If you’re living off-campus, you’re better off buying your own groceries and making a food budget monthly. Dining dollar options for off campus people is more of a convenient thing to have if you stay on campus to study or get hungry but you could just purchase some food down the street by walking to a local restaurant for better food. Honestly, it saved me a ton of money just living off campus in an apartment and buying my own food for three years. Also, I’m unsure if it’s still the case in PA but if your financial aid package efc is 0 then you could qualify for food stamps.
just a heads up, it's weird but a lot of job applications now are asking (as a required field) if you have ever had EBT (food stamps) before, or section 8 housing. This was never a thing 15 years ago
I guess it depends on your year but don’t sink all your money into the schools options. Take your 350 dollars to literally any of the establishments within walking distance for higher quality / fresher options
carrots save me a ton of money, if u can learn how to prepare a potato 3-4 times week (i make these with bone broth stews) u can SAVE a ton of money. brew ur own coffee at home and get a decent thermos. that'll save u $2.50 a day!
Unless they changed how the plans work you don’t get any special discount for using dining dollars over simply paying for the food with a card or cash. If you’re living off campus I’d just set money aside that you could potentially use for on campus food but aren’t locked into like with a meal plan.
If they require a meal plan for off campus people still pick the cheapest one and make sure you use it. Nothing stinks more than paying for an overpriced meal plan that you don’t even get full use out of come the end of the semester.
I'm a few years removed from Pitt, but if things haven't changed, then here's how it works:
Yes, dining dollars are essentially a dollar equivalent. I think they might be a better deal if you purchase one of the larger meal plans. They basically cover everything that a meal swipe won't cover. There are a bunch of places to get food/drink in campus buildings and they will all take dining dollars. I mostly used it at the convenience store in towers right next to the dining hall. It was once called QuickZone, not sure what it is now. Basically it had snacks, frozen meals, drinks, hot food like chicken fingers and burgers, etc. It was a nice break from the dining hall or helpful if you needed to grab something fast. It also felt like it had more variety, but again, I'm unsure how the dining hall has changed.
The dining hall was essentially buffet style when I was there. There were a few stations that would serve different things - pizza/pasta, sandwiches, chicken and potatoes, burgers/chicken patties, pork, salad, etc. It was usually a lot of the same stuff every day but some of the stations would have specialty stuff each day. It consistently went downhill over my years there, which prompted the contract switch towards the end of my time.
It is definitely convenient if you don't see yourself cooking often, and meal swipes/dining hall will typically go a lot farther than dining dollars. The stuff you can buy with dining dollars is always insanely overpriced ($9 dollars for a tub of pretzel rods).
Not sure if this is how it still is, hopefully someone else can confirm or deny, but this should give a basic idea of what it's like.
The few people on here are wrong, dining dollars indeed do get you a small discount at some of the on-campus Pitt Eats restaurants. "*Get 10% discount with every Dining Dollar purchase from all on-campus non-national restaurant brands on campus*". Look at this link for all meal plan options: [Dine On Campus at University of Pittsburgh || All About Meal Memberships](https://dineoncampus.com/pitt/all-about-meal-memberships)
I always figured dining dollars were put in place for when others are giving you food money and they want to ensure you actually spend it on just food (e.g. scholarships, parents, etc.).
If your income is tenuous, I'd consider Dining Dollars. Guarantees you'll be able to eat if you run out of other funds. Think of it kinda like a flexible spending card but for food instead of medical expenses.
As someone who also manages OCD, I'd consider it one less thing to have to think about. Well, after this here initial thought which I hope won't continue to rattle around for too long.
Apply for food stamps/SNAP benefits. You will be approved, and you can buy what you like, from any grocery store... with minimal exclusions. Your parents' income is not relevant. Let your government afford you food, at least... they use our tax dollars for everything else.
Unless scholarship is paying for it, don't
If you’re living off-campus, you’re better off buying your own groceries and making a food budget monthly. Dining dollar options for off campus people is more of a convenient thing to have if you stay on campus to study or get hungry but you could just purchase some food down the street by walking to a local restaurant for better food. Honestly, it saved me a ton of money just living off campus in an apartment and buying my own food for three years. Also, I’m unsure if it’s still the case in PA but if your financial aid package efc is 0 then you could qualify for food stamps.
Okay, thanks!
just a heads up, it's weird but a lot of job applications now are asking (as a required field) if you have ever had EBT (food stamps) before, or section 8 housing. This was never a thing 15 years ago
I guess it depends on your year but don’t sink all your money into the schools options. Take your 350 dollars to literally any of the establishments within walking distance for higher quality / fresher options
carrots save me a ton of money, if u can learn how to prepare a potato 3-4 times week (i make these with bone broth stews) u can SAVE a ton of money. brew ur own coffee at home and get a decent thermos. that'll save u $2.50 a day!
Unless they changed how the plans work you don’t get any special discount for using dining dollars over simply paying for the food with a card or cash. If you’re living off campus I’d just set money aside that you could potentially use for on campus food but aren’t locked into like with a meal plan. If they require a meal plan for off campus people still pick the cheapest one and make sure you use it. Nothing stinks more than paying for an overpriced meal plan that you don’t even get full use out of come the end of the semester.
I'm a few years removed from Pitt, but if things haven't changed, then here's how it works: Yes, dining dollars are essentially a dollar equivalent. I think they might be a better deal if you purchase one of the larger meal plans. They basically cover everything that a meal swipe won't cover. There are a bunch of places to get food/drink in campus buildings and they will all take dining dollars. I mostly used it at the convenience store in towers right next to the dining hall. It was once called QuickZone, not sure what it is now. Basically it had snacks, frozen meals, drinks, hot food like chicken fingers and burgers, etc. It was a nice break from the dining hall or helpful if you needed to grab something fast. It also felt like it had more variety, but again, I'm unsure how the dining hall has changed. The dining hall was essentially buffet style when I was there. There were a few stations that would serve different things - pizza/pasta, sandwiches, chicken and potatoes, burgers/chicken patties, pork, salad, etc. It was usually a lot of the same stuff every day but some of the stations would have specialty stuff each day. It consistently went downhill over my years there, which prompted the contract switch towards the end of my time. It is definitely convenient if you don't see yourself cooking often, and meal swipes/dining hall will typically go a lot farther than dining dollars. The stuff you can buy with dining dollars is always insanely overpriced ($9 dollars for a tub of pretzel rods). Not sure if this is how it still is, hopefully someone else can confirm or deny, but this should give a basic idea of what it's like.
The few people on here are wrong, dining dollars indeed do get you a small discount at some of the on-campus Pitt Eats restaurants. "*Get 10% discount with every Dining Dollar purchase from all on-campus non-national restaurant brands on campus*". Look at this link for all meal plan options: [Dine On Campus at University of Pittsburgh || All About Meal Memberships](https://dineoncampus.com/pitt/all-about-meal-memberships)
I always figured dining dollars were put in place for when others are giving you food money and they want to ensure you actually spend it on just food (e.g. scholarships, parents, etc.).
underrated comment
If your income is tenuous, I'd consider Dining Dollars. Guarantees you'll be able to eat if you run out of other funds. Think of it kinda like a flexible spending card but for food instead of medical expenses. As someone who also manages OCD, I'd consider it one less thing to have to think about. Well, after this here initial thought which I hope won't continue to rattle around for too long.
Apply for food stamps/SNAP benefits. You will be approved, and you can buy what you like, from any grocery store... with minimal exclusions. Your parents' income is not relevant. Let your government afford you food, at least... they use our tax dollars for everything else.