To make lunch from the buffet breakfast at our (frankly) ludicrously expensive hotel in Crete

[luverlyjubberly]

We are off on holiday tomorrow and we booked this a year ago.....before my dh lost his job and before we couldn't really afford it. However, it was too late to cancel without losing our money and we didn't want to disappoint the kids, so we are off anyway. This means we are staying in an expensive 5 star resort on a small budget. I'd already paid for the bed/breakfast so I'm thinking, since they have a massive buffet (we've been before) that we ought to stock up on rolls, cheese, ham, fruit etc and feed ourselves this at lunchtime to save money. We have two kids who would be happy enough with this and I reckon it would save us a small fortune. However dh is really against it saying that it's something he'd never do, we'd have to do it on the quiet - which he hates the idea of - and he thinks it's giving our kids the wrong message (like we are stealing or something)....

Views please.. don't kill me please - I'm just trying not to go into mounds of debt...

[LadyMuck]

How about timing breakfast for as late as possible to turn it into brunch. I have also been known to attend breakfast twice - once at 7am with my kids who have been up since 6 and think they are starving, and then again at 10 just before it closes when it becomes an early lunch.

[pointydog]

How are you going to get a load of cheese and ham into your handbag? What a stressful breakfast.

Food's cheap in Crete. Stuff your faces at breakfast and buy no more than a pastry for lunch. The kids'll prob want ice creams anyway, not sweaty cheese rolls.

[OrmIrian]

I wouldn't. Just eat plenty of breakfast and manage with a snack (from shop) for lunch. I rarely want much for lunch when its hot anyway.

[cornsilk]

I always eat loads and don't fancy anything till teatime anyway. Just feed the children at lunchtime - it won't cost as much then.

[muggglewump]

I'd do it only if I knew I'd not get caught. I don't eat breakfast at all so taking my share for DD's lunch would hardly be the crime of the century but I'd feel so embarrassed if caught that I'd have to be sure I wouldn't.
My parents did always think it was such a skanky thing to do though and would never have dreamed of it and we went on holiday.

[nametaken]

Oh and the other thing is that things like ham and cheese need to be refrigerated until you use them. You run the risk of getting food-poisoning otherwise.

[mousemole]

not worth the humiliation really. What would be the monetary value of a few sandwiches anyway ? Cant you stock up a local supermarket daily ?

[Lilymaid]

I wouldn't do this for adults, but with children a large handbag and plastic bags is the answer. We vaguely thought about this last week in Switzerland, but ate so much at breakfast buffet that we didn't need anything more apart from drink until the evening.

[eandz]

seriously, you have to ask?!

when we were kids we had a similar summer vacation. the year my grandmother went into hospital for months (lots of private care bills...this all happened in the states) and then my mom lost her job and my dad's business took a hit for the worst. our vacations were always at marthas vineyard so very expensive for our family at the time.

my mom did the same thing. all four of the kids were in on it and my dad was very much against it. but we all knew that times were a little tough and if the food was ours because we paid for it in the morning surely it was ours if we decided to take it for later.

every morning we all made our day bags (my mom felt we should carry our own toys on vacation) and inside we all got an extra couple of plastic bags. each kid was responsible for taking exactly what we wanted for lunch and a snack. it was great.

my dad felt like it was stealing for some time, but come lunch time he always seemed to enjoy the fact that he only paid for one lunch rather than 6. we didn't care, it was fun and one of those times we got to 'stick it to the man' as my mom called it.

i've had to steal food from parties/wedding receptions and conferences as a university student. i don't regret it. but i do make sure to buy food for homeless people outside of tesco/m&s when i'm there.

[falcon]

To the last post I can only say and

[luverlyjubberly]

Ok ok, so the majority call this stealing. Wow.... tbh I also had not thought about being caught! I'm sure I've seen a few families stuff a couple of rolls in their bags over breakfast and I just thought "what's the harm".. these hotels make an absolute killing out of us in all other ways, will they seriously miss a couple of bread rolls and a bit of cheese?! Having said that, I do realise that if everyone did it, it would be bad news. So, I guess I'm off to the supermarket then. And as for Malory "I wonder if the OP will be buying any ice creams or drinks"....what the heck is your problem?? I only "asked" - hence the thread. Now I'm going with the majority - the power of posting. And yes, I might splash out on an ice cream - is that OK?? (I don't "drink" by the way, neither does dh, but I might buy a bottle of water)...

[castlesintheair]

Can't you just have a big breakfast then have a Greek salad (which always comes with bread) if you are pekkish. Not expensive in Greece to eat if you avoid big hotels/resorts. Buy an icecream from a taverna/petrol station.

[witchandchips]

have a great holiday

[Caz10]

oh yes, what castlesintheair said - you'd be suprised how many "extras" you get in cheap tavernas - bread, olives etc, you can fill up quite easily!

dh and I are always skint on holiday, having scraped together to pay for the damm thing, so we are experts at eating cheaply whilst there!

depends how fussy you are, but roadside carts etc are cheap, when we were in Greece there was a guy doing whole corn on the cobs for a euro each, lovely!!

[Blu]

eh?

I thought Malory was on your side - suggesting that telling someone who is on a ve tight budget to buy ice creams mighgt be being a bit unrealistic. No-one's questioning your spending - and since your DH was the first to mention the 's' word, it can hardly be a surprise th lots of Mn-ers did too!

Anyway - have a nice hol, sorry things are so tough for you re job.

[luverlyjubberly]

Thank you witch

[Blu]

Don't buy donuts from beach hawkers without asking the price first - that was the only time we got seriously ripped off for food in greece.

ooh, I love those little 'gyros' kebabs in pita they sell in kiosks and from windows - they are VERY filling and not generally expensive

[luverlyjubberly]

Sorry - may have misread her intention re. the ice cream bit - but nonetheless, Malory's first post was a little OTT in my opinion on this thread. Nonetheless, I'm in a holiday mood and I'm off........thank you to everyone who gave their opinions. I'm back on the straight and narrow now!!

[Caz10]

mmmmm gyros....

I am so desparate for a holiday this thread is making me very !

[Guadalupe]

Oh no, my mum make us do this once when we had hardly any money on holiday and it was excruciatingly embarrassing. I hated it. We had made friends with another family and there were cheese and ham rolls for nine people wrapped up under the table in napkins. I was eleven and wanted to the ground to open up.

[combustiblelemon]

Luverlyjubberly, I wouldn't do that but there are other ways you can save cash. They tend to charge way over the odds for drinks (even water or coke) in five star hotels, so it's worth finding the nearest shop/supermarket and stocking up- if you do it once and take a taxi back to your hotel it would be worthwhile. The mini-bar fridge will keep them cool. You can refill small bottles for your DCs.

As other people have mentioned, breakfast can go on till 10:30/11, so if you bought fruit and/or yoghurt you could have that in your room when you get up are woken up at six by your DCs and have lunch as kind of brunch.

[mousemole]

good for you lb ! That's the power of a post isn't it. Enjoy your hols and make sure you eat LOADS at breakfast ! I like the idea of 2 breakfasts as well !