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Hot debate: planning every meal vs. winging it on the road
I used to map out every single meal for a road trip, like I'd plan breakfast at a diner in Flagstaff and lunch at a taco joint in Albuquerque. Now I just hit grocery stores and make sandwiches in the car, saving about $40 a day. When did you stop overplanning and start just eating whatever's cheap? Which side saves more money in the long run?
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abbycraig2d ago
Wait, @mark_nguyen95, did I just read that right? A $16 gas station sandwich in Montana? That's insane, I would've cried in the parking lot. I totally feel you on the rotisserie chicken hack though, I started doing that last year and it's a total game changer for saving cash.
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mark_nguyen952d ago
Wait, you mean I could have saved $40 a day instead of eating lukewarm gas station burritos while pretending I'm a foodie adventurer? The only planning I do now is buying a family-size bag of chips and hoping for the best. Who else is living that "whatever is on sale" lifestyle or am I just lazy?
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wells.amy2d ago
Funny you mention that, @mark_nguyen95, because I think there's a middle ground that saves even more. I went full "whatever is on sale" after getting burned by a $16 gas station sandwich in Montana last summer. Now I pack a small cooler with cheese, crackers, and fruit from Walmart, and I grab deli meat when it's marked down. The trick is hitting grocery stores around 2pm when they mark down the rotisserie chickens - you can get a whole one for $5 and make two days of sandwiches out of it. That $40 a day I used to waste on sit-down meals now covers almost a week of decent food if I plan just a little bit.
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