Cheap meal ideas in hotel for 1 week for work

[Boxshibe]

I'm staying in a hotel for work in a weeks time. I need some meal/food ideas. It's room only and I don't have the money to eat out every night and don't really want to eat sandwiches every night. ill have a kettle. Anyone got any ideas?

Supermarkets have not sandwich stuff too (salads, sushi, sausage rolls, picnic foods)

I'd go that way for preference over kettle options (although couscous is ok).

Does the business not give you a meal allowance?

If you can take a flask and some spices (maybe wrapped in foil) you could make diy pot noodles: some fine noodles, chilli, ginger and garlic (all dried) and some stir fry veg. All into a flask then cover with boiling water and leave for 15 mins. If you can get a sachet of ketchup it adds a certain something.

Pittas, ready made falafel, salad and hummus.

Take a food flask, then you can cook pasta in that (though noodles, either egg or rice) cook a lot faster. Then either have hot with a stir in sauce, or cold with a tub of sandwich filling. Or reheat a packet rice by pouring boiling water through it (you'd need a small sieve) and heat up something like a 'Look what we found' chilli by standing that packet in boiling water. Cup a soup or miso with some cooked chicken torn up into it and some noodles.
Will you have a car to go to a supermarket and take stuff with you?

It does I can claim expenses back but it'll be the week before payday and I don't really have much spare. I've budgeted £100 for the week.

Either eat a hot-meal at lunchtime if there is a canteen onsite or in a supermarket cafe early evening and snack later.

There's a tesco express nearby so I'll be able to buy stuff

Why not go to McDonalds?

otherwise it’s pot noodles (remember your fork!!!)

cupasoup

otherwise like you say it’s the dreaded sandwich meal deal type of thing

do you get a standard daily rate?

or only get back what you claim for via receipts? I’d be tempted to use a credit card if you only get back what you purchase. Then I’d eat out!

I recently stayed in a hotel, I did order a plate of cold meats from
room service but I also took some crackers, a jar of pickle, cheese and some crisps from home. I had an amazing picnic on the bed, honestly sat there on my own munching and watching trash on the TV was so good.

Oh and a mini bottle of Rose from home.

Could you ask your employers for a expenses advance/business credit card?

What a ridiculous situation they are putting in, you shouldn't be scrimping and saving and living off pot noodles for their convenience.

Can you put it on a credit card or ask the hotel to put it on a tab so you can pay after payday?

my company also would give an advance if I couldn’t afford food whilst on a work trip, have you spoken to your line manager?

Unfortunately it's receipt then money back the following month. I'm away for 5 nights sun-fri so I think a McDonald's a couple of times. And some tapas other nights.

Agreed. Awful position they’re putting you in!

Does your room have a mini fridge? I had a couple of nights with DD in a hotel a few months ago and we bought a few cold meats/cheese/ready made salad/pork pies/ rolls from the local supermarket and then ate those for two days in a row. Also bought fruit and crisps to snack on.

Also, don't some food halls like M&S have microwaves in them for customer use? In which case you can buy a ready meal and cook it there. But not sure.

Super noodles. Love them.

Then ask them to give you the money up front and you’ll provide the receipts when you return. No way can you feed yourself well in a hotel room!

Tesco ready salads such as the egg and potato one and add a roll. The salads have sachet of dressing in them.
Or a mini quiche and salad if you pack some cutlery.

Pot noodles, cup-a-soup.

Sachets of couscous that you just add hot water to, then salad and ready-cooked chicken

If there is a supermarket with a hot counter sometimes you can get yellow stickered hot food like pasties or chicken legs at the end of the day.

I used to boil eggs in the kettle at university sometimes

Could you take a toaster? You'd need a room with a window that opens though to let out steam or smoke!

The supermarket hit counter is a good shout.
Ready cooked chicken could work with a salad or coleslaw and a roll.

Unfortunately it's just bad timing. It's 1 week before pay day. DH is in-between jobs so it's just my salary keeping us just about afloat so we can't really afford for this. I'm travelling up there (from south coast to North england) on Sunday for a training course mon/tue. Then from there to London for a conference on wed back up north thu/Fri then back home. All in I'm spending £600 already plus food. I'll get most of it back.

Sorry hot counter.

If you've budgeted £100 for the week, that should buy you a decent meal each night in a hotel, but you should ask for an advance if you don't have spare money to pay upfront.

If business travel is going to be a regular part of your job, get a credit card to cover expenses like this. Makes things much easier. Just put all your business spending on the card, then you should have the money back when the bill is due.

Ask if you can have a work credit card for these expenses - or get a personal one and use it only for work expenses and claim it back.

It's a long time to be stuck in a room with limited options

Another suggestion is if the hotel had a restaurant or room service and use that and get work to pay the bill.

J would be honest with my line manager or HR and say I cannot afford to pay this and wait for the claim back / they will have seen this before and have options

Otherwise cold tapas nice bread cheese wine/ cup a soup / instant noodles occasionally but lots of fresh fruit and veg too

Credit card - spend what you are entitled to up to the meal allowance and claim back