Today – How to eat cheap while on a camping trip
How to eat cheap while on a camping trip
Do you love to camp but wonder how to eat cheap while on a camping trip?
A camping trip is a fantastic way to give your family a fun, well-deserved holiday without breaking the bank.
Instead of packing suitcases and having to contend with expensive airline fees, overpriced hotels, and tourist-trap restaurants, you can simply pack up the car and enjoy a few days in the beautiful English countryside at a fraction of the cost! Plus, camping is a fantastic opportunity to get your kids out of the house and into nature.
One of my favourite things about a camping trip is getting to enjoy a warm, hearty meal after a long day spent outdoors doing activities, but for a lot of families, knowing how to feed the family while stuck with miniscule camping kettles, stoves, and kitchen utensils can be a huge source of stress.
In this guide, I’ve covered a few simple yet effective tips for how to eat cheap while on a camping trip. If you’re looking to save money on your camping trip this summer, this post is for you.
1) Pre-make things before you go
A savvy camper is a money-saving camper. If you know you’re going to be camping for three nights, try to plan out a rough meal plan for each meal you’re going to be away.
Pre-making things like snacks (trail mix is great, but a surprise loaf of banana bread or homemade brownies will make you the hero of the holiday!), and even prepping vegetables into slices will save you a lot of time and money.
Instead of having to panic-buy food at the shops when your family gets hungry, you’ll have your meals almost ready to go from the start.
2) How to eat cheap while on a camping trip? Cook one-pot meals
Cooking over a camp stove provides the perfect opportunity to try out any one-pot meals you’ve been eyeing up.
Save money on multiple ingredients by going with a recipe that simply requires you to throw everything in a pot, cook, and serve. Families with young children can often struggle to convince the whole family to eat the same meal – but if you can find a recipe that everyone will like, you’ll be far more organized with your food.
3) Skip the ‘camping’ meals
In outdoors shops, you’ll often see pre-packaged ready meals advertised as camping food. Avoid these at all costs if you want to save money!
These meals might be ideal for serious backpackers with no time or space to spare for fresh food, but for a family camping trip, you’ll be able to cook better meals for less money. Plan your meals from veggies that won’t spoil, and pantry goods such as beans and rice, and you’ll be able to cook super budget-friendly meals from scratch that taste far better than any ready meal you see marketed as camping food in the shop.
4) Bring a cool box to make your food last longer – that is how to eat cheap while on a camping trip
I highly recommend investing in a car-battery powered camping fridge or quality coolbox to help you save money when camping.
You can find affordable camping fridges that will keep your food cool while plugged into your car battery via the cigarette lighter port as you drive to your campsite, but that will also continue to keep your food well into your camping holiday (especially if you add ice packs!).
To save on having to re-stock at supermarkets while away, this can be a really great addition to any camping trip. this is how to eat cheap while on a camping trip
Camping holidays are a great idea for any family looking to save money while still enjoying a summer break – and with the tips above, hopefully you’ll be able to make even more savings when it comes to cooking up some delicious camp food!
I hope you have enjoyed this post on how to eat cheap while on a camping trip
My recipes for superfood salad , plum salad and quick and easy veggie burgers would be great to whip up at home and take with you
Yaz is a writer for The Campfire Guide, a UK outdoors and camping website that aims to make the outdoors more accessible for more people.
