By Lawrentina D’souza
On the case of the 2 a.m. munchies
Imagine this; it’s past 12:30 a.m. and the cafeteria is closed, or you don’t have enough cash to make a delivery order, or most horrific of all — you run out of meal plan money before the end of term.
We understand that not everyone has the opportunity to get food with their meal plan all the time, so instead, here’s some things you could do to stretch your dollar or prepare meals when you might not have a stove (V1, REV), the time, or the experience to do so.
Use the grocery shuttle
There’s a weekly grocery shuttle operating on Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. that picks up students at the Minota Hagey, CLV community centre, and Eby Hall parking lots, dropping off at Bridgeport Plaza. This allows for easily accessible and relatively inexpensive alternatives for food purchases.
Make use of social media and apps
Facebook groups: there are many groups on Facebook that advertise free food, but the Official Free Food UWaterloo group is one that makes frequent updates.
Delivery apps: quite a few restaurants have delivery specials but there’s also UberEats, Skip The Dishes, Just Eat, and MunchTime that allow for delivery, and there are often promotions and discount codes available too.
Use the free food coupons in your orientation packages
The orientation kits handed out at the start of O-Week often have student coupons/discounts for places like Campus Bubble or Bombshelter. The free agenda found at Turnkey also has a page or two dedicated to coupons.
Use the Flipp app to compare prices and save on groceries
If you’re trying to price match and save or find which stores nearby have sales, Flipp allows you to specify what type of groceries or stores you’re looking for so you can find exactly what you need at a decent price.
Late night restaurants
If the residence cafeterias are closed, there are quite a few places to still grab something to eat.
Campus Pizza is open from 10 a.m. to 5 a.m. every day of the week.
Burger King which is open 24/7. Mel’s Diner is open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and open 24 hours on Friday and Saturday.
Sweet Dreams is open 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday to Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday and Friday and 12 p.m. to 1 a.m.Saturday to Sunday.
