It’s that time of the term. The time when you cringe after seeing your Declining Balance Account balance flash across the Collis cash register after swiping for a brownie. How did it get so low? And with three weeks still to go, the better question is, how will you make those precious few digits stay above 0 until the end of the term? Fear not, DBA-deprived students, there are several courses of action to take:

1. ’16s: unless you somehow manage to eat at the Class of 1953 Commons for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of the week, get off the SmartChoice 20 for winter term! It’s a liberating feeling, trust me.
2. Avoid King Arthur Flour at all costs.
3. Take advantage of free food on campus. This may seem like a no-brainer, but before deleting all the blitzes that come in off the campus listserv every day, scroll through to see which clubs are offering dinner or snacks at their upcoming meetings. Who knows, you may just find a new passion along with that slice of Lou’s pie!
4. When you’re in FoCo, remember that it is all-you-can-eat – why not grab an apple for the road? It’ll save you 90 cents down the road, and at this point, every cent counts.
5. Get creative with how you spend your DBA. Certain items (read: Greek yogurt) cost a fortune, but a slice of bread, peanut butter, and a banana (read: best combination ever) won’t break the bank – er, DBA balance. You’re probably sick of Collis stir-fry and the Hop tacos anyway, so why not shake things up and see what *cheap* combinations you can pull together. See the DDS Detective archive for ideas.
6. Finally, if that DBA number gets excessively low and drastic measures must be taken, steal food. Just kidding, that would be wrong. Instead, steal your roommate’s ID when they aren’t looking and go on a gleeful shopping spree in Collis. Just kidding, that would be wrong too.

For those of you out there who somehow have an obscenely high amount of DBA left, there are some things you should be doing, too. Read on to avoid having to buy ten cases of Vitamin Water during finals week to use up your remaining DBA.

1. Shed some generosity among your less well-off peers! Make a Google doc with your friends to compare how much DBA people have left. Those with plenty of DBA to go around can kindly purchase items for those who are dangerously low. Brilliant, no?
2. Look out for dates when you can donate an extra meal swipe to the Haven food shelter. Using DBA for a good cause has never been easier.
3. Try a salted caramel cupcake from KAF. Become addicted. Buy one every day from now until finals. Watch DBA slowly dwindle.
4. If you are in search of a last-minute fall term fling, the quickest way to a Dartmouth student’s heart may just be through buying him/her a meal.