Saving/Spending on the road?

I try to keep it under or about a 100 a week and food is the major expense. You can cut down this bill a lot if you eat and cook in the truck and shop at wally world but I eat out a lot as I like salads for my fat butt. Get some stuff in bulk before you leave like bottled water and some canned goods and snacks along with plastic cutlery, paper plates/bowels and paper towels. Anything you can buy at home or not at a truck stop is money saved. Having a fridge in the truck versus a cooler will save you money as you wont be being ice. There are several money saving ideas. Use the search feature and look some stuff up and be prepared to do a lot of reading as several people have given tons of great ideas on other threads.

 

Food is the biggest expense and how you save there is depending on you and what you can or can not tolerate. But [OTR] trucking is not an easy lifestyle and this semi-retired driver's perspective is ... don't be a tight wad to the point you're miserable all week long, all month long, try and treat yourself some times through each week (motel, or nice dinner, or whatever you find enjoyable that can break the monotony of living 24/7 in the tiny confines of a truck and truckstop life and associate with non-truckers).. otherwise the job will become a drag very fast. But I realize a lot depends on your family and financial obligations back home.

 

use your truck stop points when buying something . I got a 12V cooler for $30 vs $85. now I only spend about $5-$15 a week. just on coffee. also get a $25 12V, lunch box cooker and the little aluminum pans to go in/. it works real good for cooking small amounts. heats up to 300 degrees.
I don't stay out weeks on end. I'm home on weekends,so I don't need laundry money and such.

 

Figure $150.00 weekly at most. To stay healthy, I usually just ate salad bar buffet.

How I saved on expenses : (easy for reefer drivers)

Did my own unloading & got the lumper money. $200.00 to $500.00 weekly.

Get pallet exchange from receiver & then sell the pallets later to a pallet company. Make average $100.00 -$120.00 weekly

By doing these cost savings, will be able to put maximum amount into 401K with no pain. This enabled me to purchase 5 condominiums in the Orient for rental property. I personally know 6 other drivers that did the same, except they only puchased 2 condo's each. It's never too early to plan for retirement.

More infor than you asked for, but food for thought for your future.

 

I'll spend about $25 / week at a grocer and in combination with my lunchbox oven, I eat like a king every night on this truck. Haven't eaten fast food once yet.
PS - Don't buy those tin inserts for the oven at the TS... buy you a $2 90yrd roll of tin foil and line it with that, works just the same.

As a salad lover myself, what I do is get a large freezer bag and buy a head of lettuce ($1) and dice it up, fits just fine. Add in some cheese, croutons, bacon bits ($5 added) and that'll last about 2 weeks. Several dressings in my 'lil 12V Igloo too.

 

Unfortunately, it does chomp on the battery.

It's a shame though... it's very spacious, keeps everything very cold and is well-made with resilient thick plastic. I found it at a TA truckstop for about $110, well worth it.

However, I find that when I have it plugged in overnight in addition to using my Webesto (electric cab heater), I will be woken up in the middle of the night by my truck's Low Voltage alarm...

 

I spend about $100/month on food. I have a fridge so I buy ham,cheese and bologna and bagels and once I get tired of that I always keep milk for cereal or oatmeal which I could never get tired of. I do also but those mac n cheese cups and microwaveable dinners. I do get Subway often but I have a ton of points on my loves and pilot cards that I use. But if there's a waffle house or huddle house around i'll eat there because usually their food is good and reasonable.

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I spend $0 a week OTR. Yeah. I have a Coleman ProChill (I think that is the name) cooler and I fill it with food from home. You can bobtail or park full in most Walmarts on the road so you have no reason to ever consider buying a single thing in a truck stop.

Buy yourself groceries, and keep your wallet in the truck when you go in to use the bathroom or shower. A can of corn is 49 cents at some stores, it is nearly $3 at TA. When I first started out I was spending $160 a 7 day week OTR on food. It adds up.

Now I buy bread and lunchmeat and make my food in my truck. If you are OTR and can use a mini microwave, get one and then get stuff at the store that can be stored easily in your truck and cook via microwave.

Also, don't by a bunch of DVDs... Yeah they are only $5, and yeah you got a 34 hour reset that is boring as hell, but trust me, it becomes an addiction. lol

Everytime you are home, stock your truck with food to last, store foods and at LEAST a 24 pack of bottled water. Food is your biggest expense. And if you give in, you will get fat easy with all the Taco Bell and Popeyes Chicken and McDonalds. lol

Avoid buying food on the road, don't buy a bunch of DVDs or stupid electronic things and never pay for a shower, or take your cash advance if it isn't free like when you fuel.

It is easy, you just have to think smart.