By Alexia Finney | Staff Writer
As finals approach, students check their dwindling bank accounts to find they burned all of their dining dollars on Sushic, Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks. Those who spent it all said they wished they had saved properly throughout the semester after realizing they had nothing left. Now with a minimal budget, they seek creative ways to spend their money on food.
Students with extra meal swipes can donate them through Bear Swipe Share, a program that allows unused swipes to be given to fellow students in need at The Store.
Sugar Land junior Charlie Aramburo said he started with $250 at the start of the semester, but that number has dwindled to $13.11 as classes progressed. Aramburo said he plans to spend his remaining funds on sandwiches.
“I’ll probably go to Moody Starbucks and get a ham and swiss croissant,” Aramburo said. “Or maybe a ham cheeser from Rise’n Roll.”
Lodi, Calif., junior Jeremiah Longmire relates to that struggle and said he only has $2.67 left. Longmire said he plans to reward himself with a sweet treat after finals.
“[At first] I felt like I had a million dining dollars,” Longmire said. “Now I want to buy an ICEE from the student store — the one by Penland.”
Similarly, Los Angeles sophomore Jack Nowlin said he ran out of dining dollars at the beginning of the semester because he couldn’t help but go to the SUB every day for lunch.
“Every day, I go to the SUB Chick-fil-A, and I eat all I can buy,” Nowlin said. “If I’m still hungry, I use extra dining dollars — every day.”
Others, such as Fort Collins, Colo., junior Lauren Rajotte said she doesn’t have dining dollars now that she’s an upperclassman, but recalled running out quickly her freshman year.
“Freshman year, I had zero by October,” Rajotte said. “I was a coffee addict, so I went to get coffee three times a week.”
Waco sophomore Julia Pitts said she only has $0.75 left because she prefers the SUB to dining hall food.
“I spend it on food,” Pitts said. “I have two Sic ‘Em’ Swipes a week. If I want to use more than two, I have to use my dining dollars.”
But Kansas City senior Trenton Winn, a diamond in the rough, said he saves his dining dollars until the end of the semester.
“I have $86.39 left,” Winn said. “Near the end, I usually buy 20-30 Gatorades to last me through the next semester. Last year, they had to give me a huge box.”
Whether running out early or saving until the end of the semester, students are learning valuable lessons about budgeting and balancing their dining dollars. For some, it’s a chance to enjoy a treat after finals; for others, it’s about stretching their remaining funds creatively.
