How to save $ on Breakfast & Lunch

[travelitis]

We do much of the aforementioned tips, but I also cook and freeze a couple of meals like sloppy joes, taco/burrito meat, spaghetti, garlic bread sub sandwiches, chili. Then all I have to do us pop it into the microwave. I've flown with a small cooler (soft side both in another carry-on and used as my carry-on) with frozen foods. I freeze juice boxes and use those as ice blocks. We have a timeshare with a full kitchen, but I don't want to spend precious vacation time cooking.

I used to work for an airline (until Feb 02) and saw people checking in big coolers of food for their Mexico and Disney vacations consistently.

 

[Pigsty333]

We usually bring some small boxes of the fun packs cereal and the parmalat milk.

What I have done is that I do get a refrigerator, no charge from the disney resorts, if you have "medication" that needs to be refrigerated. Otherwise, you are charged. I found this out when my son had to take his antibiotic prescription, still had a couple of days left on it and his asthma medication. I mentioned to the CM at check in that we needed a refrigerator because of the meds and she told us that for meds, there is no charge. Who checks the fridge anyway.

Ever since then, I've always had the fridge for his meds and never paid. Keep this in mind.

Think of one of those collapsible coolers they sell now that you can put in your bags.

Another hint from a CM we did a couple of the buffet breakfast and she told me that her advise was to take some of the rolls, bagels, or fruit they put out, put them in a bag and snack or have them for lunch later. She came out of the bag with a nice full bag and gave it to us. She said, "you paid for this, and the kids hardly ate that much. Enjoy."

That has worked well a few times we have used it.

 

[travelitis]

I love this thread! It's given me some new ideas, and it makes makes eating on the cheap sound so fun I'm tempted to cut out some of my PS's. I think my kids would not agree, though. When I pack lunches for Disney I use the same sorts of things I use for kids' lunches. We're taking bottled water, but I'm thinking of taking my big Brita to keep in the frig of our timeshare. I also take Gatorade and powdered drink mixes, so my kids don't ask for sodas, and it covers the taste of the water.

We breakfast in the room (cereal, sausage biscuits, OJ, milk), and I buy snacks and let the kids fill their fanny packs daily. Some is healthy - raisins, granola bars, cereal bars, and trail mix, and some is junk - gummies, cookies, candy, gum, Rice Crispie treats. They never make it through the whole fanny pack in a day, and I let them eat at will unless we know we have a PS. Then I want them to be ready for real food. I carry lunch items - sandwiches, pudding, cheese sticks in a small cooler.

On another thread I'm looking for your ideas for precooking and freezing food. If you haven't shared your ideas, please do.

 

[beansmom]

I must be the only money foolish person here...I don't want to spend my vacation making sandwiches, cleaning up after it and thinking about meals! I took a huge bag full of snacks the last time we went and ended up hauling almost all of them back home.

This time we will take juice pouches and a few snacks and buy bagels, lunch meat and milk but I'm not putting a whole lot of effort into it. We don't take a real vacation very often and I want to enjoy and eat my way around the WORLD.

 

[bigsis1970]

trip the Superwalmart does...someone correct me if i am wrong
Michelle

What part of Nova Scotia are you from ? I used to work for the Scotia Prince

 

[MELSMICE]

We have rented a fridge. I know it costs $11 a day, but I don't like the thought of having everything wet all the time from the ice. I guess I could put the ice in ziploc bags to keep things cold & then empty them every day. Hmmmmmm.

We took a toaster oven last time so we could toast the bagels. We also could make toasted cheese sandwiches & individual pizzas. Each of my children has a fanny pack to take their own snacks into the parks. Also, on the days we hung by the pool I would make sandwiches up in the room & my kids would go to the food court to get condiments, along with lettuce & tomato for their sandwiches. I know this sounds cheap, but it's better than buying a jar of something or a whole head of lettuce & then having half of it go to waste because it doesn't get eaten.

Every little bit of saving money helps. We also enjoy having our big meal for dinner. We usually go off-site because we find it's a better value & will do a call ahead seating in the late afternoon/early evening.

 

[BethR]

Originally posted by MELSMICE
I guess I could put the ice in ziploc bags to keep things cold & then empty them every day. Hmmmmmm.

Yep you could!!! That is what we have done with great success. Those zip-loc bags are WONDERFUL things - so many things that you can do with them (I pack our shampoo and other "wet" items in them - just in CASE something leaks. I has saved on clean-up a number of times. )
I know that *I* could spend that $11 or $77 a week on something more fun, or TASTY, than a refrig!