Teach me to be a cheapskate

[LeoGrrrrl1982]

Probably the best advice is to share meals. The only thing in disney i would say isnt huge is the burgers....but with those you can always buy a double burger, an extra bun for under a buck and voila two burgers!
ON our first trip my fiancee (who is a self proclaimed gluton) wouldnt go for the sharing meals thing. As a result we not only wasted food but because we were full from a large meal we didnt have room for any treats like dole whips or bakery goods at epcot.
It took some convincing but he gradually came over to the disboard dark side
I started him out first by sharing a large drink (saves about 2 bucks!) then we moved onto bigger and better things...sharing one of the huge sandwiches at plaza restaurant and supplementing by ordering extra potato salad (and we finally got to try a dole whip lol..yummy)

 

[summerrluvv]

Our last trip we didn't spend much on food at all. DS and I usually split meals, or we both got kids meals. We ate breakfast in the room most days and packed juice and water to take to the park along with a small snack.

How do you plan on packing hot dogs to eat in the park? Hot Dogs should be heated thoroughly (not eaten cold), so what are you going to warm them with?

 

[CheapMom]

Breakfast in the room saves more than $$- It can save you a ton of time. The food court in the morning can be a complete zoo. I am packing cereal and plastic bowls for our next trip.
Here is some good budget advice: BE PREPARED- there is nothing worse than checking in and then realizing- 'I forgot my bathing suit' or 'we need baby tylenol' ... You will end up paying big time.
Also do your homework for the best price on tickets, lodging, airfare...
Going to the outlets (like Belz) for souveniers saves a lot of money but it takes up time so you have to decide which is more important to you- saving $ or time. I usually hit the outlets- they are great.
I take in snacks and always carry water bottles into the parks. I eat kids meals and we share meals. I give the kids a certain number of DisDollars they can spend as they wish- and then that is it.

 

[Muushka]

Snip...
How do you plan on packing hot dogs to eat in the park? Hot Dogs should be heated thoroughly (not eaten cold), so what are you going to warm them with?

OK. I have always wondered about this. I thought that a hot dog was similar to bologna, which is eaten raw. That is probably wrong!
Anyone??

 

[barb45]

Yeah - that hotdog thing is kind of scarey. So is the idea about having baggies for the left overs. You usually aren't taking the left overs straight back to a fridge and I don't think food poisoning is a great idea! It's not worth ruining a vacation over a few dollars.

 

[stahshee]

hey my friend just had a great idea. buy the frozen juice from concentrate and freeze it b4 your trip. bring a cooler on the plane and fill it with lunch meat bread and mayo and use the frozen drinks as ice. when you get to the hotel make the drinks. then later fill it in a water bottle and bring it to wdw. sounds good to me. it saves money space and keeps things cold!

 

[karenbtx]

How do you plan on packing hot dogs to eat in the park? Hot Dogs should be heated thoroughly (not eaten cold), so what are you going to warm them with?

Hot dogs are fully cooked. My kids will eat them any way. I did discover a way to cook them though. Use hot water from the coffee pot and pour it over the weiners in a small microwaveable bowl for about 5 minutes. Put them on the bun and put that in a ziploc. I will be carrying an insulated lunch box with a shoulder strap that I got at the supermarket for $5. They probably won't be hot but they should stay warm for a few hours. We are staying at the CSR so we will have a refrigerator. I'm having groceries delivered our first day.

My kids don't care if the hot dog is carried in or bought fresh as long as it's a hotdog. I just can't see paying $3 a pop.

 

[summerrluvv]

Hot dogs are fully cooked. My kids will eat them any way.

Then why do the packages say "heat thouroughly"?

 

[mum4jenn]

Hot dogs are fully cooked. My kids will eat them any way. I did discover a way to cook them though. Use hot water from the coffee pot and pour it over the weiners in a small microwaveable bowl for about 5 minutes. Put them on the bun and put that in a ziploc. I will be carrying an insulated lunch box with a shoulder strap that I got at the supermarket for $5. They probably won't be hot but they should stay warm for a few hours. We are staying at the CSR so we will have a refrigerator. I'm having groceries delivered our first day.

My kids don't care if the hot dog is carried in or bought fresh as long as it's a hotdog. I just can't see paying $3 a pop.

While hot dogs are fully cooked they should still be heated again because there is a good possibility of getting listeria from them.That is a form of food poisoning.Also any food that is in the danger zone for too long of a time is just growing bacteria by the millions by the seconds!!(The "danger zone" is temps between 41 and 140) IF you still want to take a chance on hot dogs then you would be better off getting the individually wrapped ones and putting them in a cooler.I think just a few months ago there was a national recall of some hotdogs because of listeria and someone either got really really sick from them or else they died. BTW...I am a school lunchroom manager so I take these things very seriously.

 

[Taja]

I'm with the poster who considers "cheapskate" to have negative connotations. When I was young, the term was applied to people who got out of paying for things--going to lunch with a group and never having money, that sort of thing.

Frugality, on the other hand, is ensuring the best value for money or energy spent--without harming others!

So I consider myself frugal rather than cheap. I pack a soft-sided cooler for bottled water and milk (six or twelve can size, for one or two people), purchase breakfast supplies to eat in the room, package snacks in snack size zip-top bags to take into the parks (usually just one per day), take my initial bottle of water into the park with me, and graze for most meals. It's harder at WDW than most places, but usually I can order a side salad and eat some crackers and/or carrots from my snack bag (counter service only, thank you!).

I usually have an actual lunch or dinner every second or third day, taking leftovers to my room and tucking them into the cooler (lots of fresh ice changed frequently) and reheating them in the food court microwave. Most individual portions in full-service WDW restaurants are two or three meals for me--can't eat that much food at one time and my frugal soul abhors throwing it out!

In cold weather, I will pack my hot pot and make instant mashed potatoes (the instant soups are too salty for me), but that's the closest I'll come to "cooking" in my room! And the hot pot never is left unattended!

Beyond that, frugality is knowing and adhering to my budget. If I can't afford it, I don't buy it. I don't whine about it. I don't talk about it. Sharing frugal budget tips on the boards doesn't count--that's why we're here! But in the parks or daily life, it's much easier to just accept things that can't be changed--or work quietly to change them!

 

[grlpwrd]

While hot dogs are fully cooked they should still be heated again because there is a good possibility of getting listeria from them.That is a form of food poisoning.Also any food that is in the danger zone for too long of a time is just growing bacteria by the millions by the seconds!!(The "danger zone" is temps between 41 and 140) IF you still want to take a chance on hot dogs then you would be better off getting the individually wrapped ones and putting them in a cooler.I think just a few months ago there was a national recall of some hotdogs because of listeria and someone either got really really sick from them or else they died. BTW...I am a school lunchroom manager so I take these things very seriously.

You REALLY know your stuff!

According to the FDA:

Food Safety Guidelines
The same general food safety guidelines apply to hot dogs as to all perishable products -- "Keep them Hot, Keep them Cold, Keep them Clean." Although all hot dogs are fully cooked, you should reheat them and make sure they are steamy hot throughout.

Studies have shown a high level of the harmful bacteria listeria on hot dogs. Thus, for added precaution, persons at risk may choose to avoid eating hot dogs or thoroughly reheat them before eating.

When you leave the grocery store with hot dogs, head straight home and refrigerate or freeze them immediately. If there is no product date, hot dogs can be safely stored in the unopened package for 2 weeks in the refrigerator; once opened, only 1 week. For maximum quality, freeze hot dogs no longer than 1 or 2 months. And, of course, never leave hot dogs at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or in the hot summer months when the temperature goes above 90 °F, no more than 1 hour.

REFERENCE: Code of Federal Regulations, Volume 9, Section 319.180

I bolded some important parts about keeping hotdogs warm because one can get ill and the poster did say she was taking it in an insulated lunchbox yet keeping it within a safe temp. zone is so important, especially in summer months.

Really, is it worth the chance of getting food poisoning?

In any case, we eat in our rooms for breakfast, take snacks and drinks, and share meals sometimes, but I won't jeopardize our health just to save a few bucks. That's just me..

 

[karenbtx]

Then why do the packages say "heat thouroughly"?

The package says fully cooked heat and eat. I plan to carry them in my cooler and eat them within a few hours. It's no worse then sending a sandwich to school with your kids in their lunch box for petes sake.

Can I just get some more great ideas for free or cheap stuff. I'm really not a cheapskate and my budget isn't that tight. I just get tired of waiting in line for food and paying $3 for a hotdog.

 

[summerrluvv]

The package says fully cooked heat and eat. I plan to carry them in my cooler and eat them within a few hours. It's no worse then sending a sandwich to school with your kids in their lunch box for petes sake.

<shrug> "heat" and eat being the keyword here. You are letting kids eat them cold. If you don't care if your kids get Lysteria, then I don't either

 

[Praying Colonel]

--Take refillable water bottles in for the whole crew. We used the Brita filter bottles last year, but I've heard they're discontinuing them. You might be able to find them online.

--It's going to rain at some point during the week. Instead of buying the Mickey ponchos in the park, plan for it and go to your local dollar store and stock up--take one each day for each member of your crew. Our Dollar Tree sells them 3/$1. After the rain stops, just ditch them.

--If you're going during the summer, you're going to get hot during the week, too. Instead of buying the fan/water bottle combo in the park, buy a little personal fan at Wal-Mart/Target before you leave. I found them for $1.49 each last year before we left. Helps when you're standing in line.

 

[barb45]

Instead of trying to save a couple of dollars on hotdogs - why not bring peanut butter sandwiches instead. That's about the only thing (other than non-perishable snacks) that I'll bring along on trips because they don't need to be kept cold. We do breakfast in the room also. I'd like to know what the lunch room manager thinks about keeping leftovers from the restaurants??? I figure because you are at WDW, it's going to be a while before you get back to your room. I guess if I was going straight back (and I had a car) and I had a fridge in my room, I might consider it. I would never keep them in a cooler though because the temp in the cooler is not consistent and you can't be sure it's the right temp. I'm as frugal as it comes so I really hate losing my vacation dollars to illness.

 

[vanyel]

Instead of buying the fan/water bottle combo in the park, buy a little personal fan at Wal-Mart/Target before you leave. I found them for $1.49 each last year before we left. Helps when you're standing in line.

And here I thought I got a great deal at Walgreen's last night because they were on sale for $4.99 instead of 7.99..

Oh well.

 

[mickilovesmickey]

A friend of mine told me about the hotdog idea. Only they take them in a thermos with boiling hot water. They figure that they will cook while they are waiting to be eaten. Still makes me kind of nervous. I agree with the fact that getting sick is not worth saving a few dollars. But I have thought about taking in a few of the Smuckers PB&J sandwiches. These are frozen and can thaw throughout the morning. (You don't have to keep them frozen). I have 3 small children and they would rather eat these than hamburgers etc. So I thought that I would bring these for them and then my DH and I would eat at a counter restaurant. Also we always bring water in. We freeze it and then pack the frozen water bottles for the park. This keeps the water cold during the day. And I always pack snacks for the kids. Then if we do get an ice cream or whatever, we will share. The kids are too little to eat them on their own anyway. Plus we get to try more things this way. I am all for being frugal. But frugal so that we can spend money on the things that matter to us. And this differs for everyone. We have WDW with really large budgets and with very small. I still would rather be at WDW even if that means we have to eat in our room more etc.

 

[mum4jenn]

Instead of trying to save a couple of dollars on hotdogs - why not bring peanut butter sandwiches instead. That's about the only thing (other than non-perishable snacks) that I'll bring along on trips because they don't need to be kept cold. We do breakfast in the room also. I'd like to know what the lunch room manager thinks about keeping leftovers from the restaurants??? I figure because you are at WDW, it's going to be a while before you get back to your room. I guess if I was going straight back (and I had a car) and I had a fridge in my room, I might consider it. I would never keep them in a cooler though because the temp in the cooler is not consistent and you can't be sure it's the right temp. I'm as frugal as it comes so I really hate losing my vacation dollars to illness.

If you are taking leftovers from your meals you should make sure you can get them under refrigeration as soon as possible. Again any time the food is in the temperatures located in the danger zone the bacteria is multiplying so rapidly it would blow your mind to really know how fast!! If someone has a cooler with ICE in it and they bury the food in the ice then it should be ok. If the ice is melted or if someone is not using ice at all but just an insulated cooler then that is NOT enough!! The thing to remember is that if the food is warmer than 41 or cooler than 140 then you are creating a dangerous situation. Add those situations with the HOT summer sun in Florida(anywhere as far as that goes) and you have a situation that is very dangerous. We (at work) have training classes each year to teach us more updated info on food borne illness.If the public knew all the things we have seen in these presentations then we would all probably just eat paper!!! LOL!!! The folks out there that just eat veggies are NOT immune either!!

When we take any food or snacks into the parks we take peanut butter,beef jerky,and those little packs of the cheese that you spread on the crackers, and fresh fruit. Most of the time now though we don't take anything other than fruit because we have so much fun we don't have time to snack!!

When my dd takes a lunch from home she usually takes peanut butter and jelly or some vienna sausages. I put two or three of the frozen ice packs in her box with it also. Once she is old enought to go to my school I will probably keep her lunch in our cooler!!

But even with all the info that has been posted here there are still those that will take their chances with their families health and lives.

 

[mum4jenn]

A friend of mine told me about the hotdog idea. Only they take them in a thermos with boiling hot water. They figure that they will cook while they are waiting to be eaten. Still makes me kind of nervous.

What your friends don't seem to realize is that once the "boiling hot water" is taken off the stove (or out of whatever they used to make the water boil) it is no longer at the boiling point. It really does not take long for the water to cool down to under 140.So they are NOT "cooking" them at all....they are just sitting in warm water gathering bacteria!! And yes even 135 is still warm to us but it is breeding ground for those pesky bacteria.You have good reason to be nervous about that situation.

 

[nicknamy1996]

We drive so we don't have to worry about the airplane, but we do a cooler for the room. It's just a playmate cooler, big enough for a gallon of milk(and a bottle of juice or two) Each morning we all have a bowl of cereal and head off to the parks. (with a "sippy cup" of juice for each kid) This usually holds us over until a late lunch/early supper and then we may get a snack later at the park or on the way back to the hotel, but we pretty much do one meal a day at the parks.

Anyway... my point was the first year we packed cereal and milk... but no bowls or spoons! We went to the gift shop and bought a set of 4 plastic bowls for $10 and got spoons from the food court. (we could have just asked for some disposable bowls, but the bowls were nice and we still use them today) So don't forget the no so obvious things, because they can eat in to the money you thought you were saving.