Challenge: Eating out for 23 days (or not)... what to do?

[chris1gill]

Well, I know through the years I've seen this discussed but in our situation it's a tad different. We will be traveling for 23 days (maybe it's 24), we will be in a variety of different locations, very rural think hundreds of miles from the nearest city, but we wil have electricity. Then there will be the beach location where dinner will set us back at 85.00 per person plus drinks, or breakfast 41 plus drinks. We will even be in an extraordinary place where renting a tent itself is 180.00, imagine how much the food costs. So you can see why I might like to save on meals, we'll go broke paying these prices.

So I've gotten to thinking about a wok, I've never used one.... when we are in or near the beach property or in the city we will have grocery stores, although still no fridge (other than getting a cooler and filling it with ice). There will be some places we can find a grill, but some places not. The longest we are staying in one place is 6 days.

So, given the variety of locations, the astonishingly high cost of meals how would you save money? I'm thinking of a cooler and a wok, but other than that I'm not sure (since I've never used a wok, but, is seems versatile? They make electric wok's so that is what I was thinking... the Breville EW30XL Electric Gourmet Wok seemed to get good reviews) I'm not sure a crock pot would be helpful, it won't be so super cold and we really are the grilling type. It could very well make sense to buy (toasters for instance) and just leave them behind, same with a coffee maker.

So this is a big challenge, I've been here long enough to know the people on this board can help me!

Hopefully it's a fun thread and you can save me thousands of dollars Thanks for any help!

 

[Maddle]

Are you driving to those locations? Will you be staying in tents or hotels or a mixture of both? You will have electricity but no kitchen, correct? Will you be cooking in a room or outdoors? Will you have any tools with you (like a knife, a cutting board, utensils?)

Maddle

 

[Shagley]

How about something like this rather than a wok...

http://www.aroma-housewares.com/kitchen/appliances/ASP-137WT.html

I have one of these, but I haven't used it yet. But it seems to be more versatile than a wok. There are a lot of great reviews for it on Amazon.com.

Will you have a car on your trip, or will you be flying?

 

[chris1gill]

No, we are flying between all locations, but the cities I fly into all seem to have Big W's (walmarts), and just looking on their site I can purchase items and leave them behind, although small appliances that are lightweight (ie: coffee maker/wok) can be put in a cooler (taped up) and put on the plane as baggage (I think).

I was planning to put cooking utensils in our checked baggage from home.

We are staying in a variety of places, a B&B which is near a National Park, an eco-resort near another National Park where there probably are grills to be found, a Tent that does have a kitchen for use, another Tent that does not have a kitchen, then 14 nights in 3-5 star hotels, I'm not sure of the makeup of those properties (I've sent emails). If we find a solution where we could eat on the beach at that location we could do that as well. I believe the beach location does have grills within fairly close proximity. So of all the properties only one has a camp kitchen, and 2 possibly have grill's within close proximity.

We will have a car in every location, we'll likely drive at least two thousand miles overall!

Thanks!

 

[powellrj]

I saw this on tv once and thought it looked cool!

http://www.roadtrucker.com/12-volt-cooking/12-volt-portable-stove.htm

 

[chris1gill]

This is great, I just found it as I search for what we can use. Most of this trip (even in the hotels) we will be in National Parks and could use something like a gas grill outside. A grill isn't so small but this is if we bring the right cookware:

http://www.bigw.com.au/sports-leisu...00/campmaster-portable-stove.jsp#BVRRWidgetID

I know people do this type of a trip but they either use a camper for months at a time or they stay in hostel's (won't do that), and I need a bed, so we can't stay in tented grounds that don't actually have beds. My friends already think I'm crazy for staying at the two tented areas LOL... This is the most rugged trip we have taken overall. My daughter is very big into camping and hiking and I want to give her the opportunity to do all of that with my Husband along with diving a couple of times, I'm the tagalong LOL...

 

[HayGan]

What about a Foreman type grill? There are all kinds and sizes electric grills. For sides, you could always take along something like a hot pot for baked beans, soup, etc.

For breakfasts, you could consider a toaster. But there are so many things that you can do for breakfasts without needing any sort of heating device. To me, breakfast is the easiset of all meals to save money on!

You also may want to consider collapsable coolers. I have one that is just like a little collapsabel suitcase/rollerboard. You could use it to carry your grill/dry goods when not using it as a cooler.

 

[chris1gill]

What about a Foreman type grill? There are all kinds and sizes electric grills. For sides, you could always take along something like a hot pot for baked beans, soup, etc.

For breakfasts, you could consider a toaster. But there are so many things that you can do for breakfasts without needing any sort of heating device. To me, breakfast is the easiset of all meals to save money on!

You also may want to consider collapsable coolers. I have one that is just like a little collapsabel suitcase/rollerboard. You could use it to carry your grill/dry goods when not using it as a cooler.

We could use a Foreman type grill, I'm not so partial to them though, they're not quite like a grill and not like a wok (but I have no idea how to cook in a wok).

I agree about breakfast, Most places I have found a place for coffee (5.00 for regular coffee is a bit steep)... I think we will get oatmeal for the most part, no refrigeration needed. Fruit will be in plenty stock however so I would like to get fresh fruit which will require the cooler.

Worst case scenario for my Husband and daughter for most lunches will be peanut butter and jelly as long as it keeps, apparently bread will be our problem in one local, which happens to be the place they will do the most hiking. I'd like to do something better than that, but on these hiking days I have no idea what. Apparently you cannot transport MRE's, I was looking at both airlines websites to be sure we could transport kitchen cutlery So, they'll be out in heat (although not over 90) with very little to eat. I'm clueless on these lunches....


So I would love to get into some recipes that would be fairly simple to put together. Chicken, beef and particularly shrimp while we are in the East Coast will be prevalent.

Anyone have recipes they would like to share?

 

[taymaesmom]

I think I would bring/buy an electric skillet. Very versatile, could do burgers, grilled cheese, even hamburger helper type meals. Eggs and bacon for breakfast etc.

For recipes I would google girl/boy scout camping recipes. They usually have very good ideas that are frugal.

 

[bellebud]

I don't have any tips on the food, but I'd love to hear more about your trip because it sounds amazing, if you don't mind sharing.

 

[dawnball]

I'd make a list of each place you're staying, what's available (electricity, fridge, cooking facilities, etc) and how much you expect food out to cost you. Neither the B&B nor 3-5 star hotels want you cooking in your room. That leaves an eco-resort and a tent without a kitchen. Buying electric appliances just for those two locations may not be a cost-effective solution.

We've stayed in some nice hotels and augmented eating out with antipasti-type meals. Salami, cheese, olives, fruit, nuts. Yogurt/fruit/nuts or protein bars for breakfast. Simple sandwiches, or salads assembled from grocery store convenience foods - minimus.biz is a good place to get small containers of condiments, individual boxes of cereal, salad dressing containers, etc. You could ship MREs ahead to yourself, or use the hiking meals that are intended to be "add boiling water and wait."

When you're on the east coast, note that many of the places you can buy fresh seafood will steam it for you. Steamed local shrimp and some simple cocktail sauce made several dinners on our last coastal Carolinas trip.

None of this would be my first choice for 23 straight days, but a mixed variety and some meals in restaurants ought to see you through.

Oh, for hiking? Don't send them out without food. I've seen more bad decisions made by people without enough food... Protein bars, fruit, cups of peanut butter, candy bars, cereal bars, gatorade powder for their water.... there are lots of options, and most of them taste better when you're hiking than when you're not.

 

[kazbar]

As much as you want to save money, you are still on vacation and in some very varied accomodation types.

I would keep it as simple as possible and do things that just need boiling water like cuppa soups and instant noodle bowls, instant oatmeal & dehydrated camping/hiking meals.

I would be aiming to do one DIY meal a day and researching popular (& budget) locals places, where possible.

 

[java]

We've been without power going on 7 days now. Big hits for " meals" have been things like cheese crackers and fruit. Tuna packs. Granola bars. We ate through my baked muffins the first few days, maybe you could pack some?

Wok cooking is very simple. As long as your wok is hot all you need is a little oil and whatever you want to cook. Similar sized items cook easier. I usually cook the protein in th center of the wok, when it's almost done I'll move the protein up along the edges of the wok. Add in veggies to the center. Cook for a minute or two and mix it all up. Sauce wise I usually use either soy or oyster sauce for flavor. If I want a saucier version I make a little slurry of water, chicken bullion,(I'm assuming you won't have stock lying around) soy and some butter and flour. Drop it into the wok and you will get a thicker sauce. They even sell sodium loaded stir fry packets in the grocery where you just add water.

Have fun!

 

[mom2alix]

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/prod...rills-panini-presses||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_--_-

I've been coveting this item. I currently have a griddle that I use a lot for pancakes, raw tortillas, grilled sandwiches, etc. This would give me the griddle, plus an indoor grill and panini press. It's on my Christmas list and I think it would work well for your challenge as well.

 

[MrsPete]

A couple years ago we did a three-week driving trip out west, and we split our overnights between national park cabins and hotels. We did not do any camping because we couldn't afford the space in the car for sleeping bags and all the necessities.

Here's how we handled food:

We kept a cooler with drinks, sandwich fixings, premade salads,yogurt and fresh fruit at all times. Well, i'm saying a cooler; in actuality, it was a cooler and a box for bread and chips. We had to stop at a grocery store every 2-3 days, which was a small inconvenience. We ate one picnic meal every day (and had snacks) from the cooler. This was a money saver, but it was also handy when we were in the middle of nowhere. Our only "cooking goods" were a cutting board and a good knife.

We stayed mostly in hotels that offered a free breakfast. This is easy and affordable.

We aimmed to eat out one meal per day. In reality, it was occasionally two. Since restaurant meals tend to be super-sized, this was a great deal of food.

Before we left, I packed an envelope with coupons for sandwich meat, snacks, pudding packs, and so forth. That worked well. I also used all my credit card reward points to "buy" restaurant gift cards. That didn't work well. Turns out, we didn't find those chain restaurants out west. Bummer. We used em back at home.

 

[bearzabout]

We travel a lot, and have no problem sticking to tight budgets while eating out every day and eating quite well. I keep track of my receipts. Last year, we ate like kings (crab legs, steak, prime rib, etc) for $12.50 each per day in Vegas. In Orlando, That figure goes up to about $15-20/day. We even found great budget places with fab food on our long trips to Hawaii.

In order to make this work, we only eat out once a day. Walmart is our best friend for breakfast items and snacks. We never order drinks out. We make iced/hot tea/coffee drinks in the room and buy one bottle of booze for a nightcap in the room from Walmart along with juice for mixing. Soups are easy to heat up at dinner in a microwave. We carry a Brita water filter with us and refill our own water bottles. We often start the day with a nutritious fruit smoothy in the morning if we have a blender.

I do a lot of research and take advantage of every discount I can. I buy restaurant.com certificates when they are 90% off for highly rated restaurants. My favorites are the ones I get that take $25 off a $35 bill. With tax and tip, we can eat quite well for $10/each.

Use coupons whenever possible. Do a search online for ones you can print out before you leave. I just love B1G1 free coupons for restaurants.

Share more meals. Most restaurants don't mind if we share one dish. We may add an appetizer or dessert and we leave full but not stuffed, which is a good thing. This is a helpful tip if you won't be able to reheat any leftovers since many restaurant meals are too big to eat in one sitting.

Check out the local diners to get the most good food for the money. For less than $10, you can often get a great tasting meal and have leftovers for the next day. Check reviews online before you go so you know which ones are good.

We get more bang for our buck at lunch. Even high end places like Benihanas have items like steak or scallop lunches for only $12. We always have a few items for a evening snack in the room.

Subway - footlongs usually costs 5 bucks and feeds two. We will pick up one without sauces (get those on the side) before heading out into the hinterlands. Most grocery stores sell good footlong subs for under $7.

Eat off the dollar menus at fast food places. McDonalds has a killer mexican breakfast wrap for $1.

Pizza hut has a great cheap pizza lunch buffet.

We love to "live like a local" and go to affordable restaurants popular with people in the know. Check yelp and tripadvisor for ideas on bargain restaurants.

If you are driving, consider bringing a small toaster oven, foil, blender, brita water filter, microwavable plates (they have nice ones at Walmart) and a few large tumblers (like Tervis). Try to stay in places that have a coffee pot and microwave if possible for heating up left overs.

Have fun!

 

[bearzabout]

We travel a lot, and have no problem sticking to tight budgets while eating out every day and eating quite well. I keep track of my receipts. Last year, we ate like kings (crab legs, steak, prime rib, etc) for $12.50 each per day in Vegas. In Orlando, That figure goes up to about $15-20/day. We even found great budget places with fab food on our long trips to Hawaii.

In order to make this work, we only eat out once a day. Walmart is our best friend for breakfast items and snacks. We never order drinks out. We make iced/hot tea/coffee drinks in the room and buy one bottle of booze for a nightcap in the room from Walmart along with juice for mixing. Soups are easy to heat up at dinner in a microwave. We carry a Brita water filter with us and refill our own water bottles. We often start the day with a nutritious fruit smoothy in the morning if we have a blender.

I do a lot of research and take advantage of every discount I can. I buy restaurant.com certificates when they are 90% off for highly rated restaurants. My favorites are the ones I get that take $25 off a $35 bill. With tax and tip, we can eat quite well for $10/each.

Use coupons whenever possible. Do a search online for ones you can print out before you leave. I just love B1G1 free coupons for restaurants.

Share more meals. Most restaurants don't mind if we share one dish. We may add an appetizer or dessert and we leave full but not stuffed, which is a good thing. This is a helpful tip if you won't be able to reheat any leftovers since many restaurant meals are too big to eat in one sitting.

Check out the local diners to get the most good food for the money. For less than $10, you can often get a great tasting meal and have leftovers for the next day. Check reviews online before you go so you know which ones are good.

We get more bang for our buck at lunch. Even high end places like Benihanas have items like steak or scallop lunches for only $12. We always have a few items for a evening snack in the room.

Subway - footlongs usually costs 5 bucks and feeds two. We will pick up one without sauces (get those on the side) before heading out into the hinterlands. Most grocery stores sell killer footlong subs for under $7.

Eat off the dollar menus at fast food places. McDonalds has a killer mexican breakfast wrap for $1.

Pizza hut has a great cheap pizza lunch buffet.

We love to "live like a local" and go to affordable restaurants popular with people in the know. Check yelp and tripadvisor for ideas on bargain restaurants.

If you are driving, consider bringing a small toaster oven, foil, blender, brita water filter, microwavable plates (they have nice ones at Walmart) and a few large tumblers (like Tervis). Try to stay in places that have a coffee pot and microwave if possible for heating up left overs.

Have fun!

 

[pjlla]

I am short on time, so I didn't read every reply, but I wanted to throw out some suggestions.

Rather than thinking in terms of appliances and such, how about thinking in terms of easiest foods. If you will have power and a burner (or even an open flame) and a pot, you could do rice and beans, instant oatmeal and other hot cereals, soups, pasta.

You might need to stop thinking in terms of a traditional "meal" and start thinking of mini-meals and such. When we have traveled on a budget before we have made meals of pretzels, cheese, and oranges or maybe crackers and peanut butter and apples. Maybe not the most nutritious (especially for extended days), but certainly portable and cheap and relatively shelf-stable.

I've found "all-in-one" pizza kits at Walmart that were relatively "real" foods and had the crust, sauce, and cheese all in one shelf-stable package. You could definitely grill the pizza over coals or on a gas grill over parchment.

Those meats (like tuna and salmon) that come in packets instead of cans are handy... mix with pasta and cheese for a casserole or eat with crackers and fruit for a whole meal. And no can opener needed! Starkist even makes a "meal on the go" kit with tuna, crackers, etc. Not super cheap or even super healthy, but quick and easy!

Bagels hold up well to travels and are hardy and can be toasted on a grill. Peanut butter is shelf stable and a good source of protein. Apples and bananas don't need immediate refrigeration. Even cheese can be okay for a day without a fridge.

Are you such coffee folks that you MUST have a coffee maker? I am content (for a few days at least) with instant coffee. There are some good ones out there (I'm not a Starbucks fan, but I've heard folks rave about their instant coffee). I would rather save the space for a small crockpot or electric kettle.

As far as utensils and such.... try to make due with paper plates (that you buy a fresh supply of at each location) and a roll of paper towels. I would bring along washable forks and spoons (they won't take up much space and it is nicer than eating off plastic all the time). If you are working with a crockpot you won't need a real pan, but if you do need a real pan, buy one (with a lid) at the local Goodwill and leave it behind at your last location.

When you fly into a town and hit the local Walmart, buy some frozen stews and fresh fruits and veggies and such for the cooler.... use them up first and then work your way down to the less fragile/more stable foods. Plan your meals carefully and hopefully you won't have a lot of leftovers to worry about at each stop.

We did a 10 day trip out west a few years ago on a budget. I had budgeted $80 per day for a family of four (this was including 3 days at DL and DCA). We lucked out and ended up with free made-to-order breakfast at our first hotel for a few days, so that definitely allowed us a splurge along the way (huge breakfast buffett in Vegas), but we were still careful (we already had a character meal at Goofy's Kitchen planned that would take that day's entire $80!). Many mid-day meals were pretzels and cheese and fruit in the car as we went from destination to destination. We made stops at local grocery stores and Farmer's Markets as we needed (usually when stopping for gas). We had a small soft-sided cooler that we kept filled with ice and drinks (Vegas in July = lots of drinking water!). When I tallied our reciepts when we got home, we just squeeked under the $80 per day mark!

Have a MARVELOUS trip! Enjoy yourself! Safe travels.......P

 

[marthachick]

Deli stuff at Walmart? Chicken, salads, breads, etc are readily available. You probably won't want to eat that every meal but a couple of times wouldn't be bad (or expensive).

Also, I would pack some gallon size storage bags & some heavy duty aluminum foil.

For the cooler, we sometimes fill gallon bags with ice instead of just putting the ice over everthing. Or put the items in the cooler in bags. Keeps stuff from getting wet when the ice melts.

And I agree with the PP that said get an electric skillet. I have one at home & use it all the time. You can do LOTS with one. Get one before you go & "practice" cooking in it if you're not sure how to use it. You can get them relatively inexpensively at Walmart. Around $25 for one that will last long enough for your vacation.

 

[Soben]

You'd definitely want to get as much shelf stable things as possible. Tuna and chicken in a can as suggested. I think it was a good idea to write out your locations and what facilities you'd have at each and mock up a list of potential meals for each location. Then you could break that down to shopping lists for each stop.

Goodwill has small appliances and you could drop them back off on your way out of town. (If they were convenient, don't think I'd drive out of my way for that though)