Before you get ready to hit the road for your next vacation, have a plan to pack your own food and drinks. You’ll save a ton of money that can be used to help afford your vacation in the first place or to upgrade your accommodations. Plus, you’l eat healthier and waste less time. There is no more making reservations, fighting a long line of other vacationers or having to alter your activity plans to fit in with the scheduled restaurant meal times.
When we drove down to Disneyland, we made sure that we had plenty of food and snacks, not only to get us there but also to use at the parks. Believe it or not, I had no problem bringing some of my own food into the park. We still splurged on special items, such as Mickey Mouse ice cream bars, but those purchases were very purposeful.
If you pack nothing else, pack water. Grab a couple of cases, depending on the size of your family and the length of your vacation. Bottled water bought in a case in the grocery store is about 19 cents per bottle. Bottled water bought singly on vacation can be as much as $2.50 per bottle. My family doesn’t have a problem drinking water at room temperature, but if yours has to have it cold, bring a cooler or chill a few bottles in a bucket of ice when you are at your hotel or other accommodations.
After water, choose some snacks. High energy and easy to eat snacks are always great if you will be doing a lot of walking around or participating in physical activities. With kids, someone is always hungry, and hungry can quickly lead to whiny, which can lead to you spending $20 on snacks to hold you over until the next meal.
Finally, if you have the room in the car and accommodations with a full kitchen, you can pack some freezer meals that can be just popped into the microwave or freezer. Simple, and each meal can save you $40-$50, depending on your family.
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