Now that it’s just us two Empty-nesters going on vacation, we eat out a little more frequently than we did when we had a family of four, but we still have strategies we use to keep food costs down. If you’re planning a trip this summer I trust these tips will help you, too.
*Before you go, bake up a loaf (or two) of banana bread or something similar, and have it for breakfast each morning with fresh fruit.
*Take your own coffee and cream with you if you’re staying at a place that has a coffee maker in the room. This will save a bundle!
*Take snack bars with you for mid-morning or afternoon hunger pains.
*Check the local grocery store for ice cream deals to avoid spending a fortune at an ice cream stand. We got a pint of Mayfield ice cream for $1 at Kroger this week and it served us several desserts! How fun would it be for a family (even the size of the Duggers’s!) to each get to chose their own pint?! We have the blessing of having a freezer at our condo, but if you don’t have access to one, you could buy cones and serve up scoops at a very low cost!
*Our strategy at meals is to split an entree. There is ALWAYS more than enough food for one person. This is also helpful for the waistline! Eating your main meal at lunch is also cheaper.
*I would advise moms to fill their bag with special little treats the kids might not get on a normal day at home. Pull out a juice bag when the afternoon (or the wait at that great restaurant) is getting a little too long for your child. An individual bag of Goldfish crackers to go with it might just save your sanity on what you had hoped would be the “perfect day.” Be prepared before you go!
*Check websites for ice cream places and restaurants before you go. Many establishments run specials. Starbucks has BOGO frappes this week from 3-5. Baskin Robbins was also doing a BOGO deal. It never hurts to check!
*Pick up a free coupon book for the area – you find them at tourist areas and rest stops. They often have valuable savings on food or attractions, like putt-putt.
I hope these little ideas refresh your wallet, and your time away!
What do you do to save money on food expenses while on vacation?
Stay refreshed,
Denise
RefreshHer 
Great minds think alike Denise. I use many of those same ideas when Marvin and I spend a week at Gulf Shores in the fall. We are fortunate to have a one bedroom condo with a nice kitchen so we eat breakfast in, lunch out and snack at supper time. It is nice to be able to “splurge” a bit more now that the kids are out of the house. When we take our whole family to the beach we only eat one meal out and the rest I cook…easy things as I am on vacay too but it allows our children and grandchildren to have some time at the beach that they could not afford on their own. We try to do this every other year and I plan, plan, plan, and load up on sales items before hand.
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I’m sure your family is grateful! I bought a pork tenderloin on sale when we got to the beach. I roasted it on Sunday and we’ve had meals from that all week. So easy!
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We do most of these, too! We typically only eat out for 1 meal a day (usually lunch) & eat the rest of our meals at the condo. John and I don’t split meals, but I usually split one with Ethan.
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