Planning For A Trip With The Kids

My wife and I will be taking the kids to Atlanta for the weekend.  Instead of stopping at the convenience store for ‘junk food’ or fighting over the radio, our kids will be enjoying fresh foods, their favorite books, and High School Musical on DVD.  Here’s what I’ve packed:

• Grapes (1 Pound / 1.00 on sale)
• Strawberries (1 Container / 2.00)
• Granola Bars (24 Count / 2.00)
• Milk (Half Gallon / 2.00)
• Snack Chips (1 Box / 1.00)
• Diet Sodas (12 / 2.00)
• High School Musical (Free Rental!)
• Bananas (4 / 1.00)
• Sliced Ham (1 Pound / 3.99 on sale)
• Fresh Bread (1 Loaf / 1.50)
• Mustard (1 Bottle / .75)
• Pickles (1 Jar / 1.75)

As we drive up, the kids can snack on the chips/bars/grapes/milk etc.  Once we arrive at our hotel, we can have sandwiches for supper and granola bars/bananas for breakfast.  We’ll eat out for lunch (with family members) and have the rest of the fruit/chips/sodas for snacking on the way home.

So, for 20 dollars, we can have snacks, supper, breakfast, and food left over for when we get home.  A little ice in a cooler and we are ready to hit the road.  (Please note, we will not eat all of the food on this list in two days.  But, I wanted to show that 20 dollars and some planning could replace several trips to convenience stores)

Three years ago, I would have stopped every hour or so to fill up on junk food, candy bars, and sugary snacks.  It’s never enough for me to say – I’m going to resist temptation and simply drive from point A to point B – I have to have healthy food, on hand, at all times.  So, this list might look like “overkill” but it keeps me from stuffing my face with junk!  If I can combine healthy living AND frugality, I’m happy.