At this point in the semester, most Holy Cross students are running dangerously low on dining dollars. Even though we start the semester with $425, they seem to disappear as quickly as our motivation. However, in my 2 years here on the Hill, I have discovered some tricks to help me stretch my dining dollars all the way through finals week – yes, it’s possible. Take notes people, if you don’t need these tips just yet, I guarantee you will need them in the near future.
1. Get A Frequent Buyer Card at Cool Beans
Photo by Claire Turner
If you’re like most HC students, you probably consume a lot of coffee. We don’t judge, we understand the necessity of those caffeine highs on a regular basis. Pick up a frequent buyer card next time you stop by Cool Beans. Every time you buy a coffee, get your card stamped and your tenth coffee will be free. Free coffee? That is the ultimate.
2. Swap Creamer for A Flavor Shot
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If you’re a big fan of hazelnut or vanilla flavored coffee, grab a regular coffee and add vanilla or hazelnut coffee creamer to it ~for free~! Head to CB2 in Stein or Science Café for this delectable treat. Not only will it taste delicious, but you will have saved an extra fifty cents by not adding a flavor shot. Those measly fifty cents add up over time – every little bit counts.
3. Get Sushi for A Meal Swipe
Photo by Rachael Piorko
Get sushi from Lower for a meal swipe! While it can be incredibly tempting to get sushi every day for lunch from Lower, over time it really starts to add up. Satisfy your sushi craving by grabbing it for a swipe at 3pm. Not only is it more satiating than a pub salad, it is also much healthier than anything at Crossroads. Bonus: On Fridays it becomes a swipe at 1pm!
4. Set A Weekly Budget
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Set a budget for yourself – It can be super easy to spend your dining dollars at the beginning of the semester if you’re not careful. One thing that always works for me is setting a weekly budget and sticking to it. I have found that trying to spend roughly $25 dollars a week ensures that you’ll have enough dining dollars to last you until the end of the semester.
5. Make Lower Kimball Your New Go-To
Photo by Caroline Morano
If you know you won’t be able to head to Kimball for dinner, save some dining dollars by picking up food to go from Lower. Lower has many great meal, snack and drink combinations (including coffee) for just a swipe. You definitely can’t go wrong with this one. Lower is open until 6:30pm Monday-Thursday and closes at 3pm on Fridays.
With these money saving tips, I’m promise you’ll be able to stretch those dining dollars all the way through finals week. And who knows, you might even have some extra dollars left at the end to pick up a celebratory snack for making it through another year on the Hill. You rock. Keep doing you.