How Do I Afford to Eat Out?

A good friend of mine asked me that question about a month ago. Well, I appear to afford to eat out as much as this blog shows because I post about food from a long span and condense it into 2008 and 2009. For example, all my posts about food abroad were from a collection of experiences from 2006. I actually started this blog in 2009 but dated some, but not all, 2008 stuff as 2008.

I also pinch and save some money for my eating expenditures and keep to eating lunches instead of dinners when I go out.

When traveling, I eat canned food, ramen noodles, and pizza in the hotel room for dinner. The coffee maker in the hotel room is my friend. I always bring packets of Quaker cereal, chamomile tea, and Cup o' Noodles so that I can get hot breakfast and some dinners covered at the minimum fixed cost. I also carve out time grocery shopping at local markets for local products or region-specific imports, park my car in a state park, and picnic in my rental car. That way, you can do better than $40 a day when you average out your vacation days.

So note: The coffeemaker can be used to heat up food, and the free ice and ice bucket can be used as a small fridge.

Pizza from Pizza Hut; $2 canned yummy seafood imported from Spain makes a great side dish for a bowl of ramen in the hotel room

2 Jumbo Stone Crab Claws (as big as they get) for $21.89 total from the grocery store vs. at a restaurant for"market price" + 15-20% tip

crab claw + box of sushi = an affordable seafood meal (considering how the claw is really a luxury item)

Sharing a to-go Cuban Sandwich and a whole fried red snapper from La Carreta (12 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL 33149) at a scenic highway rest area in Key Biscayne.

Drinking mango juice imported from Guatemala and coconut water from I forget where both at 3 boxes for $0.99. Hell yeah.