What is your daily food budget?

[smkiya]

Just wondering how much you intend to spend each day on food. $200/day seems like a waste, especially when I typically spend much less than $200 on a weeks worth of groceries. I know I'll be on vacation, and part of that allowance is for convenience, but... Maybe I'm being frugal and should just let it go and enjoy WDW without harping on $$$, but I thought I'd ask. Am I crazy?

 

[melissac]

If you're staying on site and can do the dinning plan $39.99 per day is for each person over 10 so if there are 4 of you(did give number of people) that is about $160/day. If you not staying on site it depends on where you want to eat(CS or TS) and how often and how many snacks. We are staying at US before Disney this year and plan to eat off-site in the evening at cheaper places and have snacks in the room. Planning on about 100-150/day for 2 adults and 2 children 8 and 13. We eat so much on the dining plan we'll be careful what we eat before we get to Disney.

 

[drenalin'junkie]

depends on what you like to eat and how much your $ and time means to you.

We don't do fast food very often so CS and cart food is rare.DDP doesn't offer many of the places we eat so we eat OOP.

B-fast in the room w/ Chef Tony(me)or on the way to the park.Occaionally Cinnabon or Main Street Bakery<$10 per person

Lunch is an app or soup&salad at a TS<$20 per person

Dinner is wherever 1 person wants to go and we take turns.Our group is adventuresome in food but are picky so we normally eat what would be a 2TS or signature meal.Generally ~$60 per person but up to $200 if we splurge.

We take water,fruit and granola in for snacks.We have a Dining Card as it saves us at least $K a year.

 

[disneysteve]

We've typically come in just over $20 per person per day, though that includes our travel days (we drive down). I expect it to be a bit more this year, more like $25/person, because DD is almost 14 and pretty much eats as an adult.

We do breakfast in our condo/house, lunch is usually CS in a park or hotel on non-park days and dinner is a mix of CS, TS and off-site. We'll get pizza from Flippers one night, dinner at Sweet Tomatoes another, etc.

We don't stay on-site, but even if we did, we wouldn't do the dining plan as we think $39.99/person is way too much to spend on food. We're perfectly happy spending about half that.

 

[dougsmom98]

We brought $800 cash with us on the last trip (7 days and 6 people) and we bought everything with that including the kids' souvenirs and came home at least $200.

We ate all breakfasts in the villa (bagels, fruit, cereal on park days, pancakes, eggs, toast on non park days). We ate counter service for our lunch and dinner on park days (we had 3 park days). For lunch on non-park days we had hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, oven fries.... For dinners on non-park days, we ate out at Golden Corral, Applebees, Chinese take away, pizza take away, and on the days we traveled we at a few times at McDonalds. I also bought tons of snacks and pastries from Publix. We weren't trying to be frugal with our money and everyone could order what they wanted when they wanted.

 

[Lost in Wonderland]

We brought $800 cash with us on the last trip (7 days and 6 people) and we bought everything with that including the kids' souvenirs and came home at least $200.

We ate all breakfasts in the villa (bagels, fruit, cereal on park days, pancakes, eggs, toast on non park days). We ate counter service for our lunch and dinner on park days (we had 3 park days). For lunch on non-park days we had hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, oven fries.... For dinners on non-park days, we ate out at Golden Corral, Applebees, Chinese take away, pizza take away, and on the days we traveled we at a few times at McDonalds. I also bought tons of snacks and pastries from Publix. We weren't trying to be frugal with our money and everyone could order what they wanted when they wanted.

Can I ask how much you spent on souvenirs? I'm just trying to estimate how much we should set aside for souvenirs. We have 3 kids. Thanks.
We are staying off-site at a condo. So we will eat in as much as we can. We will go out to eat a few times and pick up couple meals at DW. I think we are going to do 4 days there. 1 day for each park.

 

[smkiya]

We brought $800 cash with us on the last trip (7 days and 6 people) and we bought everything with that including the kids' souvenirs and came home at least $200.

Wow! We will be taking $700 in cash for the 4 of us... really 3 as ds will only be 4 months. I set aside $300 for must do character meals, and including travel days, we'll have 7 days (2 travel, 5 park). So all told $1000 cash for food, extras, souvenirs, and drive (gas will be on gas credit card). I'm glad to see that this should be plenty, and hope like you to come home with some $$$.

 

[dougsmom98]

Can I ask how much you spent on souvenirs? I'm just trying to estimate how much we should set aside for souvenirs. We have 3 kids. Thanks.
We are staying off-site at a condo. So we will eat in as much as we can. We will go out to eat a few times and pick up couple meals at DW. I think we are going to do 4 days there. 1 day for each park.

We let the kids pick out one thing at Downtown Disney. It had to be $30 or less. One of my boys wanted a $40 LEGO set and we said okay, but he had to pay us the extra $10 when we got home. Two of my kids picked out $20 items. We have never souvenir shopped in the parks. If I am going to spend the price of admission to Disney, I don't want to take up any park time in the stores. We go to Downtown Disney at least once each trip and the kids know in advance, that is where they can pick out one thing. We also go to Goofey's Candy Company and let them eat buy one thing in there for $5-$6.

 

[Purseval]

Define Frugal

To me Frugal = 1 pound of bologna and 1 loaf of bread from Walmart. A squeeze bottle of mustard brought from home or mustard packets from the food court. Cups of water. Total cost for a family of 4, about $2

Semi-Frugal = a takeout pizza from Dominoes walk-in specials, a sixpack of generic cola from a supermarket. Total cost for a family of 4, around $10

Modest = Golden Corrall buffet, gorge yourselves then eat snacks or fruit for the rest of the day. Total cost for a family of 4, around $40

Substitute peanut butter and jelly or similar value foods, KFC for Dominoes, Pizza Hut for Golden Corral, you get the idea. $100+ for a family of 4 doesn't even come close to my definiton of frugal, which is why I ask you.

 

[smkiya]

Define Frugal

To me Frugal = 1 pound of bologna and 1 loaf of bread from Walmart. A squeeze bottle of mustard brought from home or mustard packets from the food court. Cups of water. Total cost for a family of 4, about $2

Semi-Frugal = a takeout pizza from Dominoes walk-in specials, a sixpack of generic cola from a supermarket. Total cost for a family of 4, around $10

Modest = Golden Corrall buffet, gorge yourselves then eat snacks or fruit for the rest of the day. Total cost for a family of 4, around $40

Substitute peanut butter and jelly or similar value foods, KFC for Dominoes, Pizza Hut for Golden Corral, you get the idea. $100+ for a family of 4 doesn't even come close to my definiton of frugal, which is why I ask you.

At home I clip coupons, I don't walk into any store without coupons and I head straight for the clearance racks. Last year ALL of dd's christmas gifts were from the july toy clearance sales. If it's not on sale, I don't buy it. I do have some must have's like heinz ketchup and hellmann's mayo, but i always have an extra on reserve and when its on sale i buy one to replace it. I go to flea markets and yard sales, and actually consider saving money, a skill. At home, according to your definition, I'm semi frugal. Dh is not. He comes from a home where if you want it, then get it... doesn't matter if its on sale, no negotiating a lower price, etc. But we will be on vacation, our first ever family vacation since my honeymoon in niagara falls 7 years ago. We celebrating dd and dh's birthday while there, so we want to do some character meals, etc. We don't want to worry too much about money, and if I have anything to say about it we'll be bringing some back.

 

[Purseval]

We don't want to worry too much about money, and if I have anything to say about it we'll be bringing some back.

Well then if I were you I'd be stocking up now on non-perishable bargains you can bring with you, then when you get there think along the lines of splitting up a rotisserie chicken, or simple dinners you can make in a cheap hotel microwave. You have supermarkets scattered throughout the Orlando area, no matter where you are staying there will be one nearby. They have weekly sales just like the ones at home. When you know where you're staying go online, find the supermarkets near your area then look and see what their weekly sales are, you can plan menus before you ever leave your house.

On the subject of souvenirs: Right now, pretty much no matter where you live, it is the heart of the yard sale season. There will probably be a bunch tomorrow. Check Craigslist or you local newspaper and go buy somebody else's souvenirs for pennies on the dollar then store them away. When the time comes dole them out to your kids so they can wear their "new" t-shirts, pajamas, etc., on their vacation. Nobody will know you didn't buy them in the parks and your kids won't care. Resolve to buy nothing in the parks more expensive than a free cup of water

During the year my wife saves condiments in a little tupperware container so when we go to Orland we have packets of ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, teabags, knives and forks, etc. If you start planning now you can have a menu set and a good idea of how much you will need. Find out if your hotel room has a microwave and a fridge, if they do that makes things so much easier. If they don't they will still have enough free ice available to keep things cool while you are away in the parks. With a little planning you can eat as well and as inexpensively on the road as you do at home. With that in mind now you have your budget. Enjoy your vacation

 

[DISboardser]

Love these posts!

I'm here w/ my teenage daughter and tomorrow starts the 7 day park run...all 7 parks in 7 days (Disney's 4, Universal's 2, and SeaWorld) Downtown Disney and Citywalk will be in the evenings on two nights. (military so all tickets have been free and my daughter's prepurchased)

Hotel shuttles so as to avoid parking fees and free daily breakfast at our hotel.

We have lunch ADR at Crystal Palace, Prime Time 50s Cafe and dinner ADR at Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney.

I feel broke already.

How else can I slim down my food expenses. Besides the Crystal Palace where it's price per head....I do not intend on purchasing a meal for me - ever. I eat my daughter's left overs and usually just get water and a side.

(the new recession diet....lost 6 pounds already! And for me I could lose a few more and it not hurt anything)

Any other tips on at park dining besides splitting meals and getting cups of ice water at counters?

 

[Purseval]

Yes, bring it with you. You are allowed to bring backpacks full of food into the parks. Just don't bring anything that will wilt in the heat.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

Just wondering how much you intend to spend each day on food. $200/day seems like a waste, especially when I typically spend much less than $200 on a weeks worth of groceries. I know I'll be on vacation, and part of that allowance is for convenience, but... Maybe I'm being frugal and should just let it go and enjoy WDW without harping on $$$, but I thought I'd ask. Am I crazy?

We are a family of 5, but will be a family of 6 for our WDW trip next summer because we are taking my stepmom with us. We are doing 5 days in the WDW parks and 1 day at the beach. I am planning on a $650 food budget for the parks and another $150-$200 for groceries. This includes brunch (really breakfast, but late enough that's it's lunch for us) at Chef Mickey's for all, lunch at Crystal Palace for all, dinner at Artist Point for Dh and I, take out pizza one night for all and two counter service lunches for all as well as figuring on a couple treats, gotta have a Mickey ice cream bar! The rest of the meals will be eaten at the condo or taking a packed lunch. The grocery money many end up being less depending on what we actually bring down from home.

 

[drenalin'junkie]

Unless you purchase a package with onsite accomodations the simplest way to save is to eat as many meals as possible in your room.Condos are by far the best bargain for families and large groups.Transportation is an issue though.

Not that I would admit to doing it but a hotplate and inexpensive cooler in a onsite room can substitute for a kitchen.Then you are able to take advantage of Disney transportation and get 3 meals without Mickey's hand in your pocket for food.Buying at a wholesale club 1 time per trip we load up on water and granola as well as bread and breakfast stuff.