View Full Version : Your average cost for groceries at each resupply?
When I first started planning my thru I was going to do 23 maildrops. After hanging around WB for a bit, I'm reading how easy it is to pick up what you need as you go in most places. I made a list of things I'd likely buy at a grocery store for resupply (box of oatmeal, jar of peanut butter, bag of pita bread, chunk of cheese, you get the idea) and then estimated the cost for those groceries. Came up with like $60-$80. Of course I understand some resupplies are for 3 days and some 6 days, but a box of oatmeal has a set number of packets and costs the same either way - right? Am I even close?
What did you spend on average everytime you walked into a grocery store?
And typically, how long were you buying for? 3 days? 6 days?
Thanks for you help,
Laura
the goat
11-15-2006, 21:27
about 45-50 bucks for 6-7 days.
I spent on average of 35.00 per week and lived very well. i never went hungry or thirsty. Its all in how ya wanna feed yourself.
When I first started planning my thru I was going to do 23 maildrops. After hanging around WB for a bit, I'm reading how easy it is to pick up what you need as you go in most places. I made a list of things I'd likely buy at a grocery store for resupply (box of oatmeal, jar of peanut butter, bag of pita bread, chunk of cheese, you get the idea) and then estimated the cost for those groceries. Came up with like $60-$80. Of course I understand some resupplies are for 3 days and some 6 days, but a box of oatmeal has a set number of packets and costs the same either way - right? Am I even close?
What did you spend on average everytime you walked into a grocery store?
And typically, how long were you buying for? 3 days? 6 days?
Thanks for you help,
Laura
You can always mail stuff up to yourself if you have to buy more than you want. Like the oatmeal, mail half the box up to the next town. Worked for me.
Footslogger
11-15-2006, 22:57
My re-supply intervals were generally 4 - 6 days. As I recall, the average cost ranged from $16 - $24. I found over time that I could feed myself well on the trail for about $4 a day.
'Slogger
Kaptain Kangaroo
11-15-2006, 22:59
My average resupply was around $50 for an average 4 days between resupplies. This is probably on the high side of average as my hiking buddies never seemed spend as much as I did.
I was totally addicted to Carnation Instant Breakfast though... and it's not cheap. Was going through 6 packets a day towards the end of my hike..... 3 packets in a gatorade bottle of water...Yum !!!!!!!
Can't get it back home in Australia though :-(
fiddlehead
11-16-2006, 00:11
i rarely resupply on the AT for more than 3 days. I would guess that costs about $30-40 per time. ???
more money was always spent on food eaten in restaurants in town and BEER of course. (and the beer carried out of town)
Pokey2006
11-16-2006, 01:00
Typical resupply for me was about 4 days, $30 to $40. And that was probably high-end, since I always got things like cheese, spinach, whole wheat pitas, cans of ham, all kinds of goodies.
Sure, you end up with extra packets of oatmeal, extra coffee, etc. But you can either leave the extras in a hiker box, or bounce it, or send it home with the request that mom send it back to you later on down the trail. I will say, I was bothered by all the waste (throwing away half a package of cheese at every town was a bummer), but what else can you do?
Jim Adams
11-16-2006, 02:41
$20--$25 for 4 days.
the goat
11-16-2006, 10:25
I will say, I was bothered by all the waste (throwing away half a package of cheese at every town was a bummer), but what else can you do?
eat it instead.:)
I hiked with a hiking partner and together we spent about $50 for 4-5 days, roughly--not including eating out though
I didn't do any food mail drops. I went into town to resupply every 4-6 days. I would spend about $15-$16 for the food I took back to the trail.
Thanks for the information all. I'm really surprised at how cheap you were able to do it. I guess when I estimated everything up, it just seemed like it'd be cheaper to buy at home and pay for postage than to buy as I go.
If you have any additional hints & tricks for how you kept your grocery costs down, I'd love to hear it.
Johnny Swank
11-17-2006, 11:08
Don't go to the store hungry! That, or go in, buy a sandwich or something, then leave immediatly to eat. Then go back and do your shopping.
I always found it handy to actully make a list and inventory of what I had on hand. Buy what's on the list and get the heck out of there. The longer you stay, the more you'll buy (and have to carry)
Jack Tarlin
11-17-2006, 11:47
Laura:
It also depends WHERE you are shopping. Major supermarkets in the larger Trail towns will have cheaper food than will little markets, convenience stores, or Outfitters. So try and avoid, if possible, doing major shopping (i.e. more than 3 days) at the smaller stores.
However, it should be added that the sheer size and selection of big markets means you'll spend more time there, make more "impulse" purchases, and may well end up spending more than you intended.
A few ideas if you want to save money on your shoping:
*Don't shop when you're hungry......EVERYTHING looks good, so EVERYTHING
will end up in your cart. So shop after you've eaten something.
*Unless you know you need one, use one of those little red baskets instead
of a cart. You're less likely to fill it up with unneeded stuff, plus, as you
fill it up, you'l be aware of the growing weight of your purchases, which
might make you reconsider a few things!
*It's perfectly OK to buy generics. House brand Pop Tarts are as good
as "real" ones. Mac 'n Cheese is pretty much Mac 'n Cheese. If you like
English Muffins, you don't have to buy Thomases. (However beware of
generic Peanut Butter! Some of it is awful!! :eek: )
*Go thru your food bag BEFORE you shop, and make a complete list of what
you actually NEED for the next stretch, as far as Breakfast items, Lunches,
Dinners, Snacks, First-Aid/Personal Stuff, etc. By doing this, you'll use up
the stuff that's still in your pack; you'll buy only what you actually need,
you won't needlessly over-buy; you'll make fewer impulsive, i.e. unnecessary
purchases; you'll be less likely to forget something important; and best of
all, as you mark things off your list, your shopping will go much quicker, and
you'll be out of the market sooner, instead of crawling up and down each
and every aisle. Supermarkets are like casinos.....the longer you stay in one
the less money you leave with.
*Lastly, in the Articles section of Whiteblaze, Weathercarrot has a great
article on hiking on a budget; you might want to check it out.
Jack Tarlin
11-17-2006, 11:48
I see Swank beat me to some of these ideas while I was writing!!
Two Speed
11-17-2006, 11:56
After you make your list, check the hiker box. Never can tell, might be something good in there.
Alligator
11-17-2006, 11:57
...
*Unless you know you need one, use one of those little red baskets instead
of a cart. You're less likely to fill it up with unneeded stuff, plus, as you
fill it up, you'l be aware of the growing weight of your purchases, which
might make you reconsider a few things!
...This was a great point to make.
Thanks for the tips. I've checked Weathercarrot's article out before, but I'll make sure to revisit it this weekend.
Can you get enough variety shopping as you go? Or are you stuck with the mainstays of pop tarts, peanut butter, bagels, etc.?
SGT Rock
11-17-2006, 12:32
Outstanding reccomendations. Some good tricks I never thought of.
one possible issue though - wrt using the "red baskets" - I would have thought it a good idea to use a cart - put your pack in the cart while shopping if there is no-one reliable to watch your pack for you
Alligator
11-17-2006, 14:04
one possible issue though - wrt using the "red baskets" - I would have thought it a good idea to use a cart - put your pack in the cart while shopping if there is no-one reliable to watch your pack for youA shopper could still put the hand basket in the child seat:) .
max patch
11-17-2006, 14:09
Whenever possible I hiked 6 days and took a town day once a week. Ain't no way 6 days of food was gonna fit in that little red basket. Not to mention one day of town food.
Alligator
11-17-2006, 14:26
Whenever possible I hiked 6 days and took a town day once a week. Ain't no way 6 days of food was gonna fit in that little red basket. Not to mention one day of town food.Big galoots like you Max probably need one of the motorized carts.
Alligator
11-17-2006, 14:44
A handbasket sized 12" X 18.5" X 9" is ~2000 ci.:-?
A mini cart is about 6000 ci.
http://www.hubert.com/store/p-detail.asp?c=279&s=2191&ss=26466&p=3484&src=froogle
Standard size is 12000 ci.
Footslogger
11-17-2006, 15:44
[quote=Alligator;273102]A handbasket sized 12" X 18.5" X 9" is ~2000 ci.:-?
==============================
That's a Little Red Wagon ...not a little red handbasket !!
'Slogger
Alligator
11-17-2006, 16:05
[quote=Alligator;273102]A handbasket sized 12" X 18.5" X 9" is ~2000 ci.:-?
==============================
That's a Little Red Wagon ...not a little red handbasket !!
'SloggerI've got an 18" ruler handy, nobody ever believes me:eek: .
http://cgi.ebay.com/24-Grocery-Shopping-Hand-Baskets-Market-Handbaskets_W0QQitemZ280049063749QQihZ018QQcategor yZ71483QQcmdZViewItem
Hey all,
Thanks for your thoughts on resupply-as-you-go. I will definitely use your tips and tricks to keep the costs down and be time efficient.
Laura
I probably spend anywhere from $6-8 per day and sometimes less if I have leftovers. To save money I always get a bonus card and hang on to the key chain tag.