Cut Food Cost down

I have a fridge and a "lunchbox cooker" and my wife does some crazy meals in that thing. You can cook meat in it first and add whatever, frozen veggies and pasta. She wanted to get some ideas for it and bought a cheap portable stove cookbook. You can do baked potatoes too. I think we might add a microwave and/or a hot plate with a fry pan to get even more of a variety. Also lots of fruit and water, stay away from the soda's and the 2 for 3 deals on candy bars. Buy some healthier snacks like granola bars ansome snack crackers.

 

You might also want to try some freeze dried foods like Mountain House or Provident Pantry or the like. They are made for folks who believe in food storage like Mormons or prepapredness types. They come in #10 cans about the size of the old 5 lb metal coffee cans. These are unbelievably tasty! I especially like the beef stroganoff, yum! The cans hold about 10-15, 1 cup servings, but it takes a 2 cup serving to really fill me up, but then again, I'm 6'1" and 220. If you can boil .75 to 1.5 cups of water, you can make these meals. The cans sell for about $25-$30 depending on menu. I'm not kidding when I say these have aesome flavor. You can find them at Costco, online at Emergency Essentials, Sportsmans Guide, Amazon, Gander Mountain stores or camping/preparedness stores. The packets are good, too, just less savings when compared to the cans.

 

No Fridge in truck and i eat for less than $80 a week(alla seven days) and im Diabetic,,,,lots of salads and only eats when i feel the need(usually twice a day),I dont do snacks,

And oh yeah ,,when im Home "You can find me at Ficklin"
Long Live Eastern NC BBQ,if you dont know what it is,well im sorry for yah

5'11,,190 lbs 47yrs

 

It's not hard at all to spend $20 a day on food and drink if you're the "I don't cook" type, which is definitely the category I fall into. I simply don't have one bit of interest in grocery shopping or dropping the coin on all the toys needed to facilitate cooking for myself. This job is hard enough as it is

 

buy some bologna and make some sandwhiches.

canned stew and bread

 

It all depends.....I eat three meals a day plus two light snacks in between.....

Of course I prepare all of my meals ahead of time......

 

I stocked up on subs from WinCo for the week. Each one is like $4. Easily triple the meat you get at Subway. Eat half to a whole one a day and you spend no more than $4 for one day. If you can eat a Subway footlong in one sitting you'll be struggling to eat half of one of these in one meal.

I didn't have a fridge though, I used a IRP ice chest I had. I've had it keep ice for 6-7 days in 100F weather camping and off roading out in the desert so the cost of ice wasn't really an issue for me inside a truck running team. It's not something I'd buy purely to put in the truck as they're very pricey. When i go off roading I always bring it with emergency supplies of food as I promised myself long ago I wouldn't end up on that show I Shouldn't Be Alive because I broke down or whatever could happen. Coleman Xtreme line actually does fairly well for a decent price even compared to high end coolers and holds ice for many days.

I want my stuff cold and not X degrees below ambient temperature which was why I went for an ice chest. The actual fridges with a compressor for a truck cost a good amount of coin and I didn't want the worry of reliability or power.

 

For water drinkers- do not buy bottled water. Instead, invest in a filter pitcher. I prefer Pur brand, but Brita works too. Personal preference on that one. I think they are about the same price, as are the replacement filters. I get water from rest areas, restroom sinks, even fuel island faucets. Once it's been filtered, it all tastes just fine. For people like me who drink a lot of water, it's much more cost effective than buying bottled water, and as a bonus you can claim "green" points for not throwing away all the plastic.

For cheap food- I'm guessing since you have a microwave that you have an inverter in your truck. Get a crock pot, and buy bags of dried beans and lentils and rice. The old standby of poor people everywhere. Add some veggies and/or seasonings for flavor and to vary it up a bit. Meat is expensive, so if you can limit that, you will save money.

I have a higher metabolism myself, so I understand how expensive it can be to feed a belly that always feels empty. Look for filling foods that are cheap. Fiber is key- fills you right up.

 

I have a koolatron refrigerator and a lunchbox warmer. I buy my food mostly at Walmart and Sams and average $5 to $7/day. I usually stock enough for two to three weeks in the truck. I buy canned soups, lunch meats, cheese, fresh fruit, a few microwave meals in plastic containers, snacks and 100% fruit juice. My lunchbox warmer has served me faithfully for more than two years. I heat soups and other items in the can by adding water and laying the can on the side in the water. Microwave meals I also heat in the warmer by sitting them in water. I eat a lot of sandwiches and fruit. Have the fridge strapped into my passenger seat. I will get a meal at the truck stop once in awhile if I have the points available on my cards. Works fine and allows me to control my weight as well as maintain my health.

 

When I started driving OTR [over the road], I did not have a cooler or anything else. I bought different boxes of cereal - frosted mini wheats, frosted cheerios, anything at all. I bought a box of spoons and a bag of plastic bowls at the dollar store. Anytime I wanted to eat, I stopped at a Walmart, grocery store, convenience store or truck stop and bought a pint of milk. Viola, mealtime. Want some variety -- stop for a sandwich or fast food once or twice a week. I saved a ton of money.
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Box of spoons at dollar tree $1 plus tax. Bag of plastic bowls $1 plus tax at dollar tree. Box of cereal $ 3 or less for 5 meals. Pint of milk $1.50 per meal. For about $2.50 a meal or less, maybe not the best solution but better than fatty, greasy, high sodium fast food on a regular basis.