Grocery Shopping on Vacation

Most people think going on vacation will ruin your weekly grocery budget. In most cases that is absolutely true. Eating at restaurants for every meal can be very expensive in comparison to eating at home. There are secrets that can help you lower your food costs while away from your home.

The first suggestion I would make is to sign up for a membership card at the local grocery store. I was in San Diego for the weekend and the price difference was staggering. We were fortunate enough to receive a free upgrade to a room with a kitchenette. This would allow us to cook hot food and give us more food options. We were on vacation so i was not planning to cook all meals. When we do not have a kitchenette we simply eat different foods that will save us money how to grocery shop efficiently.

The membership card allowed us to save at least 25% on our grocery food cost. The savings we created because we did not have to eat every meal at a restaurant was substantial. When we do not have a kitchenette we tend to have sandwiches.

With a regular room we would buy the following groceries:

Breakfast, Milk and two cereals.

Lunch, a loaf of bread, some lunch meat, bagged Caesar salad, chips and canned pop.

Evening snack can be microwave popcorn, canned pop, bag of candy.

Peanut butter, mayo and jam we brought with us in our cooler bag.

We tend to eat out for dinner. I like to have dinner while the restaurants are still serving lunch specials. This saves us a couple dollars per person when ordering.

With a kitchenette style hotel room we would buy the following groceries:

Breakfast, eggs, bacon or sausage, hash browns or a loaf of bread.

Lunch, a loaf of bread, lunch meat, bagged salad, pop.

Evening snack could be a frozen pizza, mini appetizers.

Eating in our hotel room or by the pool significantly cut our food expenses. Grocery shopping allows you to stay out of the restaurants. This alone is a substantial saving when you are feeding a family of four. Last weekend I was able to save almost $20 off the price of the food I purchased at the local grocery store. I don't shop there for the extra benefits a long-term loyal shopper would receive. I just want the instant cash savings of an instant membership reward card.

In my mind I know using an instant membership reward card will save me money. After many shopping trips you take for granted what you save. It was not until I went to another city did I notice that there is significant savings to be realized if you simply ask the customer service people for a rewards card.