It is no secret that college is costly. Along with regular tuition, money can be spent on things such as transportation to and from campus, on dorm décor, school supplies, and housing fees to name a few. One expense that is likely universal, is a college meal plan, which can cost anywhere from $1000-$3000 dollars or more. Upon arriving to a college, a student is faced with the decision to either go to the dining hall for meals or give into the temptation to go off campus to eat. There are luxuries that come with each of these options. Eating on campus proves more convenient in times where you want something quick and accessible. As meal plans are prepaid, and thus usually not refundable, another upside to eating at the dining hall is that it makes use of the money that you already put into the school, instead of paying more out of pocket. But what is one of the down sides of eating on campus? Usually college dining halls are all you can eat buffets, which are accessible for the most part all day, every day. And while this is a major benefit for most people I have found at times, through conversations with classmates as well as in my own personal experience, that there is a downside to this as well. The accessibility of food provides an outlet for eating during unconventional times. I have noticed that because the dining hall is open and close by, I can stop in whenever I would like. This has made it challenging to establish a routine here on campus. There is also a pressure to eat a lot to get the most out of your money; if you have 3 meals swipes a day you are more likely to go to the dining hall more often to use all your swipes. Equally as challenging, the dining halls--while blooming with a variety of foods--sometimes lacks very preferable options. These factors make it all the more tempting to travel off campus to not only get the food that you want but also to plan ahead to figure out when you want to get it. Off campus dining also provides a break from the familiarity of the college campus and gives a change of scenery that can be at times both refreshing and necessary. The downside of off campus dining however is that it can be costly. Which leave us with the question: which is more preferable?