For six years I saved every penny I could.
I knew getting started in an off-the-grid, fulltime life on wheels would take money. I also knew that my small retirement income would require that I live modestly.
Do you have a dream you want to make come true?
Or maybe you have debt that has crushed you for way too long, and now you’re ready to do whatever it takes to get out from under it. Maybe your income has been drastically reduced due to the economy, divorce, retirement or whatever. In today’s post I’m going to focus on one part of living frugally:
How do you eat well and cheaply when on the run?
For a long time I couldn’t come up with a good breakfast that was quick and easy for workday mornings. Eggs and toast take time and up my cholesterol. I have a hard time keeping fresh milk in the fridge for cereal. As most single people know, there’s a lot of waste with perishables. Milk goes bad and eggs get old. Dry cereal is boring. (I want to save money but I’m not a monk!) Granola bars from the supermarket are handy but tiresome. Pop-tarts, despite what 8-year-olds may tell you, are not food. I tried picking up an egg biscuit or a chicken biscuit at the convenience store on the way to work, but that’s too expensive and so fattening. Each week at the grocery store I pushed the cart around in desperation looking for an answer to the breakfast dilemma.
What can I get that is nutritious, filling, easy and cheap?
What about nutrition bars from the pharmacy section? I cruise on over. What? Five bars in a box cost between four and five dollars? Five itty-bitty bars! No way . . . but wait! If I think in terms of cost-per-meal, instead of cost-for-volume, the nutrition bars aren’t so pricey. Let’s see. . . five bars for $4.34. That works out to about 87 cents for breakfast. Add the small coffee from the convenience store and my morning meal is less than $2.00. I tried the various brands . . . Luna, Cliff, Power Bar . . . and decided I like Zone the best. Fourteen grams of protein and lots of vitamins. They taste great and are filling. Why am I writing about this?
Think cost-per-meal when trying to keep your food costs down.
This simple concept helped me more than any other when it came to being frugal with meals. What good is a sale on anything if you end up throwing a good portion of it out? What good is buying food that has a large volume, yet isn’t nutritious or filling so you end up snacking a short time later? I’m not saying nutrition bars are for everyone. That’s not my point. Think cost-per-meal to save.
No more convenience store coffee for me!
Only one more week until I retire! That’s the end of the workday morning rush! So I ordered a coffeepot that I can use on the propane stove in my camper.
Farberware Stainless Steel Percolator
The percolator I chose has a classic, functional design and cost $22.90.
My parents were epic coffee-drinkers. The sound and smell of their percolator in the morning was divine, even to me as a child. You know this coffeepot is going to FILL my 17-foot Casita with the most delicious aroma every morning!
rvsue
rvsue and her canine crew 