and it is too cumbersome for their child to have to carry both their student ID and a credit card or their student ID and cash. As soon as they hang up they can a call from another parent wanting to limit what their child could use the money on, because they don't want it spent on junk food. One frequent concern has been when students can use their campus cash to make bookstore purchases and the bookstore sell gift cards; then students can use their campus cash to buy a gift card and purchase almost anything they want--not just things sold on campus. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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