Feeding Yourself On The Road

USE YOUR fuel points and buy a lunch box stove. that dude can heat up 3 cans of whatever type soup.
use your points to buy a hot water stove. works good for top ramen type stuff.

 

I get home every weekend so my method may not work for guys that are out for a long time but my wife cooks big meals on the weekend then I bring the leftovers in the truck and heat them up. I bring a case of water (refill the bottles at home every weekend) and a couple 2 liters of soda (way cheaper than individual bottles as long as you don't mind flat soda by the end of the week). I also have a coffee pot in the truck and avoid the repurposed motor oil they call coffee at truck stops.

In in the past month I have spent a total of $4 at truck stops for when I wanted a monster energy drink. This life doesn't have to cost a fortune.

 

Healthy cereals in the morning, cold cuts for lunch/snacks. Usually get something baked(not fried) with vegetables at the end of the day. Try to avoid junk foods(salty chips,etc.), and avoid buffets. Also agree with using fuel points to assist with lower food costs.

 

Can get a foot long for about 7 bucks. Use Loves card for unlimited refills. Two burgers of the dollar menu $2.14, Loves refill free. I never understood how it cost so much more to eat on the road. A Big Mac cost the same at Pilot as it does anywhere else. If you worked local you would each lunch every day anyway and probably go out for dinner at way more expensive places then we can usually hit on the road.

Groceries cost the same at Walmart whether you drive up in a truck or a car. Sure, your options maybe more limited in a truck but the cost is the same. Your choices are what causes you food budget to be higher but that is true whether you drive a truck or work at a bank.

Dinner last night was Chicken fajitas that I made in the truck. Stopped by that Loves on 70 just before Denver. There is a grocery store across the street. Pre cooked chicken 2.68 cents a bag and you can make 2 large fajitas out of that. Cheap bag of tortillas, some sour cream that will last you a while and a bag of cheese. Then there is always tuna, lunch meat, canned soup. Those Asian dishes, Uncle Bens rice packs.

Two nights ago I heated up some pork ribs, pre cooked. Easy meal. The night before that I had a large baked potato. Eating cheap and we'll isn't that hard to do. If you work for a carrier that doesn't allow inverters then quit as that's ridiculous.

 

That is what I do driver. My wife would make food for me when i was home and I would bring lunch meat and snacks for my first week on the road. I would then stop at Wall Mart or an Albertsons in my travels and restock for the next week of travel. If I got by the house my wife would make me some dinners to pick up as I drove past. But I would try to spend as little as I could.

Another thing we did was budget, we got on the Dave Ramsey plan and paid off 40k in 19 months, it was tough. Any bonus, or tax return goes toward my food expenses for the year. I will run 4-5 k a year 0r about 90-100 a week on a budget. Stay away from cash advances and have a written budget. and a 50 dollar emergency fund in the truck

 

If your near a grocery store and have a microwave in your truck, look in the frozen food section. Lots of dinners to choose from for not a whole lot of money. I personally like the Marie Collanders lasagna. It's $2.50 or so at Wally World. And more than enough to fill you up. Unless you are the 7 trips to the buffet type person.

I'm no longer OTR, but when I was, I used to get crackers and make several baggies of peanut butter and crackers or cheese and crackers to take with me for snacks. Fresh fruit (at least at the beginning of the week) was a must. Half gallon of milk in the fridge and my fav cereal. Cans of soup, ravioli, etc. I, also, threw together my own trail mix. Much cheaper than store bought.

There's a plethora of items you can take with you or purchase on the road that keeps more of your hard earned cash in your pocket. You just have to be willing to take the time and put in the effort to make it happen.

Not all companies will allow one to keep a fridge or microwave in their trucks. The fridge you can work around by taking canned or dry foods. And there is no shortage of microwaves at truck stops and gas stations (finding one that is clean isn't always easy though).

Just my 2 cents

 

I always carried a sharp knife and a charcoal grill just for nights like this.