View Full Version : Snack Foods On A Budget
williamgymnst
08-23-2017, 10:08
I've recently been going out on longer and longer trips. I've noticed that, when it comes to food, snacks are the real bank-breaker. Instant meals are cheap and full of calories. However, backpacking staples like nuts, jerky, and energy bars can be quite expensive.
Does anyone have any tips for inexpensive snack foods that still deliver the calories???
Thanks!!
DIY bars, muffins, brownies, jerky, etc. The internet is full of recipes.
Bulk nuts might be a bit cheaper than packaged. I haven't priced them.
Finding Clif bars at Walmart for $9/dozen was nice.
Wayne
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One Half
08-23-2017, 16:01
When I used to buy Builders Bars for my son, Whole Foods were always cheapest versus the other grocery stores. Also, at whole foods, if you buy a whole case (12 for Builders Bars) you get a 10% discount on the purchase. Not all the cashiers know this but they should.
I always buy nuts in bulk. But I price shop them too. I have Prime and keep the app on my phone. Things like this (as well as coconut oil and other things) I price check while I am at the store. If the store price is better, I buy. I also try to watch for those odd times when the prices are really low and stock up on items.
DownEaster
08-23-2017, 18:21
If they suit your taste, stock up on Snickers bars when they go on sale; the price will vary by a factor of about 2½. I find I can eat one of the Almond Snickers every day, but can't tolerate that in the regular (peanut) version.
You can buy Smokehouse Almonds in pound pouches, and they're much cheaper per ounce that way.
Jerky is pretty much always expensive unless you make it yourself.
Last Call
08-23-2017, 18:26
Peanut butter, even "off" brands are okay, as long as it is the crunchy variety.
peakbagger
08-23-2017, 19:59
Go to Walmart the day after Halloween. Lots of snacks on sale. Throw em in a freezer and they are good for a year.
Remember GORP Good Old Raisins and Peanuts.
For some bizarre reason I like adding Good and Plenty candy into my gorp. Walmart sells the movie size boxes of candy like that for cheap. Hard to bear Giardellis chocolate baking chips.
One Half
08-23-2017, 20:21
Go to Walmart the day after Halloween. Lots of snacks on sale. Throw em in a freezer and they are good for a year.
Remember GORP Good Old Raisins and Peanuts.
For some bizarre reason I like adding Good and Plenty candy into my gorp. Walmart sells the movie size boxes of candy like that for cheap. Hard to bear Giardellis chocolate baking chips.
Yep. Any holiday really. Walmart, Target, CVS & Walgreens. All those places have huge holiday candy displays and they slash prices the day after the holiday.
BionicAnkle
08-24-2017, 05:44
Try places like grocery stores where you can weight out your own amount to keep the price down.
Imasphere
08-24-2017, 07:52
Dollar stores often sell banana chips which are cheap, lightweight and full of calories. They also sell cheap snickers and other snacks as well. The nuts aren't too expensive as well. I never buy Cliff bars or Poweebars. They have just as much sugar and junk as chocolate bars but cost three times the price. Granola bars and chocolate bars won't break the bank. You can also buy jerky in a large bag at Costco.
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Boil yourself half a dozen eggs. A perfectly balanced food. You even get to throw the shells away.
Peanut butter. Put it on everything else you carry for a snack. If you want to make your own snacks, try no bake cookies. Rice Krispie treats are also a good snack...but don't just stick to rice cereal...experiment with other stuff...I like to make it with cheerios instead, and I throw a half a cup of peanut butter in there. Cocoa pebbles or fruity pebbles is also good. Or use the basic rice krispie treat recipe to experiment with making your own granola bars...fruit, nuts, oatmeal.
I got some yummy gorpish trail mixes and chocolate bars for a reasonable price at Aldi supermarket for my last trip.
I also like to make a coconut cookie without eggs which I store in freezer until trip. They have a lot of fiber which can be missing on the trail.
When you see a possible trail food on sale buy it and store in freezer for freshness until your trip, that way the price of vacation food isn't as daunting because you don't buy it all at once. :)
AllDownhillFromHere
08-24-2017, 22:00
Those little 3-packs of crackers (cheese and PB, cheese, PB, etc. etc.) I think Keebler, are good. Decent calories, good sodium, and best part - NOT a snickers bar or clif bar.
MuddyWaters
08-24-2017, 22:11
Little debbie is cheap
Siestita
08-24-2017, 23:22
At home I toast pieces of multigrain bread to use to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Those work well as snack food to consume during the first several days of a trip. And, store brand granola bars or other snack bars sometimes cost much less, per ounce, than do Cliff Bars and so-called "energy bars".
One Half
08-24-2017, 23:26
honestly, most snack foods are not cheap. but munch away
gracebowen
08-25-2017, 00:14
Granola bars?
garlic08
08-25-2017, 07:11
I notice not only the cost, but the packaging. A week's worth of packaged snack foods means a lot of garbage.
Try a reusable ziplock bag of nuts (whatever's on sale) and one of raisins. Or mix them together for classic gorp. I separate them because sometimes I want a fast sugar kick, sometimes not, when stopped for the day.
Spirit Walker
08-26-2017, 11:51
Cookies - oreos and fig newtons travel well. My husband doesn't eat nuts, so we make a gorp with a box of raisins and a package of chocolate chips. A package of prunes, dates, or figs are cheaper than fruit mixes. Bulk bins at the grocery can get you a lot of good dried fruit, nuts, gorp, etc.
OkeefenokeeJoe
08-26-2017, 15:15
For the best jerky EVER, and at a pretty decent price, try one of the offerings from Luther's Smokehouse. It's the real deal, not the recycled car tire crappy grocery store jerky. NONE of that is good. No, not KRAVE, or Jack Links, or any other brand you'll find on the grocer's shelf, or even at Jerky Outlet. Luther's Smokehouse is the real deal, 100% beef, made the old fashioned way.
About three years ago I was out in the mountains with some yankee friends during which, at one point, we stopped for a quick snack. I broke out the Luther's and offered it up. After one bite, and as the beautifully seasoned sirloin began attacking their taste buds, you could see the scales fall off their city-slicker eyeballs. They had never in their life realized the the true taste of quality beef jerky. REAL beef jerky. The way jerky was meant to be. Very bitable, not leathery, with a strong taste of quality beef, seasoned to perfection. Never a chemically aftertaste as in most all store-bought jerky. Long-story-short they are all now Luther's converts and won't touch the store-bought junk.
Personally, I like their HOT beef jerky, rather than their MILD version. It's actually not "hot" at all .... it's simply more flavorful, seasoned with just a bit more black pepper than the mild version. Of course, skinny-legged-jean-wearing metro-sexuals, who are afraid to eat a cow, might opt for the turkey jerky. Whatever. That's not for me.
You can also opt for the traditional jerky strips, or the "popcorn" sized jerky. I like both. The popcorn-sized jerky simply means that, for convenience, the jerky is already broken up into bite-sized pieces.
www.jerkyusa.com
You can thank me later.
AllDownhillFromHere
08-26-2017, 16:06
At home I toast pieces of multigrain bread to use to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Those work well as snack food to consume during the first several days of a trip. And, store brand granola bars or other snack bars sometimes cost much less, per ounce, than do Cliff Bars and so-called "energy bars".
What's their calorie count per ounce?
Traffic Jam
08-26-2017, 16:21
I like the recipes in Feed Zone Portables by Skratch Labs...tasty and nutritious portable food.
jeremywerlin
08-28-2017, 12:38
Usually hit the Costco snack section and stay away form the fancy stuff.
saltysack
09-03-2017, 22:06
For the best jerky EVER, and at a pretty decent price, try one of the offerings from Luther's Smokehouse. It's the real deal, not the recycled car tire crappy grocery store jerky. NONE of that is good. No, not KRAVE, or Jack Links, or any other brand you'll find on the grocer's shelf, or even at Jerky Outlet. Luther's Smokehouse is the real deal, 100% beef, made the old fashioned way.
About three years ago I was out in the mountains with some yankee friends during which, at one point, we stopped for a quick snack. I broke out the Luther's and offered it up. After one bite, and as the beautifully seasoned sirloin began attacking their taste buds, you could see the scales fall off their city-slicker eyeballs. They had never in their life realized the the true taste of quality beef jerky. REAL beef jerky. The way jerky was meant to be. Very bitable, not leathery, with a strong taste of quality beef, seasoned to perfection. Never a chemically aftertaste as in most all store-bought jerky. Long-story-short they are all now Luther's converts and won't touch the store-bought junk.
Personally, I like their HOT beef jerky, rather than their MILD version. It's actually not "hot" at all .... it's simply more flavorful, seasoned with just a bit more black pepper than the mild version. Of course, skinny-legged-jean-wearing metro-sexuals, who are afraid to eat a cow, might opt for the turkey jerky. Whatever. That's not for me.
You can also opt for the traditional jerky strips, or the "popcorn" sized jerky. I like both. The popcorn-sized jerky simply means that, for convenience, the jerky is already broken up into bite-sized pieces.
www.jerkyusa.com
You can thank me later.
[emoji23]****, all jeans are skinny jeans when I stuff my big arse in them! I'll have to give the Luther's a try...I do love the Krave chili lime vs other off the shelf store bought....
PS the link didn't work....
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AllDownhillFromHere
09-04-2017, 00:09
What's their calorie count per ounce?
I ended up doing the math on this - not bad, if you google random recipes it comes out to 1 pb&j sandwich weighing 4oz, and having 420 cal. So > 100 per ounce. Not terrible, but not very dense.
MuddyWaters
09-04-2017, 07:05
honestly, most snack foods are not cheap. but munch away
Thats why little debbie oatmeal pies
1.79
2040 cal in box o 12
Hard to beat 1100 cal/$, except by straight vegetable oil
Fudge brownies
1.79
1680 cal/ box
garlic08
09-04-2017, 07:35
...Hard to beat 1100 cal/$, except by straight vegetable oil....
I just checked that against gasoline. It surprised me to find it's about the same calories per gallon (31,000+/-). Gasoline is cheaper right now. Walmart's veg oil is almost $5/gal.
MuddyWaters
09-04-2017, 08:00
I just checked that against gasoline. It surprised me to find it's about the same calories per gallon (31,000+/-). Gasoline is cheaper right now. Walmart's veg oil is almost $5/gal.
Diesel cars can run on waste vegetable oil. It was a cheap fuel source for some to get used cooking oil from restaurants until they started charging for it. I understand exhaust smells like french fries.
Runner2017
09-04-2017, 10:01
I buy dried figs, raisins, cranberries, roasted shelled peanuts, almonds, walnuts in bulk.
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Go to Walmart the day after Halloween. Lots of snacks on sale. Throw em in a freezer and they are good for a year.
Remember GORP Good Old Raisins and Peanuts.
For some bizarre reason I like adding Good and Plenty candy into my gorp. Walmart sells the movie size boxes of candy like that for cheap. Hard to bear Giardellis chocolate baking chips.
Yep. Any holiday really. Walmart, Target, CVS & Walgreens. All those places have huge holiday candy displays and they slash prices the day after the holiday.
Just to note - Target has (in the past couple years) only done 30% off the day after the holiday on edible items (such as the candy you were likely thinking of) - so that may not be the best place to go, unless you wait a week or so for the better discounts (and then take the trade off of less options left).
No, just save up and buy the best food possible. Avoid sugar and simple carbs ("carbage).
Your hiking creates a lot of inflammation, and adding inflammatory snacks to the diet sets you up for problems. Eat a nutritious anti-inflammatory diet, mainly protein and fat. It also satiates you and avoids problems with "hiker hunger" caused by carb crashes.
Remember that sugar is not food, it is the energy removed from real food. It has no nutrients, is highly addictive, and there is no dietary need for it. Plus it rots your teeth.
Fritos regular or Scoops. 160 calories per 10 scoops.
AllDownhillFromHere
09-05-2017, 14:54
Fritos regular or Scoops. 160 calories per 10 scoops.
That's a good one, edible even if pulverized, can even be added to other meals WHEN pulverized, and they make good fire starters.
DownEaster
09-05-2017, 15:29
That's a good one, edible even if pulverized, can even be added to other meals WHEN pulverized, and they make good fire starters.
Also not the usual long list of food chemistry products. Fritos are corn cooked in corn oil, and salt. Those are the only ingredients.
That's a good one, edible even if pulverized, can even be added to other meals WHEN pulverized, and they make good fire starters.
Also not the usual long list of food chemistry products. Fritos are corn cooked in corn oil, and salt. Those are the only ingredients.I like these for both mentioned reasons. No more pringles for me!
grubbster
09-05-2017, 16:34
Fritos regular or Scoops. 160 calories per 10 scoops.
These are an essential ingredient in many of my trail recipes. Sucks without them.
Go to Walmart the day after Halloween. Lots of snacks on sale. Throw em in a freezer and they are good for a year.
Remember GORP Good Old Raisins and Peanuts. For some bizarre reason I like adding Good and Plenty candy into my gorp. Walmart sells the movie size boxes of candy like that for cheap. Hard to bear Giardellis chocolate baking chips.
Good and Plenty is pretty shelf stable and might help counteract raisins in the gut. YMMV for sure on balancing vs. raisins for loosening vs. binding effect. 5# bag between $16/lb or $18/lb between Amazon and Walmart.
As for chocolate in a trail mix, I like Hershey-ets but they are tough to find. Also, its candy shell is slightly more melt-y than Good & Plenty. 5# bag is $24 at an Amazon reseller.
AllDownhillFromHere
09-05-2017, 22:30
Fig Newton knock-offs
Also a great idea - the goo holds them together, even if they get flattened you can make a sort of ball out of the remains and eat it that way. Plus fiber.
I watch the stores for protein bars to be on clearance (meaning under 75 cents per 15-gram bar). I watch for jerky to be on sale. I like to pay no more than $1 per ounce... If you are day/weekend hiking or at the beginning of a hike, bring hard boiled eggs. They last a day or two if the shell isn't broken. Cheese is another good one for two to three days out. I make my own GORP... another high protein snack!
One Half
09-06-2017, 11:41
Also not the usual long list of food chemistry products. Fritos are corn cooked in corn oil, and salt. Those are the only ingredients.
That doesn't make that a healthy snack. But "healthy" wasn't part of the OPs request.
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Cracker packs (6 double crackers with cheese or PB filling) are cheap and 200 cals each.
Little Debbie or generic similar are also cheap and also typically 200 cals each.
No refrigeration required, durability not the best but OK; nutritional value other than calories and fat not great, but hey, it's trail food.