A crockpot and a breadmaker... in a hotel room?!

[frugalcalan]

Well, two hotel rooms.

I went on a snowboarding trip in Febuary with my boyfriend and his friends.  I don't actually like snowboarding, so I spent my time in other ways (reading, relaxing, working out, visiting a friend that lived nearby).

One of the ways we saved money was by bringing a bread maker and crock pot.  We drove, if you had to pay to check a suitcase it probably wouldn't be worth it!  I bought some unfrugal crock pot liners (with a coupon, so they were 4 for a dollar), which prevented any sort of assholish clogging of hotel sink drains.  I was careful not to leave extra mess for the hotel staff, and as a thank-you for letting me clutter up the rooms, I left the house keeper a loaf of bread!  It was mostly sandwiches for lunch on the slopes, and then hot "home cooked" meals for dinner.

Some people like to go to fancy meals on vacation.  And that's cool.  Me?  I've eaten food from grocery stores around the world, because my family is pretty frugal when we travel.  We don't avoid restaurants all together (after all, it's part of the cultural experience!) but when you are in a foreign country for a week, you don't need to eat out three times a day.

Compared to my wealthy aunt and uncle, who go on a yearly ski trip that involves nightly meals at restaurants where you are hard pressed to find meals for under $30, I think we did pretty well :)

[Self-employed-swami]

Good for you! It had never occurred to me to take appliances to cook with, while on vacation.  When my husband and I travel, we either stay in hostels, so we can use their kitchens, or we make sure to have a room with a fridge at least, so we can eat breakfast and lunch from groceries we buy (a lot of sandwiches and cereal though).

[Jamesqf]

Not a bad idea at all!  The having to eat out thing is part of the reason I hate staying in hotels.  It's not the money, so much as having to spend time going to the restaurant, waiting for a table, waiting for the waitron to take your order, waiting for it to be cooked... all in places that are usually too dark for reading.  Such a waste of time.

[totoro]

I've been considering a crockpot for my business trips.  I get a kitchenette and stay for a week at a time.  I think it is may be worth it to buy a second hand one there ($5-$15) and leave it behind after.  BTW you can cook bread in a crock pot too: http://www.food.com/recipe/couldnt-be-easier-slow-cooker-bread-112579

And they make mini crock pots. If you fly, this could be a solution too.

[Self-employed-swami]

I have a mini crock-pot for work as well.

[mustachecat]

Wow. Your hotel room must have smelled awesome!

I remember reading an article somwhere about hotel room meals... Like making a panini with the iron and poaching eggs in the coffeemaker. I'll see if I can dig it up.

[meadow lark]

When I was in college I would make minute rice and oatmeal in the coffee pot.
Lark

[Gerard]

I've made ramen in a hotel room coffee maker (don't worry, I cleaned it really really well afterward). It worked fine (although the first time it tasted a bit like coffee). And I've recently learned how to cook salmon sous vide in a baggie in a sink full of hot tap water, so I might try that in a hotel some time, just to say I've done it.
But the crock pot idea is a whole nother level. I might try it some time! Maybe replace the bread maker with a rice cooker...

[Tom Reingold]

Wow, never thought of bringing either. Clever! But bread is cheap enough. I do make my own bread at home. I do it in spurts. I'll make a loaf every few days, just as I'm finishing the one I have on hand. And then I get tired of making it, and I buy several at the store, one at a time. And repeat. I bake my own bread not so much to save money but because I like the bread better. Has anyone calculated the savings? I use the bread machine to do the kneading and the first rise. Then I bake in the oven, which is gas powered, and that's cheaper than using electric heat (right?).

If you want to be super frugal, you should knead by hand. Then maybe you can bake in a toaster oven.

A crock pot, though, seems like an excellent idea. What kind of dish can you make in it in the shortest amount of time?

[R62]

LOVE the idea of taking a bread machine for road trips, and probably will snatch it.

We're big believers in packing our own food and drinks for said trips, usually taking a basket of pre-cooked/pre-baked food and a cooler full of goodies anytime we go on an overnighter (tent or hotel).

Not only because it's 'stachier, but we like good food, and find homemade is better than most of the road-side joints we encounter.