So far this summer, my family has spent 60 hours in the car together on two different road trips.  And we still like each other!  But that’s another post.

Today, I want to talk about how to save money on food for a road trip or vacation.  This is a subject I’ve talked about before.  It’s important to me, because it’s part of what has enabled us to afford trips together.

Most important is to make a plan and make your lists.

I make lists for: 

• Lunches
• Dinners I’m planning to cook (yes, I cook on vacation and it’s not hard)
• Snacks for the car
• Breakfasts
• Grocery lists for shopping before we leave home
• Grocery lists for after we get to our destination

That’s a lot of lists, but they work hard to keep us from eating out too often.  They also keep me from having to re-think the plan numerous times, freeing up limited mind space for enjoying the trip.

Pack the food wisely.

• Be sure you (or an older child) can get to snacks and drinks in the car.
• Use plenty of ice in the cooler.  Cars get hot, especially when it’s 107 degrees driving through Kansas.
• Use name brand Ziploc bags in the cooler.  I found the generic versions were not water tight.  You don’t want soggy sandwiches.
• If you’re traveling with a quart of milk or juice, look for lids that screw on rather than snap on.

Breakfast ideas:

Go for things that are easy to hold in your hand and quick to fix.

• Bagels and cream cheese
• Peanut butter sandwiches
• Fruit
• Granola bars
• Yogurt – don’t forget some spoons
• Starbucks Double Shots – essential if you like a big cup of coffee in the morning, but don’t have to want to stop too soon for a bathroom break.  {ahem}

Lunch ideas:

I try to pack our first-day-on-the-road lunch, but we get fast food on the second day of driving.

• Sandwiches – make them the day before you travel and label with each person’s name. Pack in Ziploc bags
• Use tortillas to make wraps instead of bread. These seem to hold up a bit better than regular sandwiches.
• Carrots and grapes travel well and can be eaten in the car for snacks too.
• Packets of drink mix for bottled water are easy to pack.  This gives variety, but you only have to pack the bottled water.

Dinner ideas:

This is where you can see real savings.  Depending on your situation, it can even be nicer than eating out.

We like to rent houses instead of staying in hotels once we’re at our destination.  We’ve rented places in Colorado Springs, Orlando, Gatlinburg and Gulf Shores.  For our family of 6, it’s been cheaper per night than hotels.  Check out vrbo.com to find a rental.

That said, I’ve also “cooked” in hotel rooms.  It’s not as good or as easy as cooking in a house, but it can work.  Use a hot pot (do college kids still use these?) to heat canned soups.  Use the coffee maker for hot water for ramen noodles.

For cooking in a kitchen:

• Keep it simple. Make recipes you’ve cooked before or you know to be easy.
• Make your list of dinners and stick to it.
• Depending on your situation, you can make meals ahead and freeze them using dry ice to keep them frozen while you travel.

We do like to eat out a few times on vacation.  Check the internet for cheap meals in your travel area.  When we traveled to Colorado Springs, I looked at Carrie’s awesome list of Cheap Things to Eat.  She recommended an ice cream place called Rizuto’s that has huge kiddie cones for $1.  Wow, she wasn’t kidding. They were huge and delicious.  We went 3 times.  Dear Risutto’s, we miss you!

In 16 total days of vacation/road trip this summer, we ate out 9 times.  Not bad.

A few  other lessons learned from so many hours in the car:

• Dramamine and sea bands. Buy them. Use them.
• Dry erase markers work on car windows. Give the kids a paper towel to “erase”.
• Audio books are a nice change from radio and movies. We all enjoyed Hank the Cow Dog on this trip.
• The AAA Triptik app for iphone is wonderful! We found hotels easily using this and got good deals too.

What are your road trip and vacation tips?

Who’s ready for summer fun?  Have I got a list for you today!  I’ve teamed up with more than 85 other bloggers to bring you ideas for inexpensive family fun all over the country.

Yesterday, I shared how to eat on vacation (or stay-cation) without breaking the bank.  Today, you can start planning where you want to go and what you want to do.  Check out this list, then pack up your picnic and load up the car! 
New England

Connecticut – Parenting Miracles
Boston, Massachusetts – ‎ Maven of Savin’
Manchester, New Hampshire – Common Sense with Money
Western Maine – Bubblegum and Lollipops

Mid-Atlantic

Erie, Pennsylvania – Growing Kids Ministry
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – Somewhat Crunchy
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – Family Balance Sheet
Buffalo/Niagara Falls, New York – Coupons, Deals and More
New Jersey – Oh! Diane

Midwest

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Indoor Garden Musings
Mansfield, Ohio – Live the Adventure
Cincinnati, Ohio – Savings Lifestyle~Cincinnati
Mount Vernon, Ohio – Living Better One Day at a Time
Dayton, Ohio – Savings Lifestyle~Dayton
Grand Rapids, Michigan – Kitchen Stewardship
Metro Detroit, Michigan – “Cents”able Momma
Oakland County, Michigan – Bargain Shopper Mom
Warren, Michigan – Saving Dollars and Sense
Grand Forks, North Dakota – Frugal Front Porch
Indianapolis, Indiana – Bargain Briana
South Bend, Indiana – Excuse The Mess
Kansas City, Kansas/Missouri – Kansas City Mamas
St. Louis, Missouri – The Pickledpigsfeet
Branson, Missouri – Getting Freedom from Debt
Springfield, Missouri – I Think I Can
Rochester, Minnesota – Everyday Notions
York, Nebraska – Heavenly Homemakers
Omaha, Nebraska – Mom Endeavors
Madison, Wisconsin – Many Little Blessings
Oshkosh, Wisconsin – A Little Bit of This and That
Chicago, Illinois – Chicagoland Homeschool Network
Champaign, Illinois – Chambanamoms
Black Hills, South Dakota – Little House on the Prairie Living

South Central

Checotah, Oklahoma – Blessed With One Income
Tulsa, Oklahoma – Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures
Gadsden, Alabama – Aint Mimi
Dallas, Texas – Funky Faith Girl
Dallas, Texas – Grocery Shop For FREE
East Dallas, Texas – Surviving The Stores
Fort Worth, Texas – Smockity Frocks
Austin, Texas – Stetted
Houston, Texas – Moms Travel Tales
McKinney, Texas – Wisdom Begun
East Texas – The Full Pantry
Murfreesboro, Tennessee – Life in a Barn
Nashville, Tennessee – The Country Chic Cottage
Mobile, Alabama – A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned
Birmingham, Alabama – iGoBOGO
Brunswick & the Golden Isles, Georgia – Teri Lynne Underwood
Alpharetta, Georgia – Cuponeando
Atlanta, Georgia – See Jamie Blog
Augusta, Georgia – Hyperactive Lu
Athens, Georgia and Mississippi – Tractors and Tire Swings

Brunswick & the Golden Isles, Georgia, Teri Lynne Underwood

Little Rock, Arkansas – It’s Real Life

South Atlantic

Ft. Bragg, North Carolina – Military Wives Saving
Charlotte, North Carolina – The Carolina Clipper
Charleston, South Carolina – The Tween & Me
Greensboro, North Carolina – Mrs. Happy Homemaker
Jacksonville, Florida – Saving The Family Money
Orlando, Florida – Orlando’s Best Deals
Virginia Beach, Virginia – The Singley Fam Blog
Richmond, Virginia – Daily Dwelling
Hampton Roads, Virginia – A Home Made by Kiki
Charlottesville, Virginia – How to Have it All
Blackwater Falls State Park/Davis, West Virginia – Holy Spirit Led Homeschooling
Treasure Coast, Florida – The Cardamom’s Pod
Saint Augustine, Florida – Jypsie Visions
Lake Norman, North Carolina – Stretching Pennies Saving Dollars
Washington, DC – The WiC Project
Baltimore, Maryland – The Happy Housewife

Mountain

Tucson, Arizona – Saving with Pam
Phoenix, Arizona – Mom Endeavors
Albuquerque, New Mexico – The Chou Life
Kalispell, Montana – Our Family Adventures
Salt Lake City, Utah – Just the 2 of Us
Thermopolis, Wyoming – The McDonald Family
Denver, Colorado – Denver Bargains
Colorado Springs, Colorado – Colorado Springs Bargains

Pacific

San Diego, California – Life As Mom
Yosemite National Park, California -Handbook of Nature Study
Seattle, Washington – Queen Bee Coupons & Savings
Whidbey Island, Washington – Manning the Homefront
Olympia, Washington The Coupon Savant
Portland, Oregon – Frugal Living NW
Willamette Valley, Oregon – An Oregon Cottage

Instead of the usual weekly menu and grocery list, I’m participating with several other bloggers doing a series about Stay-cations.  Tomorrow I’ll have links to the other posts for you.  If you’d like to print a menu + grocery list, please check out the “Menus and Planners” tab at the top of the site.

Raise your hand if you have a stay-cation planned this year.  With the price of gas and everything else, it makes a lot of sense to stay close to home and take in the local activities.  After you budget for all the fun stuff you want to do, it’s time to think about feeding everyone.  Boy, can that add up quick!

It is possible to eat at home on vacation without feeling like you’re slaving away over a hot stove.  And it’s the best way to save money.  We’ve been known to take our food on vacation with us, even if we’re traveling long distances.  Lots of people do this if they are camping or going to the beach, but we’ve even done it in Disney World.  So I know it’s possible to do it at home, make it special and keep it simple all at the same time. 

Plan, plan, plan!

Decide what you will be doing each day of your vacation.  Once you have your itinerary, you can determine if it’s best to:

1.  Eat out – You might not want to eat every meal at home.  Maybe your family has a few favorites or you want to try out a new place or two.  If so, schedule those meals into your week.  You might start looking for coupons to save money on those meals.   Check out the menus of each place and make up a budget based on the cost of each restaurant.

2.  Use the slow cooker – Look for recipes that come together quick.  You don’t want to have a lot of steps before the food makes it to the slow cooker, like browning or pre-cooking.  Unless, you can make it ahead of time and freeze it (more on that later).  Slow cooking is good for days when you know you will be back by dinner (or lunch, if that works better).

3.  Plan to grill – Grilling keeps the cooking mess outside and has a fun flair to it.  This is good if you’re going to be home for the evening and if you haven’t worn yourself out with fun earlier in the day.

4.  Pop a frozen meal into the oven – This requires you to cook ahead of time, but the pay off is huge.  The meal is ready to go in the oven (or slow cooker).  All you need to do is thaw in the fridge a day or two before you’ll be eating it.  Using foil pans can help keep the mess to a minimum.

5.  Pack a picnic – If your kids are old enough, set up an assembly line in the morning and let them fix their own sandwich.  Keep a Sharpie marker handy for labeling baggies.  A picnic doesn’t have to be just sandwiches, although they are a classic portable meal for a reason.  Try pasta salad with grilled chicken or chicken or tuna salad with crackers.

Make a grocery list and cooking plan

Now that you have your meals planned into the week, it’s time to put it all together in a grocery list.  Don’t forget any foil pans, sandwich baggies etc. you may need.  Also, plan for extra ice if you’ll be packing picnics. Keep those groceries away from prying kids and husbands!  You don’t want your vacation food to be eaten up before it’s time.

Look through your meals and decide what cooking can be done ahead of time.  Schedule yourself time before your vacation to do that.  Here are some tips on cooking and freezing several meals at once.

Desserts

My family has a big sweet tooth.  Satisfying it is a necessity for our vacations.  When the kids were little, we used to get them all ready for bed and then announce a “pajama run”.  We’d pile into the van and drive through Sonic or Dairy Queen for ice cream.  They loved it!

Ice cream at home is fun too.  Build your own sundaes or make Dad’s Brownie Sundaes.  Milkshakes are easy and special or try a Mock Dole Whip Float. Ice cream treats are good, because all the ingredients keep well and it’s an “assembly only” treat.

You could also bake cookies or cakes and freeze them to have during your stay-cation.  The main thing is to keep it simple, but special.

Clean up tips

• Use disposable or…
• Use regular dishes, but be diligent about loading and unloading the dishwasher. You won’t have extra cooking pans, so it should be just plates and cups.  This is what we usually do, even on vacation.
• Use foil pans
• Use slow cooker liners – much easier than scrubbing the slow cooker.  They’re a treat I only use for vacations.

Our favorite meals for vacationing:

These are our tried and true meals.  They’re favorites not just for taste, but also for ease of prep.

• Pulled Pork Sandwiches in the slow cooker
• Hashbrown Casserole (use the slow cooker trick and add ham or smoked sausage)
• Hawaiian Cole Slaw
• Chicken Fiesta with Black Beans in the slow cooker
• Stuffed Shells
• Spicy Garlic Chicken Pizza
• Chicken Gyros
• Chicken Tetrazini

Do you have vacation plans this summer?  Will you be staying close to home or venturing further?

photo credit

Aren’t those the cutest candy apples?  We chose other things in this bakery, but I couldn’t resist taking a picture of these.

We were blessed to be able to take a family vacation to Disney World a few weeks ago.  The first part of our trip was spent with just the 6 of us in a rented townhouse.  For the second half, my parents and sister’s family joined us and we moved to an off-site pool home.  Renting the homes is one of the ways we keep the costs down.  (It also makes for a relaxing vacation.)

Another way we keep the budget under control is by taking our own food.

My mom cooks and freezes all kinds of things in the months before the trip, then packs it all up on dry ice to transport it from Indiana to Florida.  You can read more about that process here.

This was the first time that I’ve ever travelled with frozen food.  I usually just let mom do all the work, like a good daughter

I made:

• Spicy Garlic Chicken Pizza – This is one of our favorites.  It was fast and easy to make at the townhouse.  It travelled well too.
• Chicken Gyros – Also good, travelled well and very fast to get on the table.  So much better than lunch meat sandwiches.
• Beef and Bean Enchilada Stack casserole that was just ok – This was an experiment.  It traveled great, but I don’t think I will repeat it.

I had planned to pack these 3 meals on dry ice to be sure they stayed frozen.  However, when Jim went to Meijer to buy the dry ice, they didn’t carry it anymore.  Kroger and Walmart didn’t carry it either.  We ended up packing them in a small cooler, wrapping newspapers around them and covering with ice.  They were still frozen 13 hours later.

Mom and Dad also had trouble finding dry ice because the Meijer in their town was out of dry ice and wouldn’t be getting any more in time for the trip.  No other stores carry it.  They ended up getting some from a welder in town.  Kind of a strange and long story, the moral of which is double check your source for dry ice because sometimes they just stop carrying it! That’s not something you want to find out in the wee hours of the morning when you’re packing up the cooler.

Disney Restaurants

The only hamburger I ate in nearly 2 weeks was in this restaurant called the Sci-Fi Dine-In.  This was the first time we’d ever been to the Sci-Fi and we really enjoyed it.  We shared burgers, fries and chocolate milkshakes.  It looks just like a drive-in movie theater and they play old movie trailers from the 50s, like “The Attack of the 50 Foot Woman”.

Here’s a picture of my kids pretending to fight in the car we ate in.  They really were just pretending.  I wouldn’t take a picture of the real thing

We also had a late breakfast/early lunch at the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian Resort.  All of our other meals were either at the house or at counter-service restaurants in the parks.  We did manage to eat around the world in Epcot one night. Yum!

Where do you eat on vacation? Do you bring food with you or eat out or a combination?

Subtitle: How My Mom Transported 5 Dinners for 13 People from Indiana to Florida in August without Giving Anyone Food Poisoning

I know that it’s not really vacation season yet, but it’s never to early to start planning. The economy being what it is, lots of people need to save money and one way to do that on vacation is by not eating out.

What? Not eat out on vacation? Who wants to cook while they’re vacationing? Probably nobody, but with a little planning making your own food on vacation can be easy and will save you hundreds of dollars. (It also helps if you have a mom who does all the work. More on that in a minute.)

I’m not going to talk about using crockpots, hotpots, toasters and coffee pots in a hotel room, although I have done that before. This info will be most useful for those of you who rent a house or cabin or if you camp. These are also great ideas if you are doing a “staycation” and want to eat at home, but keep it simple and good.

Last year my family, my parents and my sister’s family were blessed to be able to go to Disney World. We rented a house there instead of staying on-property. The ideas and pictures I’ll share in this post are from that trip. This year we are all going to Gulf Shores, Alabama and renting another house on the beach. We’ll be repeating much of our menu from last year.

The idea was to come up with foods that could be mostly prepared and then frozen, so that while we were on vacation it was only a matter of “assembling” the food. It really helps if you can freeze the foods flat in ziplock bags. That will save space and make packing the cooler easier.

Using Dry Ice to Transport Food

My parents packed a very large cooler about 4:30am with the food, which was already frozen solid. They bought dry ice that morning. There were guidelines on the package of dry ice that said to use something like 12 lbs. for 48 hours. Because of the heat, they decided to use 20-25 lbs. of dry ice. They packed it on top of the food because cold descends. The dry ice was also wrapped in newspaper to better insulate. All the ice was gone when the cooler was opened, but the food was still frozen.

You need to know that my parents left Indiana at 4:30am on one day. The cooler was not opened until about 4:30pm the next day! That is a long time to keep food frozen in August. The cooler just hung out in the back of their van while they drove and then enjoyed a half day at Epcot. We were a bit nervous before opening it, fearing it had all rotted. But it worked!

The Menu:

There are lots of different foods you could make that could be assembly only and frozen to reduce your cooking and clean up time on vacation. These are some of the foods we made. Click the links for recipes. I took these photos with my old point-and-shoot camera. I do think my photos are getting better, which is exciting to me.

Stuffed Shells

Chicken Fiesta with Black Beans

Chicken Tetrazini

Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Hashbrown Casserole

A few other tips

Make good use of foil pans and crockpot liners. They will greatly speed up the cleanup process.

We used a grocery shopping service called We Go Shop in Orlando. That saved us spending our vacation time buying perishables that couldn’t be frozen.

Mom also made and froze a cake, cookies, waffles, banana bread. Obviously, there was some work in planning and preparing the food, but it really paid off in the end.