eating on a budget during a trip

[blueridge71]

What cheap foods(or anythings for that matter)do you eat during a 3 or 4 day trip?

Bid hotels with a free breakfast. Steal oatmeal, fruit, and cereal bars. I also bring packets of instant grits, microwave popcorn, and the little tuna and/or chicken salad snack packs. Also, liberate snacks from the galley.

 

[501261]

I guess all these super pilots on here that are attacking this thread magically got jobs at high paying companies. I guess they got a hundred thousand dollars a year to flight instruct and then were paid two hundred grand for their first F.O. position. (Your dad must own the Gulfstream 200) Congratulations guys on your superior job progression. And let me be the first to tell you to Shut the F*ck up. We do not care what you think.

No it is simply having enough pride in your profession that you will not accept a job that pays less than the fricking fry cook at McD's.

 

[Diesel]

Wow this is the saddest thread ever.

Personally i type in my pager for
breakfast- Breakfast burrito, fresh fruit, and fresh oj.
Lunch- chicken ceasar wrap with a side of rice pudding
Dinner- (if a long flight) Roasted tomatoe soup, Avacado, tomatoe and humus on wheat. Cheese plate.

And yes you'll gain 10 pounds the first year. No g200 we don't have to pay for our food. I don't consider perdiem part of my pay. I'm more than willing to go have a nice sit down lunch at a restaurant. Problem is the company knows it would cost more so they are more than willing to give me perdiem plus food to keep the plane running. Perdiem is never part of pay. I end up blowing it plus a couple of months worth in LAS.

 

[Tail Gunner Joe]

Perdiem is never part of pay.

Tell the student loan people that.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

No it is simply having enough pride in your profession that you will not accept a job that pays less than the fricking fry cook at McD's.

wow. a novel idea.

get paid a decent enough wage to avoid cooking hotdogs in coffee pots on your regional airliner...

WTF.

 

[Diesel]

Tell the student loan people that

Then get a better paying job.

Is that why the coffee on regionals taste so bad? It's really hotdog water?

 

[psysix]

This is one of the most pathetic and saddest threads ever. I make $2/hr perdiem for domestic trips which I mostly bid. When I'm on the road, I'll eat the catering on the flight, which we have menu selections. Occasionally I'll get something to eat at the cafeteria at the sort. At the hotel I'll typically go have dinner around 5pm with the rest of the crew. We usually end up going to a nice restaurant and I'll spend around $15-20 for the meal. I'll bring with me $150 for a week long domestic trip to spend on food.

 

[WhendoIgetpaid]

Taco friggin Bell

 

[Phony Marconi]

.99 value menu

The best deal I've found is the small chili at Wendys. It's $.99 whether you're in LGA or RDU. Two of these fills me up and you'll get plenty of fiber too.!

Agreed!

Wendy's small chili and a baked potato are each 99 cent, and will fill you up. I'm still farting halfway to Biloxi!

 

[Phony Marconi]

Try this

This really works.

On the CRJ, before starting the APU, dump a jar of Orville Redenbacher into the APU exhaust grille.

Then start the APU.

In about 2 minutes, you'll have enough healthy, low-fat, air-popped popcorn to feed the entire crew for a whole 4-day trip.

 

[TheGreatChecko]

No it is simply having enough pride in your profession that you will not accept a job that pays less than the fricking fry cook at McD's.

Any suggestions where I can get that high paying start in this industry?

Believe me I've been looking and I'd love some suggestions. Like the rest of the people on this board, I'd rather not take a crap paying job, but its not like my daddy owns a GV and is willing to make me captain....

GreatChecko

 

[B-J-J Fighter]

I'm for sure on a budget, although I do have enough pennies in the bank to eat out if I wanted to once a day or so, and sometimes I do. However it's pretty hard to eat "good" food on the road. If I eat fast food, Taco Bell especially, I will feel like crap the rest of the day. If I pack my own food, then I want have to worry about running around the terminal looking for good food which is hard to find in airports with limited time.

 

[WhiteCloud]

Then get a better paying job.

Is that why the coffee on regionals taste so bad? It's really hotdog water?

I think that's the idea. Based on your bio you should know better. It takes time and experience to get a good job. Until then it requires coping.

 

[Dave Benjamin]

Whatever you eat watch the sugar and sodium intake. I've seen a lot of guys medical out and some die right after retirement. It's not worth ruining your health for this job. If you can't eat decent food it's time to find a different line of work or finetune your budget. Any packaged foods are likely to be really high in sodium and/or sugars. The more food has been processed the less nutritional value it has. I recommend a good vitamin regimen. I've been using Mountain Peak Nutritionals "ultra-high" formula. Check out their website at www.mpn8.com
I really watch the ratio of protein to carbs. I've lost about 30 pounds that way thanks to insuring I've got a little bit of protein in every meal and trying to exercise a bit. Certain foods have been eliminated from my diet. I rarely eat breads. No fried foods. I try to eat complex carbs rather than simple carbs. I try to have some semi-healthy snacks during the day to keep going. I think my diet has helped keep my energy level up. I don't get as tired as I used to. Or perhaps that's because my FO is doing all the hard work.

Here's another thought. For those of us that do mostly hub out and backs freeze a few good quality home cooked meals. Even if you commute in from a distance they won't spoil. When you get to the hub put them in the refrigerator. Nuke them when it's time to eat.

 

[migio]

Budget Eatin'

Packaged Tuna.The stuff that is in water,not olive oil or whatever.This stuff doesnt have too high of a sodium content.Get some low sodium crackers and a bottle of Tabasco sauce.Put the tuna on the crackers and then add tabasco sauce over the tuna.Enjoy! Shy away from microwave dinners.They have a TON of sodium.Stay away from Taco Bell or any of the other fast food restaurants if you know whats good for ya.Subways an exception.WATCH "SUPER SIZE ME" and your fast food eatin habits will dwindle down to maybe a couple big macs a year.

 

[YGBSM]

This is one of the most pathetic and saddest threads ever. I make $2/hr perdiem for domestic trips which I mostly bid. When I'm on the road, I'll eat the catering on the flight, which we have menu selections. Occasionally I'll get something to eat at the cafeteria at the sort. At the hotel I'll typically go have dinner around 5pm with the rest of the crew. We usually end up going to a nice restaurant and I'll spend around $15-20 for the meal. I'll bring with me $150 for a week long domestic trip to spend on food.

Not bad advice from somebody who doesn't have their private ticket yet.

 

[psysix]

How do you know what certificates I have or don't have?

 

[YGBSM]

Ah, the old psysicx with no c trick.

How's the pay and QOL at your airline?

 

[captkramer]

I really do feel sorry for some of you. Isn't this exactly what per diem pay is for??? I guess if you do insist on supplementing your income with per diem then you might want to check under the cabin seats for scraps. Oh, and stop buying so much beer! That might help.

 

[jumppilot]

I give up.