eating on a budget during a trip

[Saabslime]

MRE's from the local army-navy surplus store. Very cheap and they'll keep forever.

 

[GoFaster]

Aren't you getting a 1.80 per hour in per diem? Aren't you making enough money via your hourly rate to spend $21 per day on decent food? I understand carrying some nice home cooked comfort food for the first day of a trip, but this thread worries me. If you answered no to any of these questions you need to take a long hard look at your contract, your union, your management, and mostly yourself. This profession is going to hell very quickly. I recently did a CHQ interview in IND, and they told the interview class that you have to share a hotel during training, I couldn't believe it. Now what we all need to do is; have a roommate on the layovers, and then we can carry one big cooler and share our carrots and oatmeal packs...LOL. Come on guys! Buck up, lets make this a profession worth having, if not for yourselves....for your sons and daughters.

GoFAST

 

[V-1]

Carrying food with you is usually a healthier option than eating whatever you can find during a one-hour turn, it's more convienient as well. Instead of shutting the airplane down on a 45 minute break, so I can scramble inside to stand in line at the nearest fast-food joint, then experience the employees' surly attitudes, just so I can give them $5 to satisfy my hunger and increase my cholesterol, I can enjoy a healthy meal while I leisurely prepare for the next flight.

I'd rather take that untaxed per-diem money and invest it. I earn the taxable equivalent income of around $600/mo. Using the techniques mentioned in previous posts, I can save about $450 of that amount monthly.

Invested at even a meager 8% return, I can increase my net worth an additional $5400 annually...not including compound interest effects.

This way, I'll be prepared for the future strike, bankruptcy, medical leave, or furlough that so many of us experience during our careers. If I'm fortunate enough to make it to age 60 in this profession without experiencing any of those, I should have an additional $376708 to retire with, in todays dollars. This assumes an average annual return of 8%, and an average annual inflation rate of 3%.

Let's see...$376708/30 years = $12,557 someone is paying me every year to invest a portion of my per-diem, rather than spending it at McDonalds. That's the easiest $12,000 raise I've ever negotiated!

 

[GoFaster]

hey V1,

what about your crew meals...you could eat those and not even have to pay for the food at the grocery store...that is probably another raise for your bottomline....would you like dry chicken or salisbury steak captain?...LOL. You guys are a trip. Live life, enjoy it, you go on these great layovers, go out to eat and make this a career...not a lunch pail, time card job.

Good Luck with your investments and please note the smile on my face if you attend my funeral.

GoFaster!

 

[Beer&Brauts]

Easy Mac and Tuna.
Mmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[PacoPollo]

....Ramen noodles!!!! all the way!!!!!

 

[80drvr]

I eat the first class meals they serve me in the cockpit ;o)

 

[Flyingtoohigh]

MRE's from the local army-navy surplus store. Very cheap and they'll keep forever.

Define cheap... I haven't found any cheaper than $6.50 to $8 per package at my local military surplus stores in Denver. Would you mind revealing your source for MREs?

 

[pilotyip]

soup in cans

If you put a can of soup bewteen the two most upper cylinders on the top of the engine, they are warmed to the right temperature when you land. Oh! I forgot we don't have round engines anymore.

 

[climbhappy]

last year, i actually lived off sugar packs for a few days.

ramen is real good. if you're at a hotel with breakfast. go down eat early, scarf several oatmeals packet, grits and take a freezer to keep a few bagels for later. then go back again and do it again. load up on free fruit.

if there's a chilis at your hub airport, try the unlimited chips and salsa for 3.50 if you reaslly want to splurge.

this is the like isn't it?