Erin,
Thanks for your question!
One of the things I love about the
Disney Dining Plans is that you can use the credits when they serve your needs, not on some predetermined schedule!
On your check in day you will see your Disney Dining Plan balances reflect all your credits for the trip. You can use them in any order you want on whatever days you prefer, all the way up to the end of the day that you check out. You could use all your credits on the first few days, or leave them to the end of your trip, it is your choice. So yes, you can mix and match.
I find that on our trips we use the meal credits up by about mid way or about 2/3 of the way through our trip. Of course we then have to pay for the remaining meals, but we know that and plan accordingly. We do save a few snack credits for the last day. We use those to grab a few treats at our resort food court for the trip home. Some Disney themed treats for the flight back to Indiana extend the magic just a little bit longer.
By the way, you can check your Disney Dining Plan balances via your
My Disney Experience account, by getting your resort front desk to print out a report, or by looking on the receipt at any meal where you have used the plan.
Have a Magical (and delicious) Vacation!Doug