Originally Posted By ncnike7 Hi everyone! We are planning a trip for May and as prices keep on rising, we are trying to save a little more and splurge a little less. We always bring pb&j's, goldfish, fruit snacks, granola bars, etc into the parks but does anyone have any ideas for food in the hotel? We have a continental breakfast, a little fridge and a microwave. I just need ideas for easy to fix, not so messy things that I can make for dinners in the hotel room. What do all of you savvy money savers do?
Originally Posted By familyguy I know things like the kraft mac and cheese and chef boy r dee Ravioli and things like that all have like individual sized microwave deals. Most tv dinners/pot pies/frozen dinners can be microwaved. The grocery stores usually have a deli that sells stuff like fried chicken, chicken strips, and have cold sides that are good. Also, speaking of the deli's, and know you pack PB&J's for the parks, but sometimes having some sliced deli meat to do some better sandwiches with some chips in the evenings is good. The microwave stuff won't be the most amazing, but will likely hit the spot. Maybe a "splurge" at Mcdonald's or taco bell 1 or 2 nights.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Cans of soup are easily transported and nice and filling. And you can get some really yummy ones now a days.
Originally Posted By doombuggy Hot pockets, jugs of juice, milk. if you have a car there is a Food4Less west down Katella about 1.5ml. We go there and stock up on room food.
Originally Posted By berol Tina's Burritos in the frozen aisle are often really cheap, 2 to 4 for a buck.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub I'll take a double ziploc bag( to prevent leaks) to add extra ice cubes in bottom or back of frig to make it colder if I am trying to keep milk cold. Maybe a cheap small metal cookie tray to make the shelf colder? Haven't tried that in hotel but it works in my home refrigerator. I recently read an article on ?Yahoo about things you can cook in the coffeepot. I like instant oatmeal. But you can warm up tortillas and beans and cheese. If you have a lot of paper towels(dampen) to wrap around anything it can steam cook corn on cob or hot dogs. I cook bacon in my microwave but it takes a lot of papertowels! I have never used an iron to make grilled cheese but I just saw an article about that and using mayonnaise instead of butter to make a crunchy toast. Don't forget the frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and grilled cheese sold at Costco... I forgot the manufacture but they are round, I think. Be sure to stock up on bananas and apples and carrots.
Originally Posted By Tikiduck Irons for grilled cheese? That sounds like something you would see on one of those prison lockup shows.
Originally Posted By berol I went to Subway on your advice and tried to pick up one of the sandwich makers for $10. I got slapped!
Originally Posted By MickeyMommy One of the biggest budget busters are souvenirs. Giving kids a gift card or fixed budget helps. Also, I buy lots of our Disney stuff before the trip. It's fun to have a new Mickey shirt (cuz I AM MickeyMommy after all) for a new trip, but it's even nicer to get it at a great price at WalMart or Target Also, soda's and waters at the park can really add up FAST - 3 to 4 bucks a pop, times how many people in your party, several times a day, can add up to quite a lot of $$$. So bringing your own water bottle is a big money saver. Remember you can't bring glass containers in the park, so only plastic or aluminum type bottles. Meals in the park are usually quite big, I always split with someone in my group, and have never gone hungry. Plus, as the others have said, snacks in the room are a MUST. Most of the time the kids in the family are picky eaters anyway, so having their own special treats works out better anyway, and the bonus for mom and dad is that they save some money. I used to bring a cheap toaster oven that I got for about 15 bucks on our trips. That way if it disappeared from our room it wouldn't be a big loss. And it is so much better for making crispy things such as waffles or taquitos than a microwave.
Originally Posted By doombuggy "bringing your own water bottle is a big money saver. Remember you can't bring glass containers in the park, so only plastic or aluminum type" brita water bottles work pretty good to take the nasty taste out of the water.
Originally Posted By Tamickey We eat lunch in the parks or outside the parks. Lunch is cheaper than dinner. Then make sandwiches for the evening. Since we fly, I preorder groceries at Albertson's and have it delivered to the hotel room. Water bottles are so cheap this way.
