ISO your frugal vacation eating tips

**mustang80** · 10-01-2003, 08:00 PM

We are going to Florida at the end of the month. We need to do this trip as frugally as possible. We really can't afford to go at this point, but the money is put aside and DH is in a wedding down there, that's the main reason for going. Also he has been working alot of extra hours, blah, blah, blah.....

Anyhoo, we are planning on eating breakfast at the time share every day but I would like some lunch/snack ideas. Disney is very pricey to eat in the park, and since we have the stroller, we should be able to pack our food (I hope!).

Also, we are driving down so any snack ideas/suggestions for the car would also be appreciated. After our last trip, we realized we spent sooooo much money on food. We really would like to cut that back this time.

As for the wedding in Daytona, they are going to feed us 3 times that weekend!

Rehearsal party, wedding, and baby brunch (long story). So we get at least 3 free GOOD meals.

I'd like things I can make ahead like cookies, muffins, etc. that can be eaten easily on the road, but made inexpensively.

Thanks ladies!!!

**guest2** · 10-01-2003, 09:23 PM

Since you are going to be staying at a time share condo, I'd say take a bunch of groceries and quick fix things with you. Maybe make a casserole and freeze it before hand. Take a cooler and load it up. I'd take sandwich stuff like bread, peanut butter, jelly, tuna, cheese and lunch meats. When we travel and have a cabin that we are staying at I take the making for spaghetti, those Lipton noodles and sauce mixes, cereal, powdered milk, coffee, tea, snacks, vegis and fruit and alway popcorn!!!

**PrairieRose** · 10-02-2003, 10:12 AM

Since you're taking a cooler you're probably already planning on drinks. I'd make Kool aid or something like that to take for the trip down and take enough to make for the trip home. Much cheaper than sodas for everyone. Also we buy some fruit to snack on (grapes, which are GREAT frozen b.t.w.) and munch on those and popcorn that we popped before we leave. Dh's family always took food to cook at the little road side rest stops. Most of them have a grill or something...maybe you could cook hot dogs or hamburgers on the way down and maybe the way back....every meal you cut out (from the restaurants and park) saves you $, but you already know that. I hope you guys have a great trip Danielle. Sounds like a lot of fun. Making it frugal makes it more fun to me

**sunshine** · 10-02-2003, 12:13 PM

Fruit- lots of fruit. Apples, oranges, bananas, grapes. . . . . .

fresh veggies- carrot sticks, radishes, celery sticks, cauliflower, broccoli

Graham crackers

Instant soup mixes - where you just add hot water.

Instant ramen noodle dinners- where you just add hot water.

canned meats- Vienna sausages, sardines, tuna, . . . . . in pop top cans.

crackers

take a portable grill and you can cook stuff along the way (dh was flabbergasted the first time we pulled over our motorhome to cook at a park for lunch). You can always buy the ingredients for a meal and keep it in the cooler until you cook it. Then buy the next meal's food and put it in the cooler.

**AmyMCGS** · 10-02-2003, 06:15 PM

I'd make some fun foods, too... so you don't feel like you're missing out on anything by not eating out. Things like Chex mix or Puppy Chow (the snack mix, not the dog food, LOL) travel well in ziplocks.

An easy-to-pack lunch idea is to take tortillas and wrap your favorite sandwich fillings (turkey and cheddar cheese for me) in them. Wrap them in foil, put in a ziplock, and pop them in the cooler.

Here's a freezer cooking recipe for Pizza Roll-ups that I'd bet would travel well: http://www.recipezaar.com/mycookbook...id=50772&path=
All you'd have to pack would be the container of roll-ups and maybe a can of pizza sauce for dipping.

When I went to RecipeZaar to get that link for you, I searched for "portable lunches" just out of curiosity. It came up with 23 ideas, including lunch in an ice cream cone for kids.

Here's the link if you want to look at those: http://www.recipezaar.com/search/sea...portable+lunch

HTH and have a great trip!

**KKCondrey** · 10-02-2003, 07:29 PM

I think making a casserole ahead of time is a great idea. When we use to travel when I was younger we would take sandwich stuff and mom would make some cookies and "trash" for us to eat on the way. (I think its sort of like trail mix. It had butterscotch and chocolate chips, m&m's. peanuts or mixed nuts, raisens and cherrios. I like plain, but she you can use honey roasted. It's amazing how long it would last.)

We would also take a cooler with drinks in so we wouldn't have to stop.

(btw when you are traveling down I-95 in NC you can think of me when you pass exit 22

)

**Jerseygirl** · 10-02-2003, 07:43 PM

We do the same. I take lots of fun stuff-dh loves uncooked poptarts, so vacation is when he gets them, granola, hit the entemanns outlet and get your donuts, cereal bars etc. carrots and cheese and crackers are great on the road. We take drinks for the car and I bring iced tea mix for the way home. I pack cheerios and chex in baggies for us, individual containers for the kids. When we get there I pick up all of the local free magazines that advertise local places, they are full o0f buy 1 get 1 offers and 1/2 price dinners--also early birds etc. Enjoy your trip!