How can I cut costs on these visits

Amandaa5449

Hi,

my son due to his disability and high care needs is residing in a placement which unfortunately is over 4 hours drive away from me.

I visit him every other week for the weekend.
I live for my visits with him however I am finding that it’s costing a fortune buying food etc.

My local authority pay for my Premier Inn room and fuel costs. They just pay for the room and if I want breakfast then I have to pay myself. The cheapest continental breakfast is £7.50.

I also have to buy my evening meal which is usually at a pub so that is easily draining my money which when you factor in a drink (usually a soft drink)

I’m on a very low income and am finding paying for food whilst I’m there a struggle. It’s not like the Premier Inn has cooking facilities or storing facilities like a fridge.
Due to the LA paying for my accommodation I am limited to the Premier Inn.

On the day that I travel, I make a lunch the night before (I leave at 6am) of sandwiches, fruit, biscuits, bottle of water and a flask of tea or coffee. I stop at services after a couple of hours to use the toilet, have a drink of coffee and a bite to eat before carrying on with the drive. 

That evening I’m ready to eat again and that’s when I have to pay pub prices. The placement is in quite a isolated area so I don’t have a huge choice of where to eat or go without a good half hour drive to the nearest city which is using more petrol.

Anyone have any ideas to keep costs down for evening meal and breakfast the next day? 

comeandgo

Could you buy a small microwave and take it with you or a foreman’s grill?  There is always a kettle and tea bags and you could buy buns and something for sandwiches.  A cold box in your car with ice blocks in it would keep things cold for a weekend.  Breakfast could be yogurt, croissants.  With a bit of pre planning you would not need to eat expensively.

Spoonie_Turtle

Some thougts that come to mind:

The instant oat pots used to work well for me when I needed to spend a night or two in a hotel, just fill with boiling water.  Add some nuts/seeds/maybe even fruit to keep you going for longer.

For the pub meals, just tap water to drink?

You can get creative with instant noodles or pasta, either things that don't need cooling (silken tofu, dried mushrooms, sesame seeds, etc.) or pre-cooked veg and protein in a cool bag; these work with just boiling water and leave to sit, covered, for 5-10mins.  An egg on top of instant noodles is quite popular, apparently it basically poaches (I'm not a fan so haven't done it myself). 

Not that I'm in any way saying you *should* consider any/all of these, just suggesting as possibilities if there's anything you might like anyway.  Obviously whatever you eat needs to be filling and nutritious enough, especially as you'll need to be alert for driving home after the visit.

comeandgo said:

Could you buy a small microwave and take it with you or a foreman’s grill? 

Would have to check T&Cs carefully before considering that.


Edited: typo

ellenvan

Most Premier inn's do room service - so you could maybe order a pizza or similar on room service and make a cup of tea to go with it. This would avoid at least the soft drink price.
Breakfast bring prepacked muffins, fruit or similar.

I

Savvy_Sue

Breakfast bars are my go-to travel accessory in a Premier Inn ... 

May also be worth talking to the staff about 'the best' pubs for a cheap evening meal. 

And ask about any rewards cards they know of, I think some PIs have a Beefeater as their restaurant, where there's the https://www.beefeatergrillrewardclub

Longwalker

Ok, you would have to eat if you were home so eating when away shouldn't be a nightmare tbh

Would you eat a continental breakfast at home? Probably not so take breakfast with you to eat in the room. Lidl for example do pastries , yoghurts and fruit juices very reasonably. If you usually have just cereal, take some , a cheap cool bag with ice packs will last the weekend not a problem

Evening meals - you can buy take out and take back to the room. Ask for a plate and a knife and fork - they will be offered not a bother , many a cheap hotel Ive stayed at the plates, glasses and cutlery are easily available 

Even a Chinese munch box will be cheaper then eating in a pub, and takeaways will always give plastic cutlery

Many a time when we have had to stop at a hotel over night, we have just raided the nearest food hall - M&S, Morrisons , Asda - and made do with salads and sandwiches and a packet of biscuits . Seeing as you know in advance, you can easily make a pack up and take it with you

Muttleythefrog

I'd take things you could use a cup and kettle for.... so the dried packet pasta type dishes or pots of noodles... these things are cheap and light (such that I wonder if you could even do the trip without a car but public transport?)... require boiling water and a cup... and perhaps take a bottle of concentrated juice to make cordial drinks. Otherwise depends what facilities are nearby... Wetherspoons is reasonably priced but might not be near... supermarkets can be good especially for reduced stuff later in day.

elsien

If you get a good soup flask you could take stews or chilli type things plus some bread to have with it and it should still be warm that evening. Fruit or tins for pud. You’re in a car so storage isn’t an issue. 

You could take a cool bag with you. I do that when I go camping and if I take milk frozen in a carton it keeps the bag cold but should be defrosted enough for cereals in the morning if that’s what you prefer. Or fruit/cereal bars for breakfast. I’ve never paid for breakfast in a premier inn. 

Things that you can eat cold - big frittata, bean or pasta salad you can make the night before and take with you. Potato salad and cooked chicken. Quiche and salad.  Basically think substantial picnic/packed lunch. It’s not like camping where you really need to have something hot. It’s only for the one night. 

MovingForwards

I had months of living out of a suitcase in a hotel due to working away; week at home, week in the hotel. I'd buy meal deals to cover breakfast and lunch, take snacks with me eg fruit, biscuits, pot noodles, cup a soup etc for the evenings. 

You're away for a couple of days. An ice pack (fill a tub 3/4 full, stick a lid on it and freeze it) would keep things chilled eg milk for cereal, cheese, marg etc to make sandwiches.

pjran

Take a picnic box with ice packs to keep some milk and cheese. Bread or rolls have a long use by date so make sandwiches for your evening meal and some fresh or dried fruit. 

I would rather eat in my room than go to pub on my own.

gloriouslyhappy

You're already doing lunches. For your dinner, make filling things like risotto and mac 'n cheese ahead of time, heat and pack into a thermos jug. If you don't have a thermos jug, pack into a small rounded tupperware and take along a slightly bigger one like a big empty 1kg yoghurt bucket it will fit into. Boil the kettle in your room, put the food-filled container insider the yoghurt bucket and fill bucket with boiling water to re-heat the risotto / mac 'n cheese. Serve with crusty bread rolls and have some fruit or fruit corner yoghurt for pud. Drink tea and coffee, bring your own if necessary also powdered milk or a small container of frozen milk which will keep the other things cool while thawing. 

For breakfast have more yoghurt and fruit plus the left over crusty rolls, or croissants or pain au chocolat pre-bought at Aldi or other cheap supermarket. Or on cold mornings, bring Oat-so-Simple which you can make with boiling water. 

Fot the drive home, fill your flask with tea or coffee before checking out, and bring energy bars or cheese and crackers to have at your service station break. And fruit - grapes, bananas and easy-peelers are good non-messy picnic fruits.

Good luck - hope some of the ideas here help and allow you to enjoy visiting your son without worrying too much about costs.