Cutting Costs

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This thread was originally about cutting costs.

It's not surprising that a person who would brag about having planes has trouble finding anyone who would want to go anywhere with him/her.

I’m 47 years old. Most of my friends are about the same age. The difference? I’m retired. They are not. I can wake up, decide to file a flight plan and go.

Oh and suck it.
 
I take frozen steaks, pork chops, lamb chops, some times chicken breasts, sausage/bacon, cooked shredded pork and or beef for tacos (also frozen), frozen sticks of butter. Also packets of my favorite herbs, protein or energy bars, steel cut oatmeal, small plastic bottles of maple and agave syrup (also sealed in ziplocks in case they leak). Sometimes shredded cheese. Maybe a few other items we can’t easily get on island.

Typical breakfast is often cereal (bought on island) or oatmeal. Lunch a preprepped salad or tacos, and dinner a meat and vegetable (maybe spaghetti and salad) or very often we have breakfast for dinner, bread or french toast with eggs which are plentiful on island. We eat a lot of eggs there.
 
I second the frozen steaks and breakfast meats. When we travel with our group, we take something like 8 Costco ribeyes. They're still mostly frozen when we arrive. Cooked leftover ribeye works for breakfast or into fried rice (buy a packet of Indonesian fried rice seasoning at Van den Tweel). Nevertheless, this isn't really a cost-cutting tip, as it's not like the alternative would be to buy ribeyes from Van den Tweel. Any way you slice it, meat is expensive on Bonaire.

We do buy cheese and deli meats from the deli counter at Van den Tweel and take sandwiches with us for lunch between dives. The food trucks are fun but not especially economical.
 
I’m 47 years old. Most of my friends are about the same age. The difference? I’m retired. They are not. I can wake up, decide to file a flight plan and go.

Oh and suck it.
No need to be crude! I was just stating a fact. The OP wanting to cut costs and you started talking about private planes The irony was too hard to resist.
 
No need to be crude! I was just stating a fact. The OP wanting to cut costs and you started talking about private planes The irony was too hard to resist.
Except that he’s welcome to fly with me on my nickel next time I go.
 
Yep - like UNCFNP & Lorenzoid we freeze steaks & big boneless chicken breasts, sealed in Food Saver bags, then wrap in neoprene skins for the flight. Still frozen solid when we arrive. I also create small Food Saver bags for herbs & spices >salt, peppper, garlic salt, Italian seasonings, whatever I plan to cook with. Ziplock baggies would work as well. Couple pounds of pasta. Chunk of Locatelli cheese. Teabags to make sun tea. We started hoofing food out of need when Cultimara was the only grocery store option and they closed at 1:00 on Saturday with no Sunday hours. Just make sure the bags don't exceed 50lb.
 
I did find one way of cutting cost on a rental truck. Pay for it with American Express, and you are covered by their insurance. No need to get the CDW insurance from the rental company on the island. That saves between $150 and $200 depending on which rental company you chose.
Be careful with American Express car/truck insurance in other countries. We did the same in the past. However, there are posts online about them not paying, thus driver being charged for the damage, etc. So, something to think about...
 
Man bringing food with me TO bonaire sounds like the quickest way to ruin a vacation. Support the local eateries you tight wads!

In my 13 times of going to Curacao, I always bought a meal plan that covered breakfast and dinner and left lunches to eating out in places on the way or from dive sites. I am not going to worry about getting meals ready or packing food from home to take with me to vacation destinations. That is way too much for me. BUT, whatever works for you and makes you happy.
 

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