Poor Regional FO
10-04-2011 | 06:23 PM
#31
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 439
Likes: 0
From: 1986 LeBaron Convertable
Avoid buying food on the road and pocket your per diem by packing food. Get yourself a good cooler and a couple ice packs. When possible put your whole cooler in the refrigerator overnight, that way the ice packs don't have to cool down the bag. After an 18 hour day (w/ commute) my bag would still be cold. I often went an entire month without spending money on the road (for food or fun). But I was a slam clicker.
If you don't like cooking buy one or two rotisserie chickens before your trip and cut them up. I also packed tortillas and shredded cheese and made mini soft taco wraps.
Make sure you do some searching come tax time. If your company pass you less per diem than the IRS standard daily rate for transportation workers, most of the difference is delectable.
Get a library card and pick up Dave Ramsey's book "The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness". (If your local library doesn't have a copy ask abut an "inter-library loan".) Stick with the budget he'll show you how to make and it will be amazing how much money you have left over at the end of the month.
Good luck!
If you don't like cooking buy one or two rotisserie chickens before your trip and cut them up. I also packed tortillas and shredded cheese and made mini soft taco wraps.
Make sure you do some searching come tax time. If your company pass you less per diem than the IRS standard daily rate for transportation workers, most of the difference is delectable.
Get a library card and pick up Dave Ramsey's book "The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness". (If your local library doesn't have a copy ask abut an "inter-library loan".) Stick with the budget he'll show you how to make and it will be amazing how much money you have left over at the end of the month.
Good luck!
10-05-2011 | 12:52 AM
#32
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 161
Likes: 0
From: Forever commuting
10-05-2011 | 02:26 AM
#33
Roll’n Thunder
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,149
Likes: 562
From: Pilot
part of what I do to save money every trip allows me to flexibility to be able to go out and enjoy the sights on the rare occasions that I A: have a decent layover city and B: have enough time to actually do something. Maybe you just have all these long layovers in awesome places, but for most of us we don't want to go see the one stoplight downtown in some two-bit city.
10-05-2011 | 04:30 AM
#35
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 5,585
Likes: 328
Financial responsibility is not taking out a $100,000 loan to qualify yourself for a $20,000-$40,000 year job. It's not maxing out credit cards and living within your means. Spending per diem on the road is financially responsible. That is what it is there for. That said. I have taken some food from home for my first lunch on the road. I also usually take some sort of trail mix to eat as a snack when I'm flying. To me, taking four days worth of food just seems like a lot of work. I won't judge anymore. Some valid points have been made. When I worked at a regional on first year pay, I was single and living in an apartment with a roommate. My car was paid off. I had very little college loans. Almost all my money was spending money. Now I have a house. First year pay at a regional wouldn't even pay my mortgage.
10-05-2011 | 07:31 AM
#38
Done
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 190
Likes: 0
Who the hell has time to enjoy the city when your at some dump on the outskirts of BFE?
Stay away from hotel bars..rip off. Pack your own booze.
Pack food for three days and grab a cheap side salad on day four.
Grill 3-4 chicken breasts; chop em up and put em in small container. Boil 10 eggs and put em in a big ziploc; eat the yolks so your farts will stink. Brown rice in a small container. Hummus and carrots. Raisins and almonds. Pita bread. Lettuce/Spinach only last a day or two. Black beans in a container. Buy the Real Ice blocks from Target; stay frozen the longest. Buy your grocery at Wal Mart - i hate that place but its cheap.
Bring your running shoes, elastic bands, download some fitness apps on your smart phone (1.99).
First year pay SUCKS...ain't much better after that either. I know I'm on 7 year f/o pay and not by choice either.
Or...go back to school.
Good luck.
Stay away from hotel bars..rip off. Pack your own booze.
Pack food for three days and grab a cheap side salad on day four.
Grill 3-4 chicken breasts; chop em up and put em in small container. Boil 10 eggs and put em in a big ziploc; eat the yolks so your farts will stink. Brown rice in a small container. Hummus and carrots. Raisins and almonds. Pita bread. Lettuce/Spinach only last a day or two. Black beans in a container. Buy the Real Ice blocks from Target; stay frozen the longest. Buy your grocery at Wal Mart - i hate that place but its cheap.
Bring your running shoes, elastic bands, download some fitness apps on your smart phone (1.99).
First year pay SUCKS...ain't much better after that either. I know I'm on 7 year f/o pay and not by choice either.
Or...go back to school.
Good luck.
10-05-2011 | 08:01 AM
#39
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 140
Likes: 0
From: Southwest FO
Avoid buying food on the road and pocket your per diem by packing food. Get yourself a good cooler and a couple ice packs. When possible put your whole cooler in the refrigerator overnight, that way the ice packs don't have to cool down the bag. After an 18 hour day (w/ commute) my bag would still be cold. I often went an entire month without spending money on the road (for food or fun). But I was a slam clicker.
If you don't like cooking buy one or two rotisserie chickens before your trip and cut them up. I also packed tortillas and shredded cheese and made mini soft taco wraps.
Make sure you do some searching come tax time. If your company pass you less per diem than the IRS standard daily rate for transportation workers, most of the difference is delectable.
Get a library card and pick up Dave Ramsey's book "The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness". (If your local library doesn't have a copy ask abut an "inter-library loan".) Stick with the budget he'll show you how to make and it will be amazing how much money you have left over at the end of the month.
Good luck!
If you don't like cooking buy one or two rotisserie chickens before your trip and cut them up. I also packed tortillas and shredded cheese and made mini soft taco wraps.
Make sure you do some searching come tax time. If your company pass you less per diem than the IRS standard daily rate for transportation workers, most of the difference is delectable.
Get a library card and pick up Dave Ramsey's book "The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness". (If your local library doesn't have a copy ask abut an "inter-library loan".) Stick with the budget he'll show you how to make and it will be amazing how much money you have left over at the end of the month.
Good luck!
10-05-2011 | 12:43 PM
#40
Gets Weekends Off
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 247
Likes: 0
I try to bring some food because sometimes you just can't eat right on the road. Def some trail mix, can of tuna, cans of V8, some whey protein. However, when I try to bring lots of leftovers, it is a pain in the butt to keep it cold and even if I do, it's just not appetizing to eat food that has been sitting in a bag like that. There's a lot to be said for fresh food. I allow myself to spend my full per diem but I end up spending about half of it on average. I find out where the cheaper places to get healthy food are and avoid most hotel restaurants (although, sometimes they have good deals) and on some overnights, getting food at the airport before heading to the hotel is the best option.
The part that sucks is just being patient to have discretionary income to do things that you like. Like actually use your standby travel to explore new places and buy things like a pair of hockey skates or the optional leather jacket. The countdown to second year pay continues....
The part that sucks is just being patient to have discretionary income to do things that you like. Like actually use your standby travel to explore new places and buy things like a pair of hockey skates or the optional leather jacket. The countdown to second year pay continues....
