So, you ate one too many times at the HUB this semester, and now, you’re low on meal points. Listen, it happens to the best of us. Luckily for you, there’s basically only a week and a half left in the semester. Unluckily for you, it’s also finals week. Stress-eating is real, folks.

Fortunately, we’re chock-full of ideas to keep you afloat meal-wise during the next coming days. We’ve also come up with a few more to hopefully help your meal plan out.

Without further ado, here are a few ideas for what to do when you’re low on meal points.

‘Destress Fest’

Once again, Penn State’s libraries come to the rescue with “Destress Fest,” providing students with free snacks and coffee throughout the week. Fuel your mind and save your bank account.

Finals Week Stress Busters In Findlay Commons

Penn State Dining is offering a bunch of food-related events from Monday, December 13, through Thursday, December 16, in Findlay Commons. There’s hot chocolate, “chip ‘n dip” bars, make-your-own sundaes, and decorate-your-own cupcakes on the Grand Staircase. The buffet is also offering all-day breakfast, macaroni and cheese, french fry, and pierogi bars throughout the week.

The McDonald’s App

Say what you want about McDonald’s, but you can’t deny that those are some cheap eats, and they’re about to get cheaper with the app. Every day, through the app, you can get a variety of deals from BOGO Happy Meals, to entirely free large fries, or $0.99 coffee. College Ave.’s McDonald’s makes this an enticing option since it’s so close to campus and the heart of downtown.

Ramen

Ramen: the quintessential food of a broke college student. A single packet of ramen is under $1 wherever you go. This isn’t rocket science.

Lottery Tickets

You must be 18 years or older to play, but it’s possible to win $5 from scratch-off tickets. Take your winnings to Canyon or Yallah. You’ve earned it, champ.

Tell Your Parents You’re Doing Laundry And Need LionCash

We’re going home for break in just a matter of days at this point. If you’re strategic, you can definitely make it a week and a half without doing laundry. Plenty of students have done it before. You can score some extra cash for food, and get laundry done for free when you go home. It’s a win-win. Is this the most honest option? No, but it’s a dog-eat-dog world.

Hunt & Gather On Campus

Listen, we’ll be the first to admit that the berries on various bushes around campus do look mighty scrumptious, even when we have enough money in our meal plan to feed us. When you’re hungry, and money is tight, one may take some inspiration from our hunter-gatherer ancestors. However, unless you’re an Eagle Scout and can accurately identify berries and whether they’re safe to eat, we really do not recommend this.

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