Gourmet Vacation Meals: Saving Time and Money

With the high price of gasoline, many of us are looking for an affordable way to take a summer vacation. If you plan to spend a week or weekend with a group of friends, or with several other couples, there is a way to shave a little off the food budget, without sacrificing the meals.

Since 1983 we have a family reunion every three years. It is a four day affair, and we usually have about 40 or 50 people. Rather than each family bringing all their own food, or buying food for the entire group, we've come up with a very practical solution.

Since the reunion lasts for four days, we divide the family into four groups. Normally this is done by immediate family groupings.

Each group is responsible for the planning, preparing, purchasing, and serving for one night. There is a silent rule that you aren't suppose to help with preparing or clean up if it isn't your night. That way, everyone in the group gets to enjoy three meals, without any fuss or expense.

Since we tend to be a competitive family, the meals seem to improve each year. Preparing one large meal is definitely less expensive than preparing individual meals each night, for each immediate family.

I've been on vacations where this system wasn't employed, and there always seems to be a few people who end up doing a majority of the work, while a few slackers disappear when there is work to be done. By the end of the vacation, those who felt they did all the work become resentful.

Dividing the meals by day, allows each member the opportunity to enjoy a wider range of activities when it isn't their night, as they don't have to rush back to start preparing dinner.

We used a similar system on several Lake Powell houseboat trips. Once, when it was one fellow houseboater's night to prepare and provide dinner, he decided to offer up steak and lobster! Needless to say, his night was definitely a hit on that trip!

My sister and I employed a similar system, early in my marriage. At the time we were living in apartments on the same street. Once a week my husband and I would eat dinner at her apartment, and one night a week my sister and her husband would eat at our home. It was great to get one night off from cooking!

So the next time you plan a trip with friends, consider our dinner suggestion. As for me, I think I am going to find six friends who might want to revive the dinner swap my sister and I once enjoyed. But, this time we can go to a different friend's house each night, and once a week have the six couples over to our house! I think I'll serve chili. Imagine the money we'll save!