Our vacation meal plan

For the first time ever, I am meal planning for our vacation. This will no doubt drive our traveling companions CRAZY (they are the "what are you in the mood to eat?" all-planning-out-the-window-on-vacations type of folks) but it will save us loads of cash. We're bringing a cooler of food and water, plus a grocery bag with dry food, all of which I pre-purchased at sale prices here in town. I just can't bring myself to go grocery shopping when we arrive in California...the prices are higher, it's harder to eat what's on sale, and you pay a premium for dumb stuff like condiments and snacks.
.
We're also utilizing every online coupon and promotion I've seen recently, since we'll be eating out so much. May as well save money and eat with coupons on vacation too, right?
.
Monday
Breakfast: at home
Lunch: Chick Fil A (on the road) for free sandwiches
Dinner: after checking into the hotel, we have a BOGO free coupon for TGI Fridays, where kids eat free Mondays and Tuesdays. I looked it up and there's a TGI Friday's 3 miles from our hotel.
Tuesday
Breakfast: banana bread muffins, hard boiled eggs (bringing from home) and yogurt
Lunch: at Disneyland. Packing sandwiches, apples, cheese and crackers - but we have it in the budget to blow some cash on overpriced snacks like funnel cakes, giant pretzels and Mickey Mouse shaped nonsense.
Dinner: pizza with a BOGO free coupon from Papa John's (got it in the mail yesterday!)
Wednesday
Breakfast: overpriced character breakfast @ Goofy's Kitchen (when my husband is "full," they're going to regret the day they decided it should be an all-you-can-eat buffet!)
Lunch: on the road down to San Diego. Sandwiches, cheese sticks, cut up fruit.
Dinner: out to eat
Thursday
Breakfast: provided by our hotel in San Diego
Lunch: picnic on the beach - more sandwiches, carrots, apples, cheese and crackers
Dinner: Lasagna Roll Ups, salad and bread (pre-made from home and kept frozen in the cooler, then refrigerated at our hotel - our friends have an oven in their beach house)
Friday
Breakfast: provided by our hotel
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: out to eat
Saturday
Breakfast: will probably do Einsteins to take advantage of this coupon
Lunch: finish up whatever groceries and leftovers are lingering
Dinner: Panda Express with BOGO free coupons (near our hotel)
.
Snacks and Treats
banana bread muffins
apples, bananas, grapes
mini carrots
granola bars
yogurt
cheese sticks
cheese (pre-sliced at home) and Triscuits
graham crackers
popcorn
chocolate chip cookies (made and froze the dough balls at home...will cook in friends' oven when we're in the mood)
.
So that's it. My version of meal planning and using restaurant coupons on the road and on a budget. We tried "winging it" last year and Mike and I got into too many disagreements about what one person thought was a legitimate vacation purchase and what the other thought was a waste of precious dollars. (Starbuck's, alcoholic refreshment, treats from sidewalk vendors, etc) This year, we've discussed the budget and are bringing a set amount of cash for extras like dining out, entertainment and souvenirs, having already subtracted the exact cost of the hotels, Disney tickets and Goofy's kitchen from our total travel budget. I'm hoping that this bit of prep work and pre-vacation discussion will keep my frugal husband a little more relaxed!