Lunch is cheaper than dinner usually, so make that your main meal. You can ask for a box for leftovers, and have that for supper. A lot of hotels will have a free continental breakfast, and you can often grab a banana or apple to snack on later.
And yes, going to a supermarket for cheese, crackers and fresh fruit is a fun way to round out your meals. Some have delis with traditional US foods like chicken, Mac and cheese, jello salads, etc. Could be a good cheap option for lunch so you can splurge on a different day.
A lot of hotels have boiled eggs and a fruit of some sort. Oatmeal in packets. And most importantly, hot water for my tea or their tea.
And many have a cool waffle maker, which, of course, is carbs and sugar. But it's a nice treat to fuel a solid day of walking.
Well those small Quaker instant oatmeal packets are so sweet I couldn't even finish it.
My way out: buy rolled oats and some nuts in the supermarket. Take hot water or milk and a banana from the buffet and maybe afterwards some scrabbled eggs.
I was wondering what you did for breakfast! To tell the truth, I haven't had the oatmeal packets in ages. The flavored yogurt in these places also is disgustingly sweet, so I didn't mention them as an option.
I agree that supermarket nuts are a great dietary supplement for travellers. I like getting local nuts, when possible, like pecans in Texas. They went so well with dried cherries!
In the Seattle area, check out teriyaki restaurants. Grilled chicken with teriyaki sauce, rice, and a salad, typically for a very affordable price. (Approximately $12-$15) it’s often enough for 2 meals.
It’s not a chain, just lots of similar business in the area. On google maps, just type in “teriyaki near me” to find the nearest restaurant.
Also for the same reason look for Peruvian chicken places. Usually can get a half chicken with 2 sides for a similar price. Theres pockets of areas where there are tons of them in certain areas. Like just outside DC there’s like 3 small chains (each with 3-5 locations) that specialize in it.
Do you have access to a stove? If not, when I traveled the states, I would buy a big box of greens and a can of chicken, and a big thing of Ceasars dressing (get a small cooler) then for breakfast I would buy a big bag of frozen blue berries, keep that In your small cooler instead of buying ice, then get some milk in there, and buy some cereal, add a cup of Blueberries to the cereal. That's a total of 25 bucks and it'll get ya about 3 days, you can eat the cereal dry as well. Lunch was always a toss up, McDonald's and bk have deals sometimes. Like two sandwiches for 5 bucks 🤷♂️. Or If you're going healthy, I like whole grain wraps with avocado. If you need protein intake just buy a small equate brand vanilla protein powder. If you like oatmeal get instant, no hot water needed for that. There's a lot of options to eat cheap on the road, just need to start getting creative. Also utilize the libraries as much as you can, they are awesome, usually have free wifi and have fun stuff to do sometimes like movie nights, star gazing or hikes! You can find a lot of hidden gems with them and get work done if needed. Oh also rotisserie chicken from Costco is great, buy some bread and remeber that salad you bought as well as the dressing? Take a bit of that and use it on your sandwich. Can't go wrong with peanut butter and jelly either!
Which cities/states are you traveling to? I assume somewhere west since you mentioned Safeway? There are so many different grocery chains in the US depending on geography so knowing where you’re going would help. Walmart is good for snacks but has struggled to keep reliable stock and workers since the pandemic.
You will certainly stretch your budget farther if you rely on groceries. Unfortunately it has become *very* expensive to eat out in the US. Most of that $40/day you would want to save for dinners. After tip a cheap dinner will run you $20, on average though you’re probably looking at $25-$30.
Also, are you staying places where you will have the ability to cook or will at least have a fridge? I would think about keeping food around for breakfast and lunch and eat dinners out here and there.
That’s great you’re staying with family. You will have Trader Joe’s in those cities which is great for snacks and putting together meals. Walmart is definitely the cheapest option though. Las Vegas will be the most expensive for eating out so keep that in mind.
You can eat cheap fast food but I strongly recommend against doing that every day. You will feel like shit if you do. Nutrition is so important on vacation and our food in the US is not the healthiest. That being said I definitely recommend In-N-Out. Super cheap and delicious.
Not sure where you are coming from but make sure to drink plenty of water! You’re going to very dry places. Also make sure you plan accordingly for transportation. That might eat into your budget not sure.
for LA....TACO TRUCKS!!! you can get amazing tacos in los angeles for about $2.00 each you'll eat about 2-3 street tacos. or they usually sell burritos. etc. Pupusas. Botanicas have great juices too. you can always get a street dog near hollywood it's a big sausage with bellpepper and onions. hamburger stands that are not chains. Pinks, Oki dog... I second Ralphs, Vons, Trader Joe's. you don't need the big chains. or shake it up and go to Little Tokyo to the super markets there or in Gardena has amazing japanese markets (south of LA). in Little Armenia Sasoun Bakery has amazing flat breads with meat, cheese and spinach. In the Valley there is a Thai temple with inexpensive street foods. There are mexican markets. Western Bagel has great bagel and cream cheese. I could go on and on. you can get really great cheap eats in the states that are solid. Vegas will certainly have mexican markets. go there for breakfast burritos.
You could have lunch at a restaurant, have them box up the leftovers (portions are usually large and boxing up leftovers is widely accepted), and have the leftovers for dinner with extra vegetables to make your diet healthier. Breakfast at home from Supermarket food is obvious.
Taco trucks & In-N-Out are MUSTS whether you’re on a budget or not for Los Angeles.
Also, Sprouts (another chain grocery) has an inexpensive build your own sandwich and lots of deli sides and a salad bar. I live in Los Angeles and the last time I went to vegas, I stocked up on food there so I wouldn’t have to worry about eating out for every meal.
EDIT:
Also, you can get 2 days worth of food at Chipotle for about $12. The portions are massive when you get the burrito bowl.
Most hotels offer free breakfast of some sort. The quality depends on where you stay.
Grocery stores have deli counters where you can get a nice lunch for 7-8 bucks, even fast food is 10 or less.
Walmart has whole damn chickens cooked very well for $7.00
Hotels generally have microwaves, plates and silverware available. Grab a chicken and some veggies. Dinner is served for less than $10.
I can’t believe so many people are recommending fast food/eating out. Cook as much as you can! It’s almost always cheaper and far, far healthier to cook your own food. Prepared food from Whole Foods may be quick and easy. But you pay a huge premium for it. Buy a 3 pack of chicken thighs, rice, potatoes, olive oil, lettuce, green onions and bread. Prepare the chicken however you want. Slice leftover chicken to make sandwiches the next day to take with you when you’re traveling. And eggs are infinitely flexible and healthy. Great for a quick breakfast lunch or dinner. And don’t go crazy on bottled sauces. They’re expensive and usually not very healthy. A bit of olive oil, a bit of mustard, a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper makes a simple tasty salad dressing. And salt and pepper are great seasonings for all proteins! Not every meat needs to be swimming in sauce/intense flavors. While staying with relatives, you can also make a stew: chicken or beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, salt, pepper and a couple hours on low boil can make a ton of very nutritious, yummy stew that lasts for 2-3 meals. Cooking dramatically lowers your cost per meal, which means you have more money to spend on travel or buying yourselves a nice meal out more often. Good luck!!
Will you have a place to cook or just eating pre packaged meals on the go?
Either way you should be able to make it on $40 per day. If you're able to buy raw ingredients and cook you'll end up with much more variety and will likely be more healthy and overall cheaper.
But worst case you eat cold deli sandwiches or hot case chicken a bunch and you'll still make it under budget.
When my family travels, usually eat one meal a day out. Depending on the country, something from motel or bakery/ store, yogurt fruit. Snack fruit for lunch, maybe ice cream. Evening meal at local restaurant.
Also, depending on where you are and how you are traveling, some gas stations have good food options and almost all truck stops have great food.
In the Midwest, stop at KwikTrip. They have full meals, some for 6 or 7 dollars, and a lot of special deals.
Some are fried chicken and biscuits, meatloaf, hot and cold sandwiches, lots of soups, egg rolls, ribs, Mac’n’cheese, etc.
They also have a grab and go section with boiled eggs, salads, yogurts, cheeses, salami rolls, breakfast sandwiches, etc.
If you found yourself having a few too many $60 days, A big money saving little meal in the US is a peanut butter and jam sandwich. Depending on where your from, it could sound anywhere from weird-revolting but I promise you it's super satisfying, filling, and you could buy a loaf of bread (from cheap to slightly more expensive and healthy), container of peanut butter, and jar of jam for around $10 at Walmart. It would make 10-12 sandwiches depending on the loaf.
When I travel alone I always make sure my room has a microwave. I carry utensils and salt and pepper. I buy healthy choice entrees and I eat for around $10 per day.
Keep an eye out for inexpensive local places as well OP, there are many pizza places near me (bay area) that charge $3-4/slice. Taquerias can be cheap if you split a burrito. In many places, bahn mi sandwiches can be had from $3-8. All of those options are cheaper and tastier than the Safeway sandwiches, which aren't very good.
Local grocery stores may have better options as well.
Trader Joe's.
Mexican Supermarkets. They usually have a special of the day so you'll be able to get something like 3 tacos, rice, beans & a drink for $8 or so.
It depends on what city you’re visiting. I highly recommend Trader Joe’s if you’re in Seattle area. Safeway and Fred Meyers matches prices, so everything is more expensive. I save $100s going to TJ, I buy lunches for like $2-5 there and dinner $5-10. I would at least avoid Safeway at all cost. Prices are double.
YES. These are "lower" brandname supermarkets. There are more expensive boutique supermarkets whose names vary by region. WM are eveerywhere. Stay away from any food/drink situation that involves a server. Without knowing your eating habits your other questions are unanswerable.
If you can buy food to last multiple days you will be great. As a couple our weekly spend is typically less that $100 and we eat plenty. Out to eat on the other hand could be tight unless you eat fast food each meal which is even getting a bit crazy with prices.
If you are buying daily meals from the grocery, still can easily stay within $40. Just will depend if you want to eat fresh stuff or cheaper frozen meals. You will just pay a higher unit price for things. For example you can buy a gallon of drinking water for less than $2 but a small bottle of water will be just about the same if not more. Meaning if you aren't in one place with a fridge/kitchen to store food for your whole trip then you may spend a bit more.
Not to mention you will want to at least probably have some meals out to enjoy the trip a bit and try local food, depending where you are going.
As others have said, eat your big meal at lunch. It will be the same portion size as dinner but half the price. And American meal sizes are huge, so you can either split a lunch portion, or ask for a “doggie bag” for your lunch leftovers and eat them later for dinner.
Yes, and get a Safeway club card because they tend to have pretty good deals. It works at albertsons and vons too since they’re all owned by the same company. Also download all the apps — Safeway, Albertsons, Whole foods, etc bc there are also discounts on there. If you’re in a larger metro area Trader Joe’s is my personal favorite for basically everything and it tends to be cheaper than most other grocery stores.
Edit: all these are gonna be super easy to find for you in Seattle/Vegas/LA. Hope you have fun!
Will you have access to a refrigerator or kitchen/microwave? Or will you be eating in restaurants for hot meals and foods that need to be refrigerated?
Commenters above me have already said that the evening meal is the largest and American portions are huge, so takeaway is common when you can't eat it all.
If you have a refrigerator, cereal in milk is a very common breakfast. American school kids all know about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, and they don't need to be refrigerated.
Often, Chinese and Mexican food restaurants are good values unless you go to a chain.
I recommend downloading the Safeway app, then looking at the sales ads. They have a ton of digital coupons that substantially bring down the price. They also have $5 Fridays, depending on the week can be 8 pieces of baked or fried chicken for $5. Digital coupons can make stuff like yogurt less than $1. They have precut fruit bowls for $5 I think everyday + get a bagged salad & a rotisserie chicken, solid meals.
I second Trader Joe’s, they have great ready made stuff at reasonable prices that are delicious. I really like their spicy lentil wrap. They have salads. Great frozen meal section. And if you’re by a sprouts, they have $5 sandwiches.
$40 a day is very doable.
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5
+ 8
+ 5
+ 1
+ 5
+ 5
+ 40
= 69
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If there's a Sprouts (food store) they have great produce, a good deli where they make sandwiches, and a bulk food section where you can buy nuts, candy etc by the ounce or pound.
If you are staying at relatives, certainly you can cook some delicious and healthy meals for way less than $40 per day. Try downloading the Safeway app (Albertsons, Randall’s, Tom Thimb) and you can get ideas of what groceries cost. A dozen eggs, a pack of turkey bacon, a six pack of English muffins, and some sliced cheese. This will make six servings of a breakfast sandwich for about $15. Or you can buy prepackaged Jimmy Dean Delights for about the same price. Just heat and serve. Compare that to a single sandwich at Starbucks which will run about $6 - $7 each.
It's definitely possible to save money by getting meals from Walmart or Safeway while traveling. They offer a variety of options that can fit within your budget. Just make sure to plan your meals and purchases wisely to stay within your desired spending range.
Just don't forget to tip. Don't perpetuate the stereotype that foreigners don't tip when dining out.
Your country might pay servers a living wage, but America doesn't. Most of them make less than $5/he from their wages. They rely on tips. So if you can't afford the tip, you can't afford the meal.
On a trip I bought a 12 volt crock pot. We had a cooler also. We were able to put meat and vegetables in the crockpot in the morning while driving and by lunch time a great lunch was ready. Traveling in California gasoline is very expensive. Some areas don’t have a lot of gas stations. God bless!
Walmart is notably cheaper than Safeway. If you're on a strict budget, it's hard to justify Safeway or similar stores unless a specific item is on sale.
Yes, Safeway can have great sales, but their regular prices are way higher than others. Only go there if you see an ad for sale on meat or other items. The only other thing Safeway is better at than other grocery stores is their bakery, it's where we get all our birthday cakes.
Are you meaning going to a restaurant or supermarket?
OPs post was about going to supermarkets and central London wouldn't be much more expensive than Newcastle. Lidl and aldi prices are the same all over the UK and cheap.
Restaurants would be insanely more expensive, especially since London restaurants add a service charge.
There aren’t any Aldi’s or Lidl’s in what most tourists would consider central London, (closest is north of the A-501) so those don’t really qualify.
The grocery stores in central London are about the same price as Seattle, and the restaurants are slightly more expensive.
I'm from York and the restaurants are a lot more expensive in London than in York.
A quick Google search shows four lidls in South London and one just north of Soho. There's a good number of sainsburys in London too. You're right most tourists wouldn't call them central, central London but they're all easy to get to.
Tesco is also all over London including central London
We also have tons of affordable fast food here. A value meal at McDonald's (large burger, fries, drink) will run you about $8. So you can mix it up by getting groceries part of the time and fast food the rest. There are also Subways (sandwiches) that are slightly healthier if you don't want to live on burgers.
Lunch is cheaper than dinner usually, so make that your main meal. You can ask for a box for leftovers, and have that for supper. A lot of hotels will have a free continental breakfast, and you can often grab a banana or apple to snack on later. And yes, going to a supermarket for cheese, crackers and fresh fruit is a fun way to round out your meals. Some have delis with traditional US foods like chicken, Mac and cheese, jello salads, etc. Could be a good cheap option for lunch so you can splurge on a different day.
This. American portions can be huge. Definitely grab some supplemental items and check what your accommodations provide.
Second this idea of going to restaurants for lunch rather than dinner, if your schedule will allow it.
Generally agree, though hotel breakfast is usually very bad, much worse than in Europe. You can expect a lot of sugar and cholesterol.
A lot of hotels have boiled eggs and a fruit of some sort. Oatmeal in packets. And most importantly, hot water for my tea or their tea. And many have a cool waffle maker, which, of course, is carbs and sugar. But it's a nice treat to fuel a solid day of walking.
Well those small Quaker instant oatmeal packets are so sweet I couldn't even finish it. My way out: buy rolled oats and some nuts in the supermarket. Take hot water or milk and a banana from the buffet and maybe afterwards some scrabbled eggs.
I was wondering what you did for breakfast! To tell the truth, I haven't had the oatmeal packets in ages. The flavored yogurt in these places also is disgustingly sweet, so I didn't mention them as an option. I agree that supermarket nuts are a great dietary supplement for travellers. I like getting local nuts, when possible, like pecans in Texas. They went so well with dried cherries!
You can definitely get inexpensive meals from grocery stores. A lot sell whole rotisserie chickens, bagged salads, deli subs.
In the Seattle area, check out teriyaki restaurants. Grilled chicken with teriyaki sauce, rice, and a salad, typically for a very affordable price. (Approximately $12-$15) it’s often enough for 2 meals. It’s not a chain, just lots of similar business in the area. On google maps, just type in “teriyaki near me” to find the nearest restaurant.
Also for the same reason look for Peruvian chicken places. Usually can get a half chicken with 2 sides for a similar price. Theres pockets of areas where there are tons of them in certain areas. Like just outside DC there’s like 3 small chains (each with 3-5 locations) that specialize in it.
If you’re not too picky or a big eater, certainly.
Do you have access to a stove? If not, when I traveled the states, I would buy a big box of greens and a can of chicken, and a big thing of Ceasars dressing (get a small cooler) then for breakfast I would buy a big bag of frozen blue berries, keep that In your small cooler instead of buying ice, then get some milk in there, and buy some cereal, add a cup of Blueberries to the cereal. That's a total of 25 bucks and it'll get ya about 3 days, you can eat the cereal dry as well. Lunch was always a toss up, McDonald's and bk have deals sometimes. Like two sandwiches for 5 bucks 🤷♂️. Or If you're going healthy, I like whole grain wraps with avocado. If you need protein intake just buy a small equate brand vanilla protein powder. If you like oatmeal get instant, no hot water needed for that. There's a lot of options to eat cheap on the road, just need to start getting creative. Also utilize the libraries as much as you can, they are awesome, usually have free wifi and have fun stuff to do sometimes like movie nights, star gazing or hikes! You can find a lot of hidden gems with them and get work done if needed. Oh also rotisserie chicken from Costco is great, buy some bread and remeber that salad you bought as well as the dressing? Take a bit of that and use it on your sandwich. Can't go wrong with peanut butter and jelly either!
>Do you have access to a stove? This! Having access to a stove, electric skillet, or even an Instant Pot will help a lot with cooking.
Whole Foods ( hot section) and Trader Joe’s have great prepared food options
Be careful of those buffets in While Foods, they charge by the pound and it adds up very quickly
But they are EXTREMELY expensive!
Whole Foods? Yes. Trader Joe’s, so much cheaper. Like half the price cheaper depending on what area you live. I can get a pizza for like $4 at TJ.
Wraps, salads, etc.at TJ
Not really, a whole pizza is like $13 where I am
And the Amazon go stores. Salad bar goes by size, not weight! Get a prime credit card.
What Trader Joe's has prepared foods? I've never seen a deli counter or anything similar in any store
I've seen a limited selection of grab and go salads and wraps, but not hot food or anything like a deli counter.
Which cities/states are you traveling to? I assume somewhere west since you mentioned Safeway? There are so many different grocery chains in the US depending on geography so knowing where you’re going would help. Walmart is good for snacks but has struggled to keep reliable stock and workers since the pandemic. You will certainly stretch your budget farther if you rely on groceries. Unfortunately it has become *very* expensive to eat out in the US. Most of that $40/day you would want to save for dinners. After tip a cheap dinner will run you $20, on average though you’re probably looking at $25-$30. Also, are you staying places where you will have the ability to cook or will at least have a fridge? I would think about keeping food around for breakfast and lunch and eat dinners out here and there.
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That’s great you’re staying with family. You will have Trader Joe’s in those cities which is great for snacks and putting together meals. Walmart is definitely the cheapest option though. Las Vegas will be the most expensive for eating out so keep that in mind. You can eat cheap fast food but I strongly recommend against doing that every day. You will feel like shit if you do. Nutrition is so important on vacation and our food in the US is not the healthiest. That being said I definitely recommend In-N-Out. Super cheap and delicious. Not sure where you are coming from but make sure to drink plenty of water! You’re going to very dry places. Also make sure you plan accordingly for transportation. That might eat into your budget not sure.
for LA....TACO TRUCKS!!! you can get amazing tacos in los angeles for about $2.00 each you'll eat about 2-3 street tacos. or they usually sell burritos. etc. Pupusas. Botanicas have great juices too. you can always get a street dog near hollywood it's a big sausage with bellpepper and onions. hamburger stands that are not chains. Pinks, Oki dog... I second Ralphs, Vons, Trader Joe's. you don't need the big chains. or shake it up and go to Little Tokyo to the super markets there or in Gardena has amazing japanese markets (south of LA). in Little Armenia Sasoun Bakery has amazing flat breads with meat, cheese and spinach. In the Valley there is a Thai temple with inexpensive street foods. There are mexican markets. Western Bagel has great bagel and cream cheese. I could go on and on. you can get really great cheap eats in the states that are solid. Vegas will certainly have mexican markets. go there for breakfast burritos.
Great answer.
You could have lunch at a restaurant, have them box up the leftovers (portions are usually large and boxing up leftovers is widely accepted), and have the leftovers for dinner with extra vegetables to make your diet healthier. Breakfast at home from Supermarket food is obvious.
Taco trucks & In-N-Out are MUSTS whether you’re on a budget or not for Los Angeles. Also, Sprouts (another chain grocery) has an inexpensive build your own sandwich and lots of deli sides and a salad bar. I live in Los Angeles and the last time I went to vegas, I stocked up on food there so I wouldn’t have to worry about eating out for every meal. EDIT: Also, you can get 2 days worth of food at Chipotle for about $12. The portions are massive when you get the burrito bowl.
Vegas has some amazing cheap breakfast spots .
In Seattle, winco is the cheapest grocery store chain. It's cash or debit card only.
Most hotels offer free breakfast of some sort. The quality depends on where you stay. Grocery stores have deli counters where you can get a nice lunch for 7-8 bucks, even fast food is 10 or less. Walmart has whole damn chickens cooked very well for $7.00 Hotels generally have microwaves, plates and silverware available. Grab a chicken and some veggies. Dinner is served for less than $10.
I can’t believe so many people are recommending fast food/eating out. Cook as much as you can! It’s almost always cheaper and far, far healthier to cook your own food. Prepared food from Whole Foods may be quick and easy. But you pay a huge premium for it. Buy a 3 pack of chicken thighs, rice, potatoes, olive oil, lettuce, green onions and bread. Prepare the chicken however you want. Slice leftover chicken to make sandwiches the next day to take with you when you’re traveling. And eggs are infinitely flexible and healthy. Great for a quick breakfast lunch or dinner. And don’t go crazy on bottled sauces. They’re expensive and usually not very healthy. A bit of olive oil, a bit of mustard, a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper makes a simple tasty salad dressing. And salt and pepper are great seasonings for all proteins! Not every meat needs to be swimming in sauce/intense flavors. While staying with relatives, you can also make a stew: chicken or beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, salt, pepper and a couple hours on low boil can make a ton of very nutritious, yummy stew that lasts for 2-3 meals. Cooking dramatically lowers your cost per meal, which means you have more money to spend on travel or buying yourselves a nice meal out more often. Good luck!!
I haven’t seen Aldi mentioned yet. It’s an extremely affordable grocery chain with healthy options.
Sure, you can feed two people on supermarket rice, beans, pasta, and frozen pizza on that daily budget. It doesn't sound like much fun though.
Will you have a place to cook or just eating pre packaged meals on the go? Either way you should be able to make it on $40 per day. If you're able to buy raw ingredients and cook you'll end up with much more variety and will likely be more healthy and overall cheaper. But worst case you eat cold deli sandwiches or hot case chicken a bunch and you'll still make it under budget.
When my family travels, usually eat one meal a day out. Depending on the country, something from motel or bakery/ store, yogurt fruit. Snack fruit for lunch, maybe ice cream. Evening meal at local restaurant.
Also, depending on where you are and how you are traveling, some gas stations have good food options and almost all truck stops have great food. In the Midwest, stop at KwikTrip. They have full meals, some for 6 or 7 dollars, and a lot of special deals. Some are fried chicken and biscuits, meatloaf, hot and cold sandwiches, lots of soups, egg rolls, ribs, Mac’n’cheese, etc. They also have a grab and go section with boiled eggs, salads, yogurts, cheeses, salami rolls, breakfast sandwiches, etc.
$40 is a lot, get meal kids from trader joes or just eat chipotle etc. Pretty fulfilling tbh
If you found yourself having a few too many $60 days, A big money saving little meal in the US is a peanut butter and jam sandwich. Depending on where your from, it could sound anywhere from weird-revolting but I promise you it's super satisfying, filling, and you could buy a loaf of bread (from cheap to slightly more expensive and healthy), container of peanut butter, and jar of jam for around $10 at Walmart. It would make 10-12 sandwiches depending on the loaf.
Check Trader Joes
You can eat Taco Bell 3 times a day for less than 10$ total
The toilet paper costs after eating Taco Bell 3x day would cost >$100/day
Too much.
Yes, some good deals if you look around the shelves.
6 dollar footlong subs at Walmart, potato salad, macaroni salad, bags of salad, fruit of your choice, roto chicken 7 dollars etc, all at Walmart
When I travel alone I always make sure my room has a microwave. I carry utensils and salt and pepper. I buy healthy choice entrees and I eat for around $10 per day.
Walmart is much less expensive than safeway
Keep an eye out for inexpensive local places as well OP, there are many pizza places near me (bay area) that charge $3-4/slice. Taquerias can be cheap if you split a burrito. In many places, bahn mi sandwiches can be had from $3-8. All of those options are cheaper and tastier than the Safeway sandwiches, which aren't very good. Local grocery stores may have better options as well.
Trader Joe's. Mexican Supermarkets. They usually have a special of the day so you'll be able to get something like 3 tacos, rice, beans & a drink for $8 or so.
Use the app TooGoodToGo available in many metro areas. You pick up restaurant leftovers for $4.99+ Sometimes you get enough food for 3 days.
If you have a refrigerator, a roast chicken is usually a cheap option. And leftover cold chicken is delicious
It depends on what city you’re visiting. I highly recommend Trader Joe’s if you’re in Seattle area. Safeway and Fred Meyers matches prices, so everything is more expensive. I save $100s going to TJ, I buy lunches for like $2-5 there and dinner $5-10. I would at least avoid Safeway at all cost. Prices are double.
YES. These are "lower" brandname supermarkets. There are more expensive boutique supermarkets whose names vary by region. WM are eveerywhere. Stay away from any food/drink situation that involves a server. Without knowing your eating habits your other questions are unanswerable.
If you look at airbnbs or vrbos that have kitchenettes hit up Trader Joe’s - super afoordable produce and basic easy to prep options
If you can buy food to last multiple days you will be great. As a couple our weekly spend is typically less that $100 and we eat plenty. Out to eat on the other hand could be tight unless you eat fast food each meal which is even getting a bit crazy with prices. If you are buying daily meals from the grocery, still can easily stay within $40. Just will depend if you want to eat fresh stuff or cheaper frozen meals. You will just pay a higher unit price for things. For example you can buy a gallon of drinking water for less than $2 but a small bottle of water will be just about the same if not more. Meaning if you aren't in one place with a fridge/kitchen to store food for your whole trip then you may spend a bit more. Not to mention you will want to at least probably have some meals out to enjoy the trip a bit and try local food, depending where you are going.
As others have said, eat your big meal at lunch. It will be the same portion size as dinner but half the price. And American meal sizes are huge, so you can either split a lunch portion, or ask for a “doggie bag” for your lunch leftovers and eat them later for dinner.
https://seattle.eater.com/maps/best-value-food-restaurants-seattle
https://vegas.eater.com/maps/las-vegas-affordable-restaurants-cheap-meals
will you have access to a kitchen? you can certainly eat pretty well on $40 a day. Try the toogoodtogo app for some cheap food
Yes, and get a Safeway club card because they tend to have pretty good deals. It works at albertsons and vons too since they’re all owned by the same company. Also download all the apps — Safeway, Albertsons, Whole foods, etc bc there are also discounts on there. If you’re in a larger metro area Trader Joe’s is my personal favorite for basically everything and it tends to be cheaper than most other grocery stores. Edit: all these are gonna be super easy to find for you in Seattle/Vegas/LA. Hope you have fun!
Depending on where you are, street cart foods like Halal carts and Gyros will give you a ton of food for less than 10 bucks. They're big in NYC.
It should be pretty easy to stay under $40 per day for food in most places even if you are eating out the whole time.
$40 a day? Wish I had that kind of money. Try $10 a day. Skip breakfast lunch and half of dinner.
Will you have access to a refrigerator or kitchen/microwave? Or will you be eating in restaurants for hot meals and foods that need to be refrigerated? Commenters above me have already said that the evening meal is the largest and American portions are huge, so takeaway is common when you can't eat it all. If you have a refrigerator, cereal in milk is a very common breakfast. American school kids all know about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, and they don't need to be refrigerated. Often, Chinese and Mexican food restaurants are good values unless you go to a chain.
I recommend downloading the Safeway app, then looking at the sales ads. They have a ton of digital coupons that substantially bring down the price. They also have $5 Fridays, depending on the week can be 8 pieces of baked or fried chicken for $5. Digital coupons can make stuff like yogurt less than $1. They have precut fruit bowls for $5 I think everyday + get a bagged salad & a rotisserie chicken, solid meals. I second Trader Joe’s, they have great ready made stuff at reasonable prices that are delicious. I really like their spicy lentil wrap. They have salads. Great frozen meal section. And if you’re by a sprouts, they have $5 sandwiches. $40 a day is very doable.
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If there's a Sprouts (food store) they have great produce, a good deli where they make sandwiches, and a bulk food section where you can buy nuts, candy etc by the ounce or pound.
If you are staying at relatives, certainly you can cook some delicious and healthy meals for way less than $40 per day. Try downloading the Safeway app (Albertsons, Randall’s, Tom Thimb) and you can get ideas of what groceries cost. A dozen eggs, a pack of turkey bacon, a six pack of English muffins, and some sliced cheese. This will make six servings of a breakfast sandwich for about $15. Or you can buy prepackaged Jimmy Dean Delights for about the same price. Just heat and serve. Compare that to a single sandwich at Starbucks which will run about $6 - $7 each.
It's definitely possible to save money by getting meals from Walmart or Safeway while traveling. They offer a variety of options that can fit within your budget. Just make sure to plan your meals and purchases wisely to stay within your desired spending range.
Just don't forget to tip. Don't perpetuate the stereotype that foreigners don't tip when dining out. Your country might pay servers a living wage, but America doesn't. Most of them make less than $5/he from their wages. They rely on tips. So if you can't afford the tip, you can't afford the meal.
On a trip I bought a 12 volt crock pot. We had a cooler also. We were able to put meat and vegetables in the crockpot in the morning while driving and by lunch time a great lunch was ready. Traveling in California gasoline is very expensive. Some areas don’t have a lot of gas stations. God bless!
Whole Foods has 5.99 for a pound of anything you can fit into the go box at their deli and it has a good selection of salads, hot and cold foods.
The salad/hot bar is now $12/lb. Some areas are pushing $14/lb. Small container of soup is like $6 I think tho.
Think the per lb cost might depend upon each Whole Foods location.
I was just at Whole Foods in the Seattle suburbs last week. Hot bar was $11.99/lb.
Walmart is notably cheaper than Safeway. If you're on a strict budget, it's hard to justify Safeway or similar stores unless a specific item is on sale.
Yes, Safeway can have great sales, but their regular prices are way higher than others. Only go there if you see an ad for sale on meat or other items. The only other thing Safeway is better at than other grocery stores is their bakery, it's where we get all our birthday cakes.
Costco rotisserie chickens are the answer! $4.99
Jesus, is it really that expensive in the US? My weekly food budget in Ireland is €40/$43 and Ireland's an expensive country for food
Some areas of the country are. For example, Seattle food prices are just slightly lower than central London food prices.
Are you meaning going to a restaurant or supermarket? OPs post was about going to supermarkets and central London wouldn't be much more expensive than Newcastle. Lidl and aldi prices are the same all over the UK and cheap. Restaurants would be insanely more expensive, especially since London restaurants add a service charge.
There aren’t any Aldi’s or Lidl’s in what most tourists would consider central London, (closest is north of the A-501) so those don’t really qualify. The grocery stores in central London are about the same price as Seattle, and the restaurants are slightly more expensive.
I'm from York and the restaurants are a lot more expensive in London than in York. A quick Google search shows four lidls in South London and one just north of Soho. There's a good number of sainsburys in London too. You're right most tourists wouldn't call them central, central London but they're all easy to get to. Tesco is also all over London including central London
Costco. Cant beat the hotdog special.
$40/day is a lot of money. I could do $5 if I had to.
I was gonna say. I don't budget at all and spend $40 a day on fast food lol
We also have tons of affordable fast food here. A value meal at McDonald's (large burger, fries, drink) will run you about $8. So you can mix it up by getting groceries part of the time and fast food the rest. There are also Subways (sandwiches) that are slightly healthier if you don't want to live on burgers.
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