How to save money on a family USA road trip on food
The full details, including a map of our trip and a list of more detailed posts can be found on the main post for the road trip section of our trip. We learned a few things on our 2 week road trip, of the western side of the USA. It started with a eye watering supermarket visit in Palm Springs which had us doubting if we could afford the rest of the trip at all! But thankfully we learned a lot along the way.
Groceries
The first supermarket we visited was Albertson's in Palm Springs. Sadly the exchange rate is not really in New Zealand's favour the bulk of the time. Our New Zealand Dollar was at the time worth about US$0.58. So we were looking at prices and doubling them to estimate how many NZ$ the item cost. We bought a few staples, buns, a rotisserie chicken, bag of salad, a six pack of beer, milk, instant coffee, cereal and a couple of small treats. This came to NZ$140.97 (US$81.76 / €76.12). Now we normally spend around NZ$250 on groceries at home per week, so this was a lot for basically one dinner and a few items. New Zealand has some of the highest grocery prices, so we were expecting a bargain.
 |
| North Lykken Trailhead, Palm Springs |
We soon worked out that Walmart is much more than a department store. It has a reasonably priced supermarket inside and we were able to buy a small cooler bag in the same store. We bought large loaves of fresh bread from the bakery section for US$1 and filled them with egg salad, ham, lettuce, cheese etc. It was delicious and a nice fresh change from a burger and fries.
Costco was another big hit. I had travelled to Auckland New Zealand (our only Costco store) earlier in the year and was able to buy a membership. As a Kiwi you cannot buy a membership in the USA as you have to provide a USA issued ID. I imagine this is the same for other visitors too. The membership price in New Zealand is also NZ$60, while in the USA it is US$60. So pretty much half price too! We have heard so much about Costco that even the teenagers couldn't wait to go. The unlimited refill fizzy drinks (soda) was a huge draw card for them! They also have huge soft serve ice cream sundaes for US$2.49. We bought large containers of grapes and cherry tomatoes to add to our little cooler bag. I just washed them in the motel and put them back in the same containers. I am not normally a bottled water drinker but when you are on a road trip and do not know how clean the tap water is, Costco was a great place to buy a tray of water bottles too. If you heading to Bryce National Park in winter they might freeze in the boot (trunk) of the rental car over night too!
 |
| Frozen Lake - Ruby's Inn, Bryce Canyon City |
Fast Food - So much Fast Food
Fast food, snacks and road trips go hand in hand! I once read a saying about road trip snacks needing to look like a 10 year old had been left to shop unsupervised at the supermarket with $50. Pretty much bang on! There is also something about teenagers and fast food, and man are they persistent! So my deal was, we should try restaurants that we did not have at home. Needless to say, we ate our fair share of fast food so it might be best to separate them out.
Jack in the Box - NZ$41.52 (US$24.08 / €22.42)
We made our first fast food stop at a Jack in the Box in between Los Angeles and Palm Springs. It was fine, nothing great just regular burgers and fries, not worth seeking one out but ok if you are hungry and that is what is available. Very friendly cashier though, while we were standing there reading the menu with no idea what to order!
7-Eleven - NZ$58.50 (US$33.93 / €31.59)
This one was in San Diego, conveniently located next to our rather average motel. I think the teenagers have watched too many 7-Eleven videos from Asia and were expecting big things. A six pack of beer, milk for the coffee (I am not a creamer powder fan) a couple of hotdogs and a couple of I don't know what they were out of the hot box. I just made a sandwich in the motel and ate some left over groceries!
Wingstop - NZ$68.26 (US$39.59 / €36.86)
This one was much better! There were two young men on the counter who were very excited we were New Zealanders. They had watched The Hobbit of course. You could choose your level of spice and flavours you liked. They even had chicken tenders for those who don't like the skin and bones (me). This was in Yuma, Arizona.
McDonalds - NZ$76.52 (US$44.38 / €41.32) & NZ$65.90 (US$38.22 / €35.58)
We made it to McDonalds twice, Grand Canyon and Santa Monica. The Grand Canyon visit was one of necessity as being winter time there were no other options open for breakfast. This was the visit that really hit me hard on the price. It could be that it was higher because of the isolated location, but NZ$76.52 for three breakfast combos an apple pie and a hot chocolate (not the McCafe kind) was out the gate! For the Santa Monica visit, again the convenience of free underground parking (smelled like urinal though) made the decision for us. This was a lunch meal, better price for the amount of food (4 combos) but still a bit more than at home.
Chick-fil-A - NZ$82.95 (US$48.11 / €44.79)
Four regular combos and an extra nuggets the teenager wanted to try. Pretty good, lots of sauces to choose from. We did eat there again at the airport in Los Angeles on our layover on the way home. Much the same price.
In-N-Out Burger - NZ$38.31 (US$22.22 / €20.69)
In-N-Out burger has a very limited menu but because of this the service is quick and the prices are pretty good too. A hit with the whole family. Las Vegas on the strip.
Popeyes - NZ$80.62 (US$46.76 / €43.54)
Houston airport, when one of the teenagers was very sad to be leaving all the fast food options behind in the USA. Not bad actually, would eat again.
Raising Canes - NZ$48.26 (US$27.99 / €26.06)
I have saved the best for last! We all loved Raising Canes! The chicken is delicious, so is the famous sauce and Texas toast was good too. I did make the mistake of trying root beer...how do you guys drink that!? We stopped there more than once, mostly the teenagers bought more with their own spending money.
 |
| Maritime Museum of San Diego at sunset |
Restaurants
We ate at various restaurants along the way. A few nice dinners out is almost as much of an activity as it is eating. We had a lovely dinner just across from these beautiful boats in San Diego at the Claim Jumper Steakhouse & Bar for NZ$257.71 (US$149.47 / €139.16) including tip. Another more average meal at the Grand Canyon Plaza for NZ$215.76 (US$125.14 / €116.51) including tip. I found that I would rather spend our budget on seeing sights and other activities than eating at restaurants too often.
Tip: Sharing meals is a great way to eat out more. The portions are much bigger than we were used to. Or you can take your leftovers back to the motel fridge for lunch tomorrow.
Then while in Houston, with family learned about the lunch time meals. Almost everyday we went out to eat for lunch rather than dinner. Most restaurants had lunch specials we had Mexican, Middle Eastern, Italian, Buffet, Chinese and my favourite Texas Roadhouse with a huge and delicious Chicken Burger, Beef Burger deals for US$8.99. The restaurants all serve water for free, which is excellent and definitely not the case in Europe.
 |
| McGovern Centennial Gardens - Houston, Texas |
One very cheap and delicious eat in Houston is El Bolillo Mexican Bakery. This is a chain and there are several locations but we went in North Houston. For NZ$10.26 (US$5.95 / €5.54) we chose 4 delicious treats. They have a huge selection of cream filled buns, cakes, pastries and tamales too. The concept is very cool. You grab a large silver platter and choose what you would like. Everything is arranged on the outside edge of the shop and then you pay in the middle. Highly recommend and definitely worth a visit!
Anything I need to add? Please contact us!