4 Ways to Save Money While Eating on the Road

Yes, we are finally back from our unexpected "vacation" with dad and are settling back in.  On Wednesday I will share a few fun photos for those of you that are remotely interested. ;)  I finally made it to the grocery store tonight so this family can eat more than just things I scavenged out of the freezer.  Time to get back to real life folks!

But what fun memories we have tucked away.  And yes, we ate our way through more than several states.  Out of the three weeks gone, 7 of those days were actually spent on the road.  For very long periods of time.  Add that up, and that is 21 meals on the road or potentially in a hotel.

Now don't get me wrong, our family enjoys eating out occasionally but it can get old, well, except for the 7 year old who has a thing for restaurants and would eat out every meal if you let him.  But between the expense factor and the fact that one of us has eaten foreign food for 4 months, let's just say that 21 meals out was not going to cut it.


No worries, this momma had a plan!  Not just for our sanity, but to save money!

Yes, you can save money eating on the road.

Here's how-

Pack a cooler!
We actually use two.  One holds all of our things that really do need to stay cool!
Our standard items-
Mayo and mustard
Tortillas
Lunch meat
Apples
Bananas
Rolls
Baby carrots
Fruit
Individual containers of diced peaches, pears, and applesauce
And a few Mountain Dews to keep dad awake!  Despite the HUGE time change and jet lag, my hero drove every minute of the trip except the day we picked him up from the airport.

The other cooler bag fits perfectly between the two second row seats and holds snacks and such.  Many of the snacks for this trip were given to us by a sweet friend (thanks Andrea!!!) and the "such" includes napkins, plastic utensils, and the plastic cups which we use to hold said snacks.

This is our standard lunch on the road, just like it would be at home on any given day.  Much cheaper than a $6.00 meal x 6 people= $36.00 for a bad-for-you lunch!  Plus, I figure that the fewer public restuarants we are in, the less likely we are to pick up random germs!

Take advantage of hotel breakfasts and possibly mid week meals.
Here's the deal.  If you are going to pay for a place to stay (have you seen the cost of rooms these days) you might as well make sure they have a free continental breakfast.  Yes, some hotels' ideas of breakfast are better than others, but most have at least yogurt, juice, fruit, cereal, oatmeal, and bread of some sort.  Most these days even offer waffles or pancakes, and, much to Colby's delight, some even have doughnuts.  We make sure we eat well and often grab a piece of fruit for the road to have for an afternoon snack.

A newer trend at many hotels these days is some sort of buffet for dinner during the week.  I remember when that used to be light snacks, but these days the offerings are quite substantial and by adding a piece of fruit, you could easily have a decent meal.


Share meals at restaurants
Usually by dinner we are ready to be out of the car, are tired of picnic lunches, and want to actually sit down for a meal, so we do usually eat at restaurants in the evenings. One way to save on meals is to share!  Our girls are famous for this when they can find a place with fajitas.  Most restaurants do not mind sharing and often their portions are too big for one person anyway.  Even an order of fries at Five Guys can be split between three in our family! (Anyone else love that restaurant?)

Another way to save costs is to eat lunch, a cheaper meal, in a restaurant, and have your picnic from home for dinner in your hotel room.  Many rooms have microwaves you can use to heat up food you bring and we have even been known to heat water in a coffee maker and make mac and cheese. (yes, when you are on the road as much as we are, you learn to be resourceful)


Pack a crock pot!
Yes I did!  My husband rolled his eyes at me but I am pretty sure he appreciated the home cooked meals. We actually do this quite often, especially if you are going to be in one place for more than a night and if you are out all day sight seeing.  Just pop a roast, chicken, or pork loin in before you head out and when you come back to the room exhausted after a day of fun, your meal will be waiting for you.  I often wonder what the maid service people think, but so far no one has ever said anything to us.  We shared a meal with friends once and they brought their electric griddle along.  It was great and a much easier way to visit old friends than in a restaurant.

No, we are not cheap.  Well, maybe a little, but the reality is that I not only want to eat fairly healthy on the road, but to save money. After all, the money we save on something as trivial as food can then be spent on much better things - like family fun! ;)

Are there more money saving ideas?  I am sure there are and we would love for you to share how you too save money while eating on the road!

Linking up with friends-

Blessings,

A Frugal Follow Up

OK, did you know that if you mutter the word frugal people come running?  Really!  I am sometimes shocked at what you readers like to read as evidenced by the numbers on this blog any given day, but I must also admit I love that I am not alone in my quest to be frugal.  We could form a group or something, I am sure of it. And your ideas- wow, you have some great ones.  And since you left them all in numerous places for me, kind of like a scavenger hunt, I am putting them all here in one place for our little group to find easily.  Plus, I am adding a few of my own!

Here we go- Room by room, sort of-

Back to the kitchen!- From my friend Gwen (who has a large family, so she ought to know!)- 

• "I do the exact same thing but with whole turkeys on sale. I always feel that with chicken, it's just as much work to de-bone and pull apart but I get a lot less meat than with turkey.  I frequently make quiche because it's such a money-saver and they all love it (plus we have our own chickens); Cornbread and beans is another frugal family favorite; Also meat and cheese in homemade bread pockets (Bierrocks in German). They're filling but you can really be creative and frugal with the filling, but since it's encased in homemade bread, the family always loves it."

My friend Stacy reminded me of berries! 

• "We always keep an eye out at the grocery store for berries to go on sale (sometimes I can get blackberries for 98 cents for the normal size square containers). When they are on sale I buy 12-14 pkgs and then make my own jam at home. I control the sugar amount and it's way cheaper than buying berry jam in the store.   We also buy berries when on sale and freeze then in one cup batches to be used for making muffins of for quick and healthy snacks."

She also mentioned making batches of homemade waffles and pancakes and freezing them for a quick breakfast or snack, which we also do.  See why we are friends? ;)

Brad could have written a post all himself.  I was so impressed by what he had to say we read it as a family and discussed how his suggestions impacted our life! 

• "Don't rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. You're wasting water and effort. If both you and the dishwasher have to wash the dishes one of you is redundant. A good dishwasher can handle whatever food doesn't get scraped into the garbage."

Yep, my kids loved this one.  They think it got them out of dish duty.

And mixes!  Don't forget mixes.  If you are buying stuff from the grocery store, most times you are paying double for the pretty packaging.  We save a lot of money by making our own taco mix, salad dressings and onion soup mix.

House- (yes, that is a lot of rooms)-  More from Brad-

•  "Fans are a great way to cool down and much cheaper than AC. Just be sure to turn them off when you're not going to be in the room. A fan makes you cooler by whisking away your body heat. It will not cool down the overall temperature in the room.
• "Keep your blinds and curtains open on south facing windows during the winter to help warm your home with the sun.

Bedrooms- from Brad-

• "Turn down your furnace at night and use an electric blanket to warm up your bed before you get in."   

Or, just use all those blankets you have sitting around and pile them on your bed! ;)

And just a few closing words from Brad, because I like what he had to say and think you will too-

• "Never buy an extended warranty. They wouldn't sell them if they were paying out more than customers pay in. If you can't afford to replace or repair it you can't afford to buy it.
• "When you pay off your car loan keep making the payments, but send them to your savings account and don't touch that money. The next time you buy a car use cash and save thousands in financing costs. Always make the payments to yourself instead of the bank and always buy with cash after that.
• "Never put anything on a credit card unless you have the money in the bank to pay it off when the bill comes due. Then pay your bill in full - never carry a balance. No one would shop at a store where everything costs 30% more, so why pay an extra 30% or more for everything by using credit? A credit card is a great tool for building credit and for convenience over using cash or check but should never be used as a loan.
• "Build up at least a couple grand in your savings account for liquidity. It's tough to not use that expensive credit card loan unless you've got some cash in the bank to carry you through an expensive car or home repair, or unexpected dental bill. Think of your savings account like a cistern - if you want water during a drought you need to replenish it when the rain comes."

Got more?  Feel free to leave us a comment with your ideas and we will add you to our little frugal group! ;)

Blessings, 

Frugal Room by Room

I love to save money.  It tends to be an obsession with me if I am not careful.  I have found that it is like a game and I want to be the winner.  Well, especially since every other game I play with the kids I usually lose at.  Just saying.

But being frugal- now that I can do!

 Let's be frugal room by room!

Kitchen - This is my favorite room to save in so I will share a few of the easier ways I have found to save a few pennies.
     Buy whole chickens, cook and use the meat for several meals!

     Don't waste your money on expensive children's snacks.  Make several batches of cookie dough at once at freeze it in rolls.  When your kids are hungry just pull out a roll, cut and pop them in the oven.

    And paper towels?  A HUGE waste of money.  All you need is a stack of while multi-purpose cloths.

Laundry Room - Make your own laundry detergent.  Trust me on this one - it is far less expensive and it is better for you and your family!  You can use the recipe we use or do a quick search on the internet.  There are many floating around.

Bathrooms - No more chemicals here!  We found a few homemade cleaner recipes that use essential oils and we love them.  Instead of hundreds of bottles of different cleaners, we have two main ones we use.  Easy and cost effective!

Dining Room - We do not use paper napkins in this house.  Honestly, my family was just going through them like no tomorrow and it was driving me crazy.  I found a bunch of cloth napkins on sale and a few friends have given me some and that is all we use now.  Yes, I wash them often, but at least I feel like we are not just throwing more paper into the trash can.

Outside - OK,OK, I know it is not a room, but let's face it, growing your own food does save money.  You don't have to have a farm to do so, either.  Raised beds are the rage right now as well as container gardening.  Check out Pinterest for a ton of ideas!

Kid's Rooms - Stop buying stuff!  Yes, it is that easy!  Well, for the parents.  Our new rule around here is no new toys and stuff unless it is your birthday or Christmas.  The end.  I know it may sound harsh, but I am going to tell you - my kids do not need more stuff.  I promise you they have enough to keep them and probably the whole neighborhood entertained.  No shopping, no spending. It's a pretty easy way to save.

So how about you?  How are you saving money room by room?  We would love for you to share.  If you have a post about this very thing, feel free to leave the link for us.  Beginning on Wednesday, you can also check out how fellow TOS Review Crew members are Being Frugal!

Blessings,