Whether from a lack of dining points/Terp Bucks or a depleted bank account, a majority of Terps at this university have experienced the feeling of being a “broke college student.” I’m here to inform fellow students of different food options and to explain you are not alone in such cheap endeavors.

We’ve all been there before – eaten one “WTF” meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. For me, it was Froot Loops dipped in peanut butter. Why? Because we are broke college students. Every penny – literally – counts.

With that said, why not grab a few friends and a car for a drive to Costco? If you haven’t noticed, Costco provides free – let me repeat that – free samples. These samples range from small pastries all the way to seafood, chicken wings, rice, etc.

The strategy is simple: Go up to one of the sample kiosks, smile at the server and take one. If you enjoy the sample, return to that same kiosk a few minutes later (allowing the server to forget what you look like) and take another. You can do this multiple times at various stations until you are full. Not only have you satisfied your hunger, but you did it all for free. The only catch: someone has to have a Costco membership.

If Costco is too much of a hassle, there is always option No. 2. If there is an event at the Samuel Riggs Alumni Center, there will most likely (90 percent of the time) be catered food. All you have to do is get in. Is this legal? Why wouldn’t it be? These alumni have been in your situation before – broke, starving and desperate for a taste of good food. So they obviously won’t mind if a few of their fellow Terps stop by for dinner.

If the alumni center isn’t working out, Option No. 3 is going to any student organization meeting. These meetings usually serve “light refreshments,” which is college code for “free food.” All you have to do is feign interest, and there’s your dinner. These options, however, are dependent on whether there is an event on the campus.

This leads me to option No. 3.5: hungryumdterps.com. This website is essentially a college student’s solutions manual for free food. It lists all upcoming events on the campus that students can attend for free and enjoy a complimentary meal. Did I mention the site also maintains a Twitter account (@Free_Food_UMD) that lists these bargains? The site lists everything from holiday meals and vegetarian feasts to kosher pizza and “Lunch with the Lawyer” workshops – the options are endless. Who knows, you may even end up joining the organization.

The fourth option is the obvious one that only works if you have a dining plan: Simply mooch off your friends, floormates or that random kid you just met walking into the dining hall. If they have points to spend, or if you look extremely desperate, they might just cave and offer you a free meal. I knew one guy who had 700 points with three weeks left of school, so a group of us went to Adele’s and he paid. Best idea ever.

These are only four of the many potential options for the broke college student, but honestly, who wouldn’t consider trying them out? I mean, it’s free food.

Juliet Meltsner is a junior microbiology major. She can be reached at meltsner@umdbk.com.