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republiclimber
Mar 21, 2006, 6:33 AM
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backpacking needs aside, what are some really cheap foods. I thought of ramen, rice, and beans. with each of those, a good deal less than one dollar will fill you up...more than once. what else am i missing. what other foods can you get a whole lot of for not much at all...(i'll be car camping so weight is not an issue) (yes i saw the "6 @!#$#$% dollars" thread, but i'm not backpacking....i don't care about weight...just value)
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rocketsocks
Mar 21, 2006, 7:18 AM
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Well, if you're car camping...
Canned chili, beans, pasta (e.g. beefaroni), soup, and stew. You can usually get 2+ servings for about a dollar or so.
Pancake mix. Just add water, might be tricky to cook without the right equipment though. You can even make your own pancake mix if you want to go even cheaper.
Tuna/chicken/salmon.
Applesauce and Pudding.
Then you've got your cooler foods like hot dogs and sausages, cheese, etc.
And, of course, bread.
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jamaica
Mar 21, 2006, 7:24 AM
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chili mac
chili ramen
chili dogs
chili and bread
chili
cheap, protein, filling, versitile, cheap, and yummy
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oldrnotboldr
Mar 21, 2006, 2:54 PM
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I once heard a story about a climber who used to buy two cases of canned cat food to live for the summer. Claimed it tasted just like tuna, with enough mustard.
Personally, I'd stick with beans, pasta, rice, and canned vegis.
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musicman
Mar 21, 2006, 3:32 PM
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sunbelt (i think that's the company) sells really cheap granola bars. they're like 1.30 at walmart for 12 or so. it's what i live off of on climbing trips.
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shiggetyshiva
Mar 21, 2006, 3:39 PM
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peanut butter!
day old bagels or bread
and don't forget the fruit & veggies - apples, bananas, carrots, etc.
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hammerhead
Mar 21, 2006, 3:50 PM
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What about cous-cous, hummus, falafel and pita bread?
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spinney
Mar 21, 2006, 4:02 PM
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Corn pasta packs a ton of energy. It's not so bad once you get over the slightly mushy texture....
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ericbeyeler
Mar 21, 2006, 4:09 PM
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In reply to: What about cous-cous, hummus, falafel and pita bread?
Eric
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brokenankle
Mar 21, 2006, 4:20 PM
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This is a bit of stray, but a good way to save money on food. Simmering rice and pasta uses up a lot of fuel on camp stoves. If you are going to be cooking every day on one, a good way to save $ and fuel is to cook with a pot cozy. You can bring the water to a boil and then place the pot in the insulating cozy for 10-15 minutes instead of cooking on the stove that whole time. I made mine out of closed cell foam and duct tape for about $5, works great. There are lots of hiking websites with instructions to make your own. Hope this is helpful.
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mur
Mar 21, 2006, 5:13 PM
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Wow this takes me back to my early college days. Mushroom soup, you can "doctor" it up with all kinds of things to make it good to eat. Also great for making not so great cuts of meat really good. Remember the "sale" area of the meat section is a road trippers friend. (If you eat meat). Canned tuna/albacore is always a must, and when its on sale, you can really stock up. LOL I bought 20 cans this week. Hell you can live on canned anything if you want, and the low sodium varieties of the store brand are pretty cheap, and not too bad on the salt. Beets, taters, beans, corn, you could be a canned food gourmet. Don't forget powdered milk, or instant Bfast powder.
I lived in my truck for 3 months straight on a road trip, and spent less than 2K while visiting both coasts, and 31 states. If you are willing to tighten your belt a bit, you can live well for very little. (would've been less $$$ except for that damn cheese bread in Bishop!)
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epoch
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Mar 21, 2006, 5:22 PM
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Rice.
It swallows volumes of water, and mixes with ANYTHING!!!
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stonefoxgirl
Mar 21, 2006, 5:36 PM
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Nutella and Peanut Butter Bagels
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ninja_climber
Mar 21, 2006, 6:27 PM
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Nutella + Bagels = GOODNESS
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spicerack
Mar 21, 2006, 7:10 PM
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If you have one near by, shop at Trader Joes!
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ryanb
Mar 21, 2006, 7:21 PM
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I find that for prolonged outdoor activities eating well is important. Calcium, vitamin C and protean are all particularly important. Canned and packaged foods are usually not great. Its all about bulk foods...
Bulk oatmeal (79-1.00 a pound) with rasins/dried fruit and powderd milk is great in the morning, particularly if you cook up a couple of eggs (.20 cents each) to go with.
Tofu (1 -2 a package) is cheaper than meat and can be deep fat fried for deliciousness (put it in really hot vegtable or peanut oil till the outside turns light brown...makes a nice sandwhich).
Bulk kus kus (sp?) plus a can of chiken or some tofu and some seasoning.
Tortillas (In farming country you can get fresh made ones really cheap) +beans + cheese + whatever vegtables are cheapest.
Humus is exspensive. Make your own out of cans of garbonso beans, or get the dried mix bulk if you can find it.
That and a littel almost expired meat (usually stickerd "reduced" or "managers special") when you need to celebrate and you are good to go.
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jdouble
Mar 21, 2006, 7:21 PM
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Soups! Find the 15 bean soup packs at the market (or mix your own) and follow the directions. Around 4 bucks for at least 3-4 meals. Warms you up at the cold campsites.......
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mburke225
Mar 21, 2006, 7:31 PM
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Oatmeal $7 for 90 servings at costco
Peanut Butter- hard to beat for price vs calories vs taste
Potato- cheap, last forever, but hard to cook w/o a full blown campfire
Honey- little more exensive, but make everything taste better
Pasta- cheap
Olive Oil- helps get good calories, makes everything taste better
Fresh fruits-vegetables from farmers markets- good, and you can haggle
If you plan on doing this for a long time don't neglect multivitamins to ensure your getting the right amount of all the micronutrients. Picking up a bulk protein powder isn't a bad idea either, since even if your not a vegatarian, you won't be getting much in the way of animal protiens living cheaply on the road.
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jred
Mar 21, 2006, 7:41 PM
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In reply to: I once heard a story about a climber who used to buy two cases of canned cat food to live for the summer. Claimed it tasted just like tuna, with enough mustard. Personally, I'd stick with beans, pasta, rice, and canned vegis. |
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eastvillage
Mar 21, 2006, 7:51 PM
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Lot's of great recommendations here. One big thing is the little cheap things.
Think of what you like to eat and make sure you have the right spices, oils, sauce, condiments, whatever, that turn all the inexpensive food into delicious meals that you will look forward to at the end of long climbing days. If your cooking goes flat, you will start blowing your budget on restaurants. Can you cook?
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stonefoxgirl
Mar 21, 2006, 8:27 PM
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TRADER JOES ( =
Here is my most favorite thing to eat on the trail, well, out of my car, it's called........SUBMISSION.........
ramen noodles cooked (do not use the spice packet!!!)
corn
salsa
pulled pork (if you want)
hard boiled eggs
black beans
heat and keep in a big pot
when ready, put mixture in a tortilla and eat.
It sounds gross, I'm sure but you get everything you need!!!!
And it's really good, and it makes a lot and it costs like, $6!!!
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republiclimber
Mar 21, 2006, 9:03 PM
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potatoes, peanut butter and oatmeal are all excellent ideas that i had not thought of. tortillas are also a great idea. the thought about spices is well taken. i like these "bulk food" ideas....
trader joes is that grocery chain that sells unusual/more exotic items for cheap right?
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brent_e
Mar 21, 2006, 9:11 PM
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Potatoes
cheap, carb, can taste good fried in fat.
oatmeal.
cheap and easy.
Reminton Nylon 66
light, accurate, shoots fast, 22cal, reliable - too bad it's not made anymore. Eat whatever the hell you want..just don't tell the government/park service.
Brent
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sidepull
Mar 21, 2006, 9:40 PM
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In reply to: Bulk kus kus (sp?) plus a can of chiken or some tofu and some seasoning.
where do you buy bulk couscous?
as long as we're on a mediterranean/mideastern kick, tabouli is great. requires no cooking, is loaded with veggies, protein, and fiber and keeps pretty good too. plus it's cheap.
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ski_n_scale
Mar 21, 2006, 10:01 PM
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Peanut Butter, Bread, Oatmeal, and Fruits and Veggies. I just got back from a week long trip of splitter IC cracks and survived pretty comfortably on a couple spoons of peanut butter on bread for lunch and dinner and oatmeal and coffee for breakfast. Sure, it's not super exciting but it was cheap and I had enough energy to charge hard for 6 days in the Creek.
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