Hotel Room Living

[Iggy aka IG]

As mentioned on several other threads, DH and I are selling our house and will be residing in a hotel room beginning in a few weeks, for at least a month.  In the interest of remaining frugal during this time, I'd like to prepare as many suppers as possible in our room vs. going out to eat/bringing in take out.  The last time we did this while waiting for our home to be built, we used our toaster oven, which I have since given away.  There is a free breakfast on site, and DH can keep milk in the fridge for his cereal if he chooses to eat in instead.

Tools available in the room:  Mini fridge, coffee maker for hot water, and microwave.  I'll bring a can opener, a few bowls, and whatever else necessary.

What are some of your meal ideas?  I'd love to make things which will yield lunch leftovers for me, but can address this separately, as I have a mini fridge and micro here at the office.

TIA. 

[wvugurl26]

When I'm staying for a few days and looking to keep costs down, I bring paper plates, napkins or paper towels, disposable utensils, drinks and snacks.

If I was doing it for a month, I'd add a cutting board and a George Foreman type grill. Probably a slow cooker too.

[buystoys]

Second the slow cooker idea.  You'll also want to bring some plastic ware along if you're trying to get leftovers.

You can slow cook just about anything.  Stews, soups, chicken, steak, roast. 

[Tennesseer]

Friends of mine lived in an extended stay facility for about 6 months as their home sold quicker than expected (right time of year to sell it) and their new place had barely begun construction.

I third the slow cooker. Most meals were prepared via the slow cooker. Both worked at the time so having the meal ready to eat when they returned 'home' made life in the extended stay joint much easier and less expensive overall.

[Iggy aka IG]

Thank you so much, everyone.  I have begun a list.  I love using my slow cooker at home, not sure why I didn't think about it for the room. 

[Tennesseer]

Get a decent ice chest too, Iggy.  You can use it if the minifridge fills up.   the old ice/melted water in the bathtub.

[cronewitch]

I would look for another place to cook like a friend or family house or work kitchen or picnic table in a park. Hotel rooms don't have good sinks or countertops or refrigerators. On a picnic table you could use a rice cooker, slow cooker, instapot, firepit, small bbq and not smell up  your hotel room. Even just using it to cut the stuff for the slow cooker would give you more space to move around and a trash can for scraps. If you have a work kitchen with a large enough frig you could keep your produce and cut it up at work, cook in instapot then bring home hot meal.
You don't need to eat cooked food all the time. Cereal, fruit, sandwiches, cold friend chicken, chips, cookies, deli salads, cheese, crackers. Use the truck of cars to store you appliances so you don't overcrowd your room. Ice chest can keep leftovers as well as beverages to not overcrowd the mini frig.

[Iggy aka IG]

Thank you very much, cronewitch .  I appreciate the numerous ideas I hadn't thought of.  We'll be staying in a King Suite (my dad owns the place), but the "kitchen" area is tiny.

[thyme4change]

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JR5AJAK/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_bw41J_c_x_2_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=E3M8CWR1A6BNVPZFCTZR&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=8418e6ba-50a7-5e39-ae2a-76b13263b5bd&pf_rd_i=13838481

Electric fry pan?  My friend had one in her dorm room 30 years ago, and she could cook almost anything.  You can fry eggs, or grill cheese sandwiches, or fry up some taco meat, or saute some chicken and vegetables, etc.  

[alabamagal]

Can you find a different place to stay that had better facilities. There are plenty of extended stay places that have kitchens with full refrigerators. I have stayed at several. And they rent by week or month usually at lower rates. They usually do not list on hotel sites. Google extended stay. Or check extended stay America there are other chains too.

[thyme4change]

Apr 10, 2017 21:28:41 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

Can you find a different place to stay that had better facilities. There are plenty of extended stay places that have kitchens with full refrigerators. I have stayed at several. And they rent by week or month usually at lower rates. They usually do not list on hotel sites. Google extended stay. Or check extended stay America there are other chains too.

She said her father owns this hotel, so it is likely impossible to get a better rate.  I was thinking the same thing until I saw that post.

[Iggy aka IG]

Apr 10, 2017 21:44:59 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Apr 10, 2017 21:28:41 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

Can you find a different place to stay that had better facilities. There are plenty of extended stay places that have kitchens with full refrigerators. I have stayed at several. And they rent by week or month usually at lower rates. They usually do not list on hotel sites. Google extended stay. Or check extended stay America there are other chains too.

She said her father owns this hotel, so it is likely impossible to get a better rate.  I was thinking the same thing until I saw that post.

I love some of the extended stay places, but unfortunately it's not in the cards this time.  Thanks for the suggestion, alabamagal.

[Iggy aka IG]

Apr 10, 2017 19:44:55 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

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Electric fry pan?  My friend had one in her dorm room 30 years ago, and she could cook almost anything.  You can fry eggs, or grill cheese sandwiches, or fry up some taco meat, or saute some chicken and vegetables, etc.  

Excellent idea, Thyme.  I remembered I recently received this, and haven't yet used it:  Cuisinart 5-n-1

[Apple]

Weather should be nice soon, keep a grill handy and grill out when possible (at a park, if needed, parking lot/grassy area if Dad will allow it...)

Crock pot is handy.  If you've been thinking about buying one, it could be a good time to purchase an instant pot (electric pressure cooker).

[zibazinski]

Do you have a card table that you can use for extra prep space?

[Iggy aka IG]

Apr 21, 2017 5:02:24 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Do you have a card table that you can use for extra prep space?

We do, but it's in storage of course.  I am thinking I can use the coffee table to prep food on.

We'll be out of the house and into the hotel in 48 hours.  Crazy.

We've ordered the inspection, (well) water test and ILC for the new house.  Fingers crossed!  Next up will be the appraiser.

[NoNamePerson]

Apr 21, 2017 18:28:45 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Apr 21, 2017 5:02:24 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Do you have a card table that you can use for extra prep space?

We do, but it's in storage of course.  I am thinking I can use the coffee table to prep food on.

We'll be out of the house and into the hotel in 48 hours.  Crazy.

We've ordered the inspection, (well) water test and ILC for the new house.  Fingers crossed!  Next up will be the appraiser.

Have F U N!!!! Oh and when you get moved can you please go back to Iggy? I miss the Iggy 

Oh, and hope all goes according to plan with sale and purchase.

[Iggy aka IG]

Apr 21, 2017 20:43:25 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Apr 21, 2017 18:28:45 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

We do, but it's in storage of course.  I am thinking I can use the coffee table to prep food on.

We'll be out of the house and into the hotel in 48 hours.  Crazy.

We've ordered the inspection, (well) water test and ILC for the new house.  Fingers crossed!  Next up will be the appraiser.

Have F U N!!!! Oh and when you get moved can you please go back to Iggy? I miss the Iggy 

Oh, and hope all goes according to plan with sale and purchase.

You're welcome.   (Though we're not moved yet.)

[Iggy aka IG]

We moved in to the hotel Sunday.   I haven't done any real cooking yet.  I've been under the weather, and the first day it was nice to have a bowl of soup, topped with Cheeze-It's (a la chiver78 and her Goldfish), with a bit of shredded cheese on top.  It was the relatively new Yes! soup with a pull top can, no extra water needed.

Things I'm glad I have in here with me:  A small cutting board and knife (thank you, wvugurl26 ), a dish towel, my favorite coffee mug (Raiders!), and my coffee creamer.

Tips:  Cups are stackable.  Storage can be found everywhere.  The space next to the couch is wide enough for the cooler.  Under the side table is more storage.

I brought an insolated cooler and it's pockets contain napkins, paper plates, plastic utensil packets and wet wipes from prior take out, can opener, bottle opener, and a few chip clips.

Time to go get the laundry from downstairs. 

[NoNamePerson]

Apr 28, 2017 14:31:27 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

We moved in to the hotel Sunday.   I haven't done any real cooking yet.  I've been under the weather, and the first day it was nice to have a bowl of soup, topped with Cheeze-It's (a la chiver78 and her Goldfish), with a bit of shredded cheese on top.  It was the relatively new Yes! soup with a pull top can, no extra water needed.

Things I'm glad I have in here with me:  A small cutting board and knife (thank you, wvugurl26 ), a dish towel, my favorite coffee mug (Raiders!), and my coffee creamer.

Tips:  Cups are stackable.  Storage can be found everywhere.  The space next to the couch is wide enough for the cooler.  Under the side table is more storage.

I brought an insolated cooler and it's pockets contain napkins, paper plates, plastic utensil packets from prior take out, can opener, bottle opener, and a few chip clips.

Time to go get the laundry from downstairs. 

And best of all Iggy is back 

[chiver78]

yes! goldfish and cheez-its for soup crackers, I use (a smaller-batch produced) Triscuits for croutons in a pinch as well.

good to hear you're settling in well! hopefully as you spend time living there, you'll come up with a list of things that worked and things that definitely didn't work. valuable insight to not only those that will spend weeks in a hotel suite like you guys are, but also those that travel in general and just don't want to eat out for every single meal. 

[Tennesseer]

Apr 28, 2017 14:31:27 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Iggy-I am not big on the idea of making dry soup mixes for a meal but I saw this in the store the other day and thought I would try it out. It was pretty darn good. All you do is boil two cups of water and add the soup mix. Darn tasty. I bought it at my local Krogers and went back the other day to buy it again but they were out. Went to Sprawlmarts and they had it in stock so I stocked up on it.

[Iggy aka IG]

Tennesseer, that looks hearty and comforting, and I bet DH would love it! Thank you for the tip. We've got City Market here, so there's a good chance they carry it.

Other things I thought of since I last posted:  Tote bags.  You know, the bags that are a good substitute for plastic grocery bags?  So far I've used them to haul shoes, food, laundry, toiletries, and vitamins and meds.

Other things I'm glad I brought to the hotel:  A fave college shot glass (good for serving a stack of yummy Greek olives ), slip on shoes, and my favorite throw blanket (Raiders!).

I shoved the micro to one side and stashed food next to it.  Plastic ware (thank you, buystoys) is stashed in the Crock Pot.

And yes, I am bored.

[chiver78]

those bags are awesome. I've got two right now that are holding towels in my trunk, waiting til I can get over to the MSPCA when it's open to donate them.

[Iggy aka IG]

Other things I'm glad to have with us:  A box of Ziplock baggies, a pot holder DH's grandma embroidered (perfect to sit under the ice bucket condensation), and a box of Puffs.  Much softer than the wooden-like hotel tissues.

[ZaireinHD]

what about the microwave steam fresh vegetable bags I've recently seen or noticed at the frozen isle in the grocery stores?

[dee27]

We always buy bottled water when we travel. The water in TX near our niece smells and tastes like sulfur; it is yellow and putrid out of the tap. A gallon of water is only 79 cents and worth not getting ill.

[zibazinski]

Apr 30, 2017 21:29:12 GMT -5 dee27 said:

We always buy bottled water when we travel. The water in TX near our niece smells and tastes like sulfur; it is yellow and putrid out of the tap. A gallon of water is only 79 cents and worth not getting ill.

They sell that water to tourists in St. Augustine at the Fountain of Youth!!

[Iggy aka IG]

Yeah, DH buys it by the gallons, much less expensive that way.  I buy 6 packs at a time in order to fit them in to the hotel mini fridge.  Less expensive than the $1.50 each in the vending machine. 

[wvugurl26]

We did an Amazon Prime now delivery in Las Vegas. Even with not using all the water and soda, we were way ahead versus buying it from the hotel. I paid $4 for a whole case versus $4 or more per bottle.