What's a "cheap meal" to you?

[Marionnette]

I was responding to a PP who mentioned they couldn't imagine feeding a family of 2 on $40 a week regularly when the foodstamps allowance is closer to $90. I was simply pointing out how it could be done. I was not commenting on why the food stamp numbers were high - I have no problem with the food stamp number. I just choose to spend less.

And there's no way I'd spend $40 for 4 breakfasts in room and a few snacks, even on vacation - ESPECIALLY when you are so tight on money to begin with that you can't even pay for your half of the groceries!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can get plenty of stuff that can be prepared in a hotel room for a lot less than that. Even lots of things that could be seen as special vacation "treats". I do it regularly.

I'd really love to see your shopping list and menus for the week because I still cannot fathom feeding 2 people 3 meals a day for so little and yet have it be healthy. I'm always curious when people state that they spend so little money because I have yet to see a shopping list and menus that support those claims.

But getting back OT - It looks like the "meal" that the OP had issues with was not a breakfast but a single lunch (or dinner?). And I still think that $15 for "dinner" for 4 people on a vacation is beyond cheap when you compare it to eating fast food. However, I don't think that the meal was particularly healthy or adequate.

The other $25 was spent on fruits and veggies to snack on for the 4 days. Assuming 2 snacks per day per person, that comes out to just a little over 75 cents a serving. Really not a bad price to pay for the nutritional benefits.

 

[Nicolepa]

I'd really love to see your shopping list and menus for the week because I still cannot fathom feeding 2 people 3 meals a day for so little and yet have it be healthy. I'm always curious when people state that they spend so little money because I have yet to see a shopping list and menus that support those claims.

I'm not the poster who said this but it can totally be done. We are a family of 5, kids are 11, 9 & 3. The 3 yo eats a TON and the 11 yo is Gluten & Egg free. I usually get out of the regular grocery for $75 and then Whole Foods or Trader Joes for $25 or so. Our menu would be something like this. (Which equates out per person to the other poster.) Before my daughter came down with the allergies anything over $75 a week was high for me.

Breakfast - GF cereal for daughter, Pancakes or eggs (with mushrooms, bell beppers & canadian bacon) for the boys & adults.

Lunch - Daughter packs her own, yogurt, GF granola bar, fruit and maybe a pb sandwich on GF/Egg Free bread. Kids, yogurt, fruit and chicken nuggets. Me - homemade fruit smoothie

Dinner - stir fry & rice, balsamic chicken & Mashed potatoes maybe another veggie if I have it, tacos & homemade spanish rice, spaghetti & homemade spaghetti sauce, stew, pot roast.

I stock up on meat, spaghetti, snacks etc when they are on sale and our fruits and veggies are either from Costco or whatever is on sale at the grocery that week. For example I got 10 boxes of Chex cereal (Gluten Free) a couple of weeks ago for $9.90. That less than $1 a box. The spaghetti is usually $.50-.70 cents a box on sale and the sauce is under $2 a meal for my family. (I make a huge pot and freeze.)

 

[angierae]

I stock up on meat, spaghetti, snacks etc when they are on sale and our fruits and veggies are either from Costco or whatever is on sale at the grocery that week. For example I got 10 boxes of Chex cereal (Gluten Free) a couple of weeks ago for $9.90. That less than $1 a box. The spaghetti is usually $.50-.70 cents a box on sale and the sauce is under $2 a meal for my family. (I make a huge pot and freeze.)

Stocking up is key - this weekend Kroger will have pot roasts on sale buy 1, get one free. For DH and I, your typical roast-sized roast needs to be cut in half. So for the price of one roast ($9?) I will get dinner for four nights, plus probably four lunches for each 1/2 roast.

So - each 1/2 roast gives dinner for 2, and 4 lunches (two each). That's six meals. There'll be 4 1/2 roasts, so that's 24 meals out of a $9 purchase. I have to buy potatoes, onions and carrots (grab them when they're on sale, and have the roast that week) and throw together a salad. So $2.25 for the meat, say a bag of potatoes is on sale for $2.50, and we're not going to use nearly the whole bag, so even say $3 for the veggies, that's $5.50 for two dinners before you throw in the salad (which can also include some of the carrots (raw))

Plus we're going to get four lunches out of that. Six meals for under $10.

 

[elainesj]

I'd really love to see your shopping list and menus for the week because I still cannot fathom feeding 2 people 3 meals a day for so little and yet have it be healthy. I'm always curious when people state that they spend so little money because I have yet to see a shopping list and menus that support those claims.

But getting back OT - It looks like the "meal" that the OP had issues with was not a breakfast but a single lunch (or dinner?). And I still think that $15 for "dinner" for 4 people on a vacation is beyond cheap when you compare it to eating fast food. However, I don't think that the meal was particularly healthy or adequate.

The other $25 was spent on fruits and veggies to snack on for the 4 days. Assuming 2 snacks per day per person, that comes out to just a little over 75 cents a serving. Really not a bad price to pay for the nutritional benefits.

The kielbasa fixings wasn't a meal - it was all for breakfast and snacks, really. I had already told her I had lunch and dinner completely planned out - and shared those plans with her. While I'm cheap...I still enjoy my food and spent time hunting down good deals when vacationing (e.g. I took us out for an incredibly delicious lobster dinner for about $50 for all of us!!).

I guess what struck me is we did the grocery stop to "save money" but we really didn't. $40 for munchies for a few days still sounds like a lot to me. Keep in mind that I had already brought along breakfast for my kids and I and a few boxes of cookies and crackers to share.

But what's super interesting is all the replies and what people do and how they think when they shop. Reading it all helps me understand my friend's thinking processes better.

And yes, it's possible to pay a lot less and get a whole lot for your money if you shop with that in mind and some other folks have pointed out examples. I tend to think like that too - I add up how much the meal will cost me in my mind and base my shopping on total costs.

I've got better things to spend my money on....like more trips to Disney~~

 

[elainesj]

Stocking up is key - this weekend Kroger will have pot roasts on sale buy 1, get one free. For DH and I, your typical roast-sized roast needs to be cut in half. So for the price of one roast ($9?) I will get dinner for four nights, plus probably four lunches for each 1/2 roast.

So - each 1/2 roast gives dinner for 2, and 4 lunches (two each). That's six meals. There'll be 4 1/2 roasts, so that's 24 meals out of a $9 purchase. I have to buy potatoes, onions and carrots (grab them when they're on sale, and have the roast that week) and throw together a salad. So $2.25 for the meat, say a bag of potatoes is on sale for $2.50, and we're not going to use nearly the whole bag, so even say $3 for the veggies, that's $5.50 for two dinners before you throw in the salad (which can also include some of the carrots (raw))

Plus we're going to get four lunches out of that. Six meals for under $10.

That's exactly how I think LOL!

 

[Octoberbabiesrus]

Well OP...I think you learned a valuable but expensive lesson...if your footing the bill, open your mouth.

That said, I think the other lesson to be learned is that your friend cannot budget her money and plans a vacation, well then she need not take the vacation.

Also, I think your "meal" is not even close to nutrious for young children. They need fruit and veggies, along with the protein. Milk too.

 

[wide awake]

I see the OP's point on this. Yes, she is on vacation, and yes, she wants her children to eat healthy meals. That said...and she mentioned this too...she could have bought fruit and food for other meals much cheaper. I have lived dollar to dollar a lot of times in my life, and just because you are eating in the room doesn't mean you can throw whatever you want in the grocery cart. I can understand why the OP was upset w/ her friend. I wouldn't have paid for her friend's choices but I am VERY assertive...the OP is probably nicer than I am. I have also noticed that when people do not have a lot of money they don't want to look cheap so they are reluctant to say they will not pay for something. The person w/ the family income of $200,000/year is much liklier to quibble over two or three dollars...they aren't embarrassed at the state of their finances.

 

[Kimberly]

$15 for 4 people is pretty good to me. Think about how much more nutritious the meal was that you made vs eating at McDonalds. To me, you can't put a price on lack of grease.

I don't think I could agree with this anymore. A healthy meal does so much more for you than a fast one does.

Cheap for me is less than 10 dollars a plate.

 

[Nicolepa]

Stocking up is key - this weekend Kroger will have pot roasts on sale buy 1, get one free. For DH and I, your typical roast-sized roast needs to be cut in half. So for the price of one roast ($9?) I will get dinner for four nights, plus probably four lunches for each 1/2 roast.

So - each 1/2 roast gives dinner for 2, and 4 lunches (two each). That's six meals. There'll be 4 1/2 roasts, so that's 24 meals out of a $9 purchase. I have to buy potatoes, onions and carrots (grab them when they're on sale, and have the roast that week) and throw together a salad. So $2.25 for the meat, say a bag of potatoes is on sale for $2.50, and we're not going to use nearly the whole bag, so even say $3 for the veggies, that's $5.50 for two dinners before you throw in the salad (which can also include some of the carrots (raw))

Plus we're going to get four lunches out of that. Six meals for under $10.

Yup, other than the fruits, veggies & milk, most of the food in my cart any given week is not what I will be eating that week. When I had time to coupon that $75 was easily $40 or $50 (and we ate much better). I wish I had the time to coupon, but I just don't right now. And no, I don't live in an area with double coupons.

 

[MomToOne]

I'd really love to see your shopping list and menus for the week because I still cannot fathom feeding 2 people 3 meals a day for so little and yet have it be healthy. I'm always curious when people state that they spend so little money because I have yet to see a shopping list and menus that support those claims.

Well, here's my dinner menu at least for the next two weeks - I just made it out tonight because tomorrow morning is my biweekly grocery shopping day.

Saturday - Chicken Tortilla Soup
Sunday - Chicken in a Cream & Sherry Sauce (yes, a total splurge calorie wise and completely unhealthy - I only have this one about once every six months but my daughter got straight As on her report card and as a reward got to pick the meal for a night - this is what she picked), Brown Rice, Steamed Green Beans
Monday - Pan fried pork chops, "baked" potatos (really microwaved because that's all I'll have time for on a weekday after work), veggie depending on what looks good and is a reasonable price at the store - i suspect it will end up being zuccini, much to my daughter's dismay
Tuesday - Pork Fried Rice w/Carrots and Peas
Wednesday - Bean and Cheese Nachos, Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Thursday - BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad (my homemade version of the Cheesecake Factory salad - it's yummy)
Friday - Chicken and Brocolli Alfredo Pasta (made with skim milk - it can be done!)
Saturday - Chicken Tenders, Macaroni Salad, Raw Carrotts and Green Pepper
Sunday - Lasagna (with whatever leftover/extra frozen veggies I have around buried in it), Salad
Monday - Chicken and Cheese Quesidillas using whole wheat tortillas, Steamed Green Beans again if there's nothing more interesting at a good price or maybe steamed brocolli if I have some leftover (but secretly I'm hoping for a good price on Asparagus since that's coming into season)
Tuesday - Chilimac (lots of veggies in my chili)
Wednesday - Vegetable Soup and BLT Sandwiches
Thursday - Beef Stoganof over Brown Rice, Peas
Friday - Eggs of some sort, probably spinach omelets, biscuits, whatever fruit we need to use up

Breakfast most days will be cereal (store brand low in sugar with some fiber - I am "Evil Mom" after all and have a reputation to uphold!) or oatmeal with some fruit. I'll add hard boiled eggs sometimes. On the weekends I may make eggs or waffles or muffins one day, depending on my mood. Lunches are often leftovers, or if we don't have any, a simple sandwich on whole wheat with a veggie like raw carrotts, green pepper or broccoli. Morning and afternoon snacks for my daughter will each be a piece of fruit plus something like pretzels, rice cakes, etc. I don't give very sugary snacks, but I do allow granola bars and actually have an huge stash of those that I got at 90% off during Targets Christmas clearance - who cares if they have Christmas tree sprinkles on them?

I get a lot of savings by planning menus that purposely use left over ingredients from other days-this is where having a 2 week menu plan really seems to help. For example, after the Tortilla soup I will have some black beans left over - those will go into the BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad. I wouldn't plan that salad unless I had some black beans coming into play somewhere else because wasting a whole can on that would be just that - a waste. The leftover tortilla chips from the soup will be used for the Nachos, plus my daughter will be able to take them for lunch for quite a few days. The leftover beans from the Nachos will be used to make burritos for lunch a couple of days - those will also use some of the extra tortillas I will have from the Quesidillas. The leftover lettuce from the BBQ Chicken Salad will be used for the salad with the lasagna. The fried rice is going to get made with some leftover rice from tonight's dinner, and the leftover pork chops, if there are any otherwise I'll just quickly stirfry another one.

All of the meat I need for my menu is already in the freezer, except for the chicken - I have some but not enough of that. I will either buy a package of chicken breasts - they are on sale at one grocery store this week - or I'll get a whole chicken - its on sale at another store - and throw it in the convection oven on Sunday while I'm doing laundry and then use the meat from it in many of the dishes. I'll make stock from the carcass. Many of the other ingredients I need for dishes I already have in my pantry, purchased when they were on sale. I will be buying mostly fruits/veggies for this menu tomorrow and basics like milk/cereal/bread, but I will also buy things that are on sale that I can use for future meals. Almost all of the items on my menu are basically homemade- although I will use some purchased "prepared" items like salad dressings, and I am not nearly domestic enough to make my own pasta, tortillas or tortilla chips LOL

It's all in the planning

 

[mombrontrent]

So many people on here so quick to attack others on their choice of food for their families. Their is nothing wrong with a meal of kielbasa, cheese and pita bread. No, you don't have to have milk with it, their is protien in the cheese and meat. Who cares if their is no fruit or veggies in that meal, obviosly they are eating fruits and veggies becasue she said she bought a whole bunch, who cares it they eat it with the meal or later for a snack. It more important that the who day is nutritionally balanced then each meal. I hate milk and my kids rarely if ever drink it, I don't eat meat at all, I occationally take my kids for fast food especially if we are on vacation. I don't try to make each meal balanced but try to make such overall they are eating a balanced diet. I even let them eat cookies, ice cream and candy once in awhile. Everyone in our family is very slim, active and healthy and we spend a ton on groceries (close to $1000 a month, we eat alot of fuits and veggies which can get pricey in the winter). OP don't feel bad about what you fed your family, it's fine.

 

[jakoky]

mombrontrent, I completely agree with you...We also spend a lot on groceries, at least 800 a month....My kids are major fruit eaters, my oldest daughter takes an apple, orange and banana in her lunch, not including the other fruit she eats the rest of the day ....On holidays, we eat "whatever", but the funny thing is, as my kids get older, it is awesome to watch them order soup or salad in place of fries ...

 

[IDoDis]

Cheap for me is a large box of cereal and a gallon of milk. $6.00 at the most to feed everyone for a few days. Would I do that if it were a vacation with friends? Probably not. I'd probably end up spending more. Seems as though "cheap" is often compared to the price of a meal at McDonald's from the value menu. I get it and do the same thing sometimes. But hey, if you are on vacation, an sausage biscuit or an order of 3 hotcakes isn't going to kill you. As long as that's not something you eat daily.

A cheap meal to me is the $1.49 McD's hamburger happy meal on Thursdays from 4-8pm. And that includes a chocolate milk! Now that's cheap! The kids can get apple dippers instead of fries which makes it not so bad.

 

[bdcp]

So many people on here so quick to attack others on their choice of food for their families. Their is nothing wrong with a meal of kielbasa, cheese and pita bread. No, you don't have to have milk with it, their is protien in the cheese and meat. Who cares if their is no fruit or veggies in that meal, obviosly they are eating fruits and veggies becasue she said she bought a whole bunch, who cares it they eat it with the meal or later for a snack. It more important that the who day is nutritionally balanced then each meal. I hate milk and my kids rarely if ever drink it, I don't eat meat at all, I occationally take my kids for fast food especially if we are on vacation. I don't try to make each meal balanced but try to make such overall they are eating a balanced diet. I even let them eat cookies, ice cream and candy once in awhile. Everyone in our family is very slim, active and healthy and we spend a ton on groceries (close to $1000 a month, we eat alot of fuits and veggies which can get pricey in the winter). OP don't feel bad about what you fed your family, it's fine.

Nothing wrong with kielbasa if that's what you want to spend money on. The OP didn't want to. It was the OP's friend. She should have spoken up.

I also let my kids eat candy, ice cream and soda in moderation and as a result they never went crazy when it was around them as some of their friends did who weren't ever allowed to have it at home. DH and I eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, but for us to spend more than $600/month is pretty difficult and we eat sirloin, boneless chicken, and I buy almost all name brands. So, it's not really about how much someone spends, but how they spend it.

 

[williamson_ja]

On vacation, we usually have instant oatmeal in our room before we head to the parks. I can buy a box of instant oatmeal on sale for about $1 (and did buy several boxes at this price before we went last time). We eat about 1/2 a box between 6 of us for breakfast, so that costs $0.50. At home, we make our own oatmeal and it costs more like $0.20 for breakfast. For a dinner at home, I would consider $3 a cheap meal for our family of 6 (that's to feed all of us, not each). We don't go out to eat more than about once every couple of months. If I was at a sit down restaurant, I would expect to pay $50 for dinner for all of us with the tip. We use restaurants.com to go out or don't go.
I know I am probably an unusually cheap person, but we eat extremely healthy and my kids and family are happy , so it works for us.

 

[robinb]

I keep on thinking ... you can feed 4 people at McDonalds for only $8?

A "cheap meal" for me is under $20 for 3 of us. It doesn't happen very often.

 

[mhsjax]

So many people on here so quick to attack others on their choice of food for their families. Their is nothing wrong with a meal of kielbasa, cheese and pita bread. No, you don't have to have milk with it, their is protien in the cheese and meat. Who cares if their is no fruit or veggies in that meal, obviosly they are eating fruits and veggies becasue she said she bought a whole bunch, who cares it they eat it with the meal or later for a snack. It more important that the who day is nutritionally balanced then each meal. I hate milk and my kids rarely if ever drink it, I don't eat meat at all, I occationally take my kids for fast food especially if we are on vacation. I don't try to make each meal balanced but try to make such overall they are eating a balanced diet. I even let them eat cookies, ice cream and candy once in awhile. Everyone in our family is very slim, active and healthy and we spend a ton on groceries (close to $1000 a month, we eat alot of fuits and veggies which can get pricey in the winter). OP don't feel bad about what you fed your family, it's fine.

Exactly. I see people talking about cereal, I hate that stuff, but I low carb, and to me nothing is more empty and non satisfying than a bowl of cereal, I don't care what kind. And milk, you don't "need" it. In fact my youngest is totally intolerant of it, more than lactose, it is one of the proteins.

My oldest son, a bowl of cereal, and lets be real here, a bowl to him is half the box, is a snack. What can I say, he is 14, 5'9" and wears a 29 in jeans. I hate him sometimes. lol

My mom loved her cereal and it would hold her until lunch, for me 30 minutes later I am starving. WE are all different, I have to have protein, and so does my youngest, my other DS and DD not so much, at least for breakfast. Yogurt, is a snack for them and is in no way considered a meal, even with granola and fruit. For some it is great.

To each their own, but I would much rather have what the OP posted for breakfast or lunch than cereal or yogurt, I think I would run for the nearest McDonalds instead, and I don't really even like McDonalds. Like I said I agree, to each their own. That is why they make so many different kinds of foods to choose from.

 

[maggiew]

i took a recent 4 day trip with a friend and my 2 kids and we stopped at a grocery store on the way out because she said we could save on eating out. I had told her I had lunch and dinner all planned for already and all we had to worry about was bringing our own breakfast. I did mention that I was being careful with my budget for the trip and was doing stuff like bringing instant oatmeal for my kids to eat in the room.

We ended up walking out with $40 of snacks, fruits, veggies, etc. I just about died. (especially since I footed the bill)

Granted it was for 4 of us (my friend, myself, and my 2 kids). But I just about had a bit of a heart attack watching her merrily going through the grocery store grabbing stuff. I should also add my friend is in a very tight financial situation - to the point where she didn't have access to cash for a few days. At this point though, I think we both thought she would be footing her share of whatever she bought so I figured she would be careful with her money.

Her idea of a cheap meal to eat in the room was:
Kielbasa and cheese pitas.
Kielbasa - $7
Baby bell cheese - $5
Mini pitas - $3
TOTAL= $15
er....I could take us all to McDonald's for their cheap burgers and spent $8 for the 4 of us.

Am I the only weirdo to think of food costs in those terms?

To me it felt like she THOUGHT we were saving money buying that but I kept a running total in my head and I KNEW we weren't.

Then there was a case of clementines, a bag of grapes, a carton of strawberries, and a carton of cut up veggies. I had no problems with the fruits and veggies. It was good to have fresh fruits and veggies. although we bought way more than I would normally have bought.

*EDITED TO ADD* What I am trying to ask is: what is a "cheap meal" in your head and how do you calculate it? I tend to add the whole meal up in my head and compare it to other meals. example above or I will say to myself, I can fry up a half dozen eggs for $2, add a carton of strawberries on sale for $2 and there's breakfast for 4 for $4. Or else I will tell myself to find a place to eat that's about $10 pp. Does anyone else add up food costs this way?

While I personally wouldn't want the kielbasa, I think the $40 was reasonable for what you got. If you thought the kielbasa/baby bell/pita was too expensive, why didn't you just say, "I don't really like kielbasa."

I think the fruit and veggies you got were good for quick room/park snacks. They all seem like they would travel well in a backpack (maybe not the strawberries unless you had a tupperware container). Here in Chicago I think those things alone would be $40!

We bought my DD a fruit cup with cup up melon, grapes, etc. in a parfait type glass at Animal Kingdom and I think it was around $5! That was for maybe a cup and a half of fruit. So I think your $40 was pretty good.

And while you might be able to eat for $8 at McDonalds at home (plus tax, I am assuming), I doubt you can do that on vacation. While I haven't eaten at McDonald's at Disney, I thought I remember hearing they didn't have a dollar menu.

And a half dozen fried eggs and some strawberries for breakfast for 4 people. I personally don't eat eggs, but sitting down eating one fried egg by itself sounds inadequate??? Maybe if you throw in some toast or something, I can see it.

I think the bottom line is that you are comparing what you can maybe buy at home for really cheap on sale with what you are picking up at a vacation destination grocery store. You need to compare what you spent at the grocery to what you might spend in the parks if you didn't have those snacks. For example, buying one snack of fruit cups for all 4 of you would be $20 alone!

To me, if I'm on vacation, I will spend a bit more on foods for our room. I might splurge on an item that I really want, that I might not purchase at home. I just feel like if I'm spending less than I would at a restaurant, I'm saving money. I like meals to be special on vacation... even when I'm trying to save money.

I think the problem is that your friend asked you to pay for her "splurges".

I agree with this. Splurge a little for stuff while on vacation. You are still saving money from what you would spend in the parks.

For our upcoming trip, we are planning on eating breakfast in the hotel room, and I'm bringing water bobbles and snacks for in the parks. (I am budgeting one snack per person per day...I have to have my funnel cake!)

I went to BJs (like Costco) and picked up a ton of stuff. Ok, granted, I spent over $300, but I bought paper towels and tp!

Granola bars, mini cereal boxes, dried and dehydrated fruits, nuts, oatmeal packets, juice boxes and some Pepsi Throwback for in the hotel room. I'm also bringing my Keurig, for coffee. I will pick up some whole grain bread, and fresh fruits/veggies the day before we leave. I already have some natural peanut butter and all fruit jellies. Just need to get milk and creamer (quick stop at Publix on the way to the hotel) and we're all set!


Back on track: I would have said something to her. There are many other things you can eat that are better for you, and are more in line with that budget. But then again, I'm the mom in the front of the other parents at meetings telling them to get off their butts and chaperone the field trips or to pony up the bucks for scout camping.

If you were trying to save money, I think you could have spent less on snacks in the park??? But if you are doing it for convenience, then that is fine. You don't say how many people you have in your party, but $300 for breakfast in the room?? You might have been able to do Chef Mickey's each day for that much (depending on # of people) or at least counter service breakfast!!

And I'd agree with you if this thread were about shopping for groceries at home, but it isn't; this is about shopping on a vacation trip for things that can be prepared and eaten in a hotel room, presumably one without a kitchen. That is always going to cost a bit more (which is often why the food stamp numbers can seem high to really frugal people; many of the familes on the program do not have access to fully-supplied kitchens or to transportation that would allow them to price-compare and shop the best deals at multiple stores.)

Also, when I'm on vacation I have better things to do with my TIME than spend it running from place to place in an unfamiliar town in order to save less than $10 on breakfast foods. Time spent on vacation is time that I am not at work earning, and therefore even more valuable than usual.

I agree with this!

Cheap for me is a large box of cereal and a gallon of milk. $6.00 at the most to feed everyone for a few days. Would I do that if it were a vacation with friends? Probably not. I'd probably end up spending more. Seems as though "cheap" is often compared to the price of a meal at McDonald's from the value menu. I get it and do the same thing sometimes. But hey, if you are on vacation, an sausage biscuit or an order of 3 hotcakes isn't going to kill you. As long as that's not something you eat daily.

A cheap meal to me is the $1.49 McD's hamburger happy meal on Thursdays from 4-8pm. And that includes a chocolate milk! Now that's cheap! The kids can get apple dippers instead of fries which makes it not so bad.

Would a box of cereal and a gallon of milk really last you for a few days??? The OP had 4 people. So you think that one box of cereal and a gallon of milk is sufficient?? I'm just wondering. Not trying to be snarky, just amazed at the thought of that.

Maggie

 

[disneychrista]

Yeah you are going to get a wide variety of responses here, because not everyone eats the same.

Vacation in room breakfast bagels or granola/ceral bars. We spend more at Starbucks in the AM then on breakfast in the room. We do not eat meal/eggs for breakfast very often. I count the milk in my latte as the protein.


We don't keep many snacks in the room, as they never get eatten.

 

[drewmer]

I think you did get an inexpensive bunch of meals. Think how much you would have spent if you would have bought the same stuff at the resort or even at McDs.