Grocery Budget

[SheriB]

We're staying at the BCV in a 2br w/kitchen in June. There will be seven of us (me, DH, DD16, DS12, DDFriend16, my Mom & Dad). We will be eating all breakfasts and about 4 out of 7 dinners in the room, along with snacks (lunches and some snacks will be in parks). I have no idea how much to budget for food?! I know that I I used to budget about $125 a day for food in the parks when it was just the 4 of us and we ate all 3 meals out (always had money leftover). We'll probably do one or 2 Character meals (maybe one breakfast or dinner, and Hoop-Dee-Doo).

Here are my ideas for meals in the room:
Breakfast: eggs, bacon or sausage, toast, oj, bagels (no cakes or pop-tarts. we find that eating a hearty breakfast gets us further into the day without having to stop to eat every 2 hrs)
Dinner: spaghetti w/garlic bread & salad; sloppy joes w/vegetable & salad; grilled chicken salad w/bread; deli sandwiches with sides & salad.


Also, my mom and dad will probably eat dinner out most nights in the Boardwalk area. Need help from any food budget pros. TIA.

Sheri

 

[yecats]

Oh seven people, that budget would kill me. My only advice is to check out wdwig.com site and look at the menu's and prices. Last trip with two adults we roughly budgeted $50.00 per day per person. We ate some breakfast in room or at Shoneys. We wanted to have better meals in the parks instead of fastfood all the time so we made ressies for lunch and some dinners. I found that if you ate fast food at lunch (ham., fries and drink) then it would cost almost $10.00 per day per person. We spent $20 per person on many days for lunch to eat at Garden Grill and Lib. Tree Tavern just to avoid the fast food and to have some variety in a meal.

 

[travelitis]

Even though we had the cooking facilities, I really cooked only once. I took some pre-cooked meals that I'd frozen, and we didn't use all of them. For breakfast we go for cereal, bagels w/fresh fruit, microwavable sausage biscuits, and toaster strudel. You could add toaster waffles to that and still not have to cook. We ate character meals (all-you-can-eat) mid-day, so we didn't need or want supper. We found this trip that we spent close to the same on food by splurging on the character meals as we would've had we done 2 counter service meals. My dh and I also split meals as the portions at sit-down are more than we want or our waistlines need. We utilized vouchers for CRT, Boma, and Beaches & Cream. The voucher at Beaches and Cream is a real deal!

For Supper:
Hot sandwich - frozen garlic bread - add meats and cheeses (shredded or sliced), wrap in foil and bake at 350 for 15-20 min. Serve with heated spaghetti sauce for dipping. My family loves this, and it's assembly that anyone can handle, not just mom. We usually use pepperoni and ham, but you can throw anything in it that tastes good on a pizza, including veggies.

Check the frozen section for convenience foods to keep it quick yet less expensive than eating out. There's also nothing wrong with some "fend for yourself" meals, especially with your crew's ages. We took Ragu Express, Easy Mac, and PB for those times. Hot Pockets, frozen pizza, salad mix, fresh fruit, applesauce, lunch meats are also easy on your budget and you. I figure that if I pay a couple of bucks more for a convenience food on vacation, it's still less than eating out.

I know you didn't mention easy, but even when I really intend to cook, I get there and don't want to. It's my vacation, too.

 

[Gillian]

Are you going to have a car? And do you need help with the shopping budget also? I spend about what I normally would for a week of food at home. Even though we didn't eat "home" as much, there were things I had to buy that I normally stock (cleaning stuff, coffee filters, napkins). If you're driving from home, try to pack some of that type of thing.

The only thing I've found with Disney area supermarkets is that some places are MUCH more expensive than home! If you have flexibility, skip Goodings & stick with regular florida stores like Publix & Winn Dixie. If you can get out to a super Wal-Mart, you might even do better than at home, depending on where you live. We're in NJ, and Fl prices tend to be a little cheaper.

We also cooked a full breakfast with eggs & meat. All that protein really makes a difference! I'm not a person who does well on bagels or donuts. If you're going to be rushed on a particular day, you could hard cook eggs ahead of time. Bacon can also be reheated after cooking. DH usually makes a big batch & the next day we use the extra in omlettes.

I think your plan sound good, but don't be surprised if you get tired of cooking about 1/2 way through your trip! We've had kitchens many times, and after a few days found the thought of cooking a bit overwhelming! We tried to make breakfast every day, but on our last 10 day visit went out 3 times. Offsite, not to pricey Disney meals. Golden Corral was the best deal, but Cracker Barrel is our favorite.

 

[SheriB]

Thanks for the advice so far. We're from NJ, too, and will be flying. We're renting a car, and I usually like to shop at Publix. We may venture off-site for breakfast(we like Ponderosa b-fast buffet-good and cheap). I'm also afraid that I'm not going to want to cook after being there. Of course, once I buy the food, I'm not going to waste it. But I also look at it like most of our vacations at the Jersey shore. We usually cook quick and easy meals when there. It's really not a big deal. The big difference will be that instead of being 100 yards from the house, we could be a few miles from the room and have to leave just to go eat dinner.

We also find that eating a late lunch/early dinner on those days when we won't be cooking is best for us (and less expensive).

Sheri

 

[TandyR]

I have found that our grocery budget is 150% more then when we are at home. More convinance food and stuff. We normally eat breakfast and dinner in the room. Lunches in the parks. So if I were you I would figure how much would would plan to spend with everyone if you were at home at add 50%. This works well for us.