View Full Version : how much?
Around how much money can I expect to spend on food during the six months on the trail?
Jumpstart
01-16-2003, 17:11
It really depends on if you plan to resupply from home using maildrops or buy at grocery stores along the way, and then that will depend on the type of food you buy, specialty foods you choose , brand names you purchase, etc. I mean, if you plan to resupply from hone and only eat ramen noodles for 6 months, then your costs will be minimal. However, if you plan to eat in restaurants every time you hit town, take a lots of zero days, and shop at Kroger supermarkets, then your costs could be substantial.
If you are just looking for a ball aprk figure, I can estimate what we ddi as follows:
We planned to do 12 resupply's via maildrop and bought about $400 worth of food (that's for two people) at BJ's wholesale and pre-packaged our meals all up before we left. If I were to do it again, I would advise against maildroppping unless you have special dietary needs, because we didn't save any money, really, and still ended up going to grocery stores for fresh food, juice, fruit, etc in town. We didn't even use the maildrops we had laid out for oursleves after PA...so they are sitting in our living room still waiting to be eaten. About $150 bucks wasted.
When we shopped at grocery stores, (again, this is for two) we spent on average about 50-80 bucks for 3-5 days worth of food, and we bought brand name everything. (pop-tarts are bad enough without buying GENERIC pop-tarts)... One notable exception was the Kroger supermaket in Daleville, VA...our bill there was $90.00 and I just about fell on the floor and asked the cleark to recount the bill...
Anyway, as you will no doubtedly hear, it varies depedning on a wide variety of factors. I'm sure others will have their more specific figures for you to evaluate as well.
Footslogger
01-16-2003, 17:22
Can't quote an exact cose figure but can say that my experience was a lot like JumpStarts in terms of mail drops. My partner and I bought a ton of food up front and worked out the mail drops. Some of the boxes didn't show up and after a while the lack of variety became a problem. This year I have 3 actual "food" drops in towns where buying food is difficult and I am buying as I go. I've got some other drops worked out but they're mainly for maps and goodies from home.
Funny ...we're still eating ramen noodles from 2001 ! Sure glad they have long shelf life
Refine your question and I'll give you an answer.
Do you mean grocery type food that goes into the backpack? Or snack type food that gets consumed on the spot, including ice cream? Or meals that are cooked and served by someone? Or all of the above.
Moose2001
01-16-2003, 20:06
I'm figuring about $60 a week. Might be a little high but I'd rather plan high than low.
Hey Moose....I didn't think $60 would even cover PIZZA & BEER! :D
Hi there
starting my hike on the 26th of March this year (GA-ME). I was considering using a few maildrops. Can anyone suggest what towns along the route are the scarcest for food/groceries... in other words where would you suggest using maildrops....
Jenn
Moose2001
03-06-2003, 08:35
Jenn...at the top of the page find the pull down menu. Select AT Articles. Read the resupply info by Jack Tarlin (Baltimore Jack). Great summary of resupply options at just about every town along the AT.