Apart from petrol, the main expense you will encounter when travelling is food. We can’t do without it. It’s a necessity of life, but it can get very expensive, especially when you are travelling.
As much as I like to spend a few dollars in the small towns we pass through, groceries in these places can sometimes be much pricier than in larger centres. This is largely due to the costs involved in getting the goods there and also the smaller buying power.
We also like to eat out occasionally but to do that all the time becomes extremely expensive. This is not always a good option health-wise either. So I have put together some tips for you on How to Save Money on Food When Travelling.
MEAL PLAN
Now that we are on the road full time, meal planning is definitely our key to saving money on food. It also helps us use up every last bit, so there is rarely ever anything thrown out.
According to Foodwise, a national campaign run by not-for-profit group Do Something, Australians throw away a staggering $8 billion worth of food a year. That equates to 20% of the food they purchase or $1036 worth of food per average household. You can download and print our handy Camping Meal Planner HERE.
MAKE YOUR OWN LUNCHES
If you are travelling between places or out sight-seeing for the day it can often be tempting to stop at a coffee shop or bakery for lunch. We do this on occasion but it can cost anywhere between $15.00 and $30.00 for a couple of pies and a coffee or drinks.
So most of the time we make our own lunch. If we are travelling between locations, we just find somewhere to pull up and jump in the van and make something.
When we go on Day Trips I take a small picnic bag with us with plates, cutlery, a breadboard etc in it. As we have a fridge in the BT-50 we can take drinks, cold meat, salad stuff etc. with us.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
We all like to eat a variety of different foods. But sometimes making a lot of different dishes means buying a lot of different and sometimes expensive ingredients.
So we tend to keep our meals fairly simple. We make stir fry, spaghetti bolognaise or throw something on the BBQ and have salad or roast veggies with it. Brenden makes a great mixed salad that we also use on wraps for lunch.
For breakfasts, we have cereal and fruit, toast or muffins. I will often make up a batch of savoury muffins that can be eaten for breakfast or a snack on the road.
USING LEFTOVERS
There are so many ways you can use up leftovers.
- Brown bananas? Make Banana Bread
- Cooked sausages? Chop up and mix into an omelette.
- Are veggies going soft? Grate or chop up and throw into Spaghetti Bol.
- Stale bread rolls? Turn into Garlic Bread.
REDUCE YOUR PORTION SIZES
This is one that I am sometimes guilty of. I eat way too much and then feel overfull afterwards. By reducing your portion sizes just a little bit you can save a considerable amount of money over time. It is also much better for your overall health. Reducing your portion sizes will also help reduce food wastage because you won’t find yourself cooking as much.
This should also apply to those much-loved nibbles that we all indulge in. You know the ones I’m talking about -chippies, biccies, cheese, dip. Again this is healthier for us. Especially if we are sitting in a car for long periods of time and not getting the exercise that we should be.
BUY FROM ROADSIDE STALLS
Keep an eye out whilst you are travelling, for roadside produce stalls. You will often find beautiful fresh produce straight out of the paddock for a fraction of the price of what it would cost you in a supermarket. And of course, you will be putting a few extra dollars into a farmer’s pocket.
Local markets are also another great place to find fresh produce at reasonable prices. They are often a good place to source homemade jams and relishes at a fraction of the price. Plus you might be helping out a small business as well.
FOOD STORAGE
One of the hardest things when travelling is keeping your food fresh and cold. A portable fridge that runs off 12-volt power is a must if you have any hope of keeping food fresh. This is one of the main reasons why we chose a compressor fridge for our
If you can, pre-freeze all your meat before you go on a trip. This will help your fridge work more efficiently, especially if it is hot or humid. Obviously, if you are travelling full time this is not always possible. But quite often, smaller local butchers will cryovac and freeze your meat for you.
Read: The Ultimate Guide To The Best Vacuum Sealer
If you do have bread or fresh produce avoid leaving it in the hot sun or in the car as this will make it go off more quickly. A couple of good-quality plastic containers with tight-fitting lids are essential for leftovers. The same applies to storing our pantry basics like flour and sugar.
We all know buying in bulk can be cheaper, but in a van, you have both a storage issue and often heat to contend with. So buying only the quantity of an item that you need may turn out to be more economical in the long run as you will use it all before it can go off because of hot weather.
SUPERMARKET REWARDS PROGRAMS
Don’t underestimate the value you can get from utilising the Woolworths Rewards Program or Coles Flybuys. As an example with Woolies, when you sign up they will instantly give you 1000 points. 2000 points and you have $10.00 off your next shop. Check your emails and activate every single offer they send you. Just recently, Bunnings and catch.com.au have been added as points partners with Flybuys.
For example, the other week I just had to spend $150.00 and I got a bonus of 2000 points, plus I only needed to get a few more points to reach 2000 so I ended up with 4000 points or $20.00 off. It definitely does add up over the course of the year. Brenden saves his points and has $160.00 banked for Christmas and he only does small shops so it is worth looking into. As they say, ‘Every little bit helps!’
What other tips do you have for how to save money on food when travelling?
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great tips here and awesome blog.
Thanks Zarnab!
Re: Packing own Lunches. Try to make too much noodle stir-fry the night before. The next day toss some salad dressing through it and maybe some chopped tomato etc. and you’ve got a gourmet lunch. This is great if you’re trying to cut down on bread and makes a nice change.
That sounds really yummy Jan. Brenden makes an awesome salad that starts with a basic coleslaw mix then he adds whatever he has on hand – corn, mushrooms, baby tomatoes etc. Yummy in a wrap with some cold meat.
Great tips Mel. A lot of caravanners we met on the road pre-cooked and froze meal sized portions of pasta, casseroles and stews prior to travelling. But of course you have to have a freezer big enough to store these. We very rarely bought our lunch, but would stop at local bakeries to buy fresh bread rolls and then make them up.
We do this so as Brenden has meals to take to work. Works our less than $2.00 a meal most of the time. We are happy eating small portions of meat with lots of salad.
Great tips, Melissa! The biggest money savers for us are making lunch and buying local! Although it’s tempting to stock up at Woolies or Coles because they’re cheaper, every extra kilogram you carry actually reduces your fuel economy so you’re spending more on fuel – especially when you carry extra food for the whole trip! Buying local makes it easier to a) plan your meals, b) buy only what you need, c) stop wastage and d) ensure the shop is still there next time you pass that way!!
Always something to tempt us isn’t there? Like coffee and pies! Or cake 🙂
Great article, Melissa. Pity I had not read it as a reminder prior to a quick one night camp last weekend! We had dinner and breakfast sorted well, then ended up spending silly money on lunches as there was not even a good little bakery to be found at the time! Shall be getting properly sorted in future.
Oh yes the lunches can be a killer. Even small bakeries can be expensive especially if you happen to have a couple of teens in tow with huge appetites!
The post title took me straight back to memories of traveling across the country when I was a child. My mother was a champion thrifter and she could somehow pack a large esky with enough food to feed two adults and four children for the two day journey from Perth to Queensland. No 12v refridgeration, no air-con, (no seat belts for that matter *shock*). We had a real treat one year when it was Easter Sunday in the middle of SA and mum gave us all a candied egg. She use to wrap the frozen stuff in newspaper for it’s insulating properties.
What a great memory Theresa. I remember Mum packing a foam esky if we were going anywhere. Often it had meat in it to give to someone. And no seat belts – I remember those days too!
I love the idea of roadside stalls, but for some reason we don’t like to stop much when we are in the flow of driving!! The portion size thing is something I think we can ALL learn from, whether or not we are travelling!!
Sometimes you don’t get enough warning to be able to stop either…but being able to get fresh fruit straight from the farm is so good>
Great suggestions! I love eating and buying food from roadside stalls – we always did as kids and its something I have carried on!
Sarah xo
Great tip about the meal planning. My sister travelled around Australia a couple of years ago and she said every meal was planned due to limited space.
But for cost saving when you are travelling you can’t beat local bakeries and fresh food markets.
Great advice here. I always pack our esky and take our own food on our outings. We do eat out at cafes during our trip but to afford to do this we have to be careful in planning what food we take for the rest of the trip. I always have a careful meal plan and portion control so that there are no leftovers at each meal time.
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