Going on vacation with the family can work out to be very expensive, so choosing to go camping can be an ideal solution to saving money and having fun at the same time.

Of course there is the initial outlay of tents, sleeping bags and cooking utensils but once purchased these can last you for years.

Going camping and then eating out at a nearby take – away or restaurant is not really in the spirit of camping.

Bringing your own food and cooking it yourself whilst eating out doors just cannot be beat.

So planning your camping food budget before you go is a good idea.

First you need to make a list, this will include how many people are going and how many days you are camping for.

You will need to decide what every one likes to eat and this will help narrow down what you need to buy and what the daily budget for food is going to be for each person and in total.

A trip to your local supermarket will enable you to get the best buys as stores near or on camp sites can work out very expensive.

Making the most of tinned food stuff such as hot dogs, beans, pasta, soups, jars of pasta sauce and dried pasta will save money as these items last longer, you can get really inventive with boil in the bag rice and tinned curry.

Of course there is nothing stopping you in bringing fresh produce as cooking on an open fire is quite an experience and these items might go further, work out cheaper and be far more tasty so as a treat try it , these perishable items must be used in the first few days as if you have to throw any thing away you have wasted money.

Hot drinks are easy tea bags and coffee, long life or dried milk, cartons of fruit juice and of course don’t forget the corkscrew for that bottle of wine and maybe a few beers.

The kids will like treats as well so marshmallows and peanut butter are all good, and for a healthy option try dried fruit and nuts.

Thanks for reading my blog post and in the meantime if you would like to read more of my fantastic cooking tips and food recipes you can subscribe to my RSS feed or join my free online Ezine.

To your food heaven

Dominic