I’ve received several questions from fellow Frugal Girls who are interested in starting to camp with their families.
Camping is a great way to save $$ on a vacation, and trust me ~ the memories are unforgettable! 
I rarely camped before I met my hubby, but our first vacation after our honeymoon was… camping. Then we had a sweet baby boy, and then we had another sweet baby boy! So… I live in a man’s world, and my men love to camp! So… it’s a-camping-we-shall-go! Plus… it’s just not every day that you can have a scooter race through the woods… in your pajamas!
{as always ~ thanks in advance for all of the great tips you share!}
So… what works for you??
Do you have any tips for someone who’s a first-time camper?
Or any fun camping meal ideas, activities or games, ways to save $$ on gear, what gear to take… or not to take, etc??
Leave a comment & share!
See Also:
More Ask Your Frugal Friends Q & A’s
{Got a question you’d like to ask your Frugal Friends? Send me an email at: frugalgirls@gmail.com ~ or ask away on Facebook!}
We use everything plastic except for serving silverware, like for the dishes and stuff on the grill. We pre-make our food for how ever long we will be gone, like have the hamburgers ready to just put right on the grill. If using a tent, you may find it useful to have a airmattress to sleep on. If using a camper, keep stuff in totes, in case a mouse gets in. Paper towels work better than napkins, and don’t blow away as easy, I live in SD.
For games, you can bring balls along for kickball or baseball in the park. It’s just so fun and relaxing, I can’t really think of anything else.
I’m a forester by trade, a SAHM right now, and my husband and I used to own a rustic cabin- no ammenities in the middle of nowhere. One thing I highly recommend is to not be afraid to tell everyone you are going and ask for borrowed or hand me down supplies. MANY MANY of my friends have fabulous ideas about camping and figure out an hour into the trip, its not for them after spending hundreds on gear. We actually have collected duplicate gear and I’ve gotten pretty curvy in my Momma years, I have several fitted beautiful down sleeping bags. You have to realise that camping is not about pretty pink or matching outfits, but its about practical and warm or cool or preparing for the unexpected. And last, always always remember to go with the flow. A freak lightening storm that keeps the kids up all night long is no reason for Mom and Dad to be grumpy the next day for kids that freaked out, clothes that got wet, stuff that actually blew away, its all the reason for an extended naptime and cuddle time watching nature’s beautiful show. Nature will fill every camping trip with unlimited treasures, you just need to find them in ways other than we are used to. Also, I know many rec departments, colleges, and sporting programs loan and rent equipment. The best thing I ever did was rent this ugly, heavy foam sleeping pad before backpacking up a mountain for four days in college!
My family and I recently stayed at the Disney campground and we loved it. It was off season, so it was only $40/night and we got all the same perks as staying at a Disney resort for probably have the price: free transportation to the various parks, Extra Magic hours and fun activities. Plus, we cooked breakfast and dinner in camp every night, so we saved money there.
We did this also. It was nice to return to the campground in the afternoon and rest. The trailers were nice because you had separate rooms so the kids would sleep while you could stay up.
We’ve been camping at the Fort Wilderness Resort (WDW) my whole life. Even if you don’t want to go to the theme parks, consider a trip to go camping. It’s a lot of fun!!
We have stayed in the campsites the last two visits to WDW. Before that we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. It was beautiful but we never seem to “meet” anyone, they either were on thier way to the parks or to eat or to thier room. However we have made some wonderful friends at Fort Wilderness, it is a different atmosphere and people are always out walking dogs, riding bikes, driving thru on golfcarts and they stop and talk and get to know you. I will ALWAYS stay at Fort Wilderness !!!!
Make sure you take foods you like and can make easily at a campsite. First time camping is not the place to try fancy foods. Make sure you keep your foods locked up – put them back in the trunk of your car when not in use, never keep them in your tent. Same goes for the dishes – do them right away.
Easiest camping we’ve ever done was to make sure we had an unbreakable set of dishes, just enough for the number of people to have one of each, a few old pans, a large camping coffee pot for making hot water, a dishpan, some biodegradeable dish soap and a good water supply – take it with you just in case – one towel for dishes, one dishcloth. I take a camping stove and fuel as well; for very little money, you can get a camping oven that goes on top of your stove to make baked goods while camping as well.
Enjoy your trip!
Definitely precook what you can before you go. You can also put food in baggies to help with space. Great idea for cooking eggs ( no clean up)is to put them in a ziploc bag and boil them. Then add cheese or whatever else you need to them!
what kind of foods do you recommend apart from the usual hamburgers and hotdogs
dice potatoes, season and lightly butter and then wrap in foil and place on grill or in fire. grill broccoli. we grill chicken alot.
Hobo packs… from a few years of camping with boyscouts.. just about anykind of meat, veggie potatoe can be wrapped tight in foil pack sprayed with cooking spray and cooked in hot coals…
We have done taco mixes, sausage and peppers …
so check out scouting books if your library has them, they will have all kinds of hints and tips in them
When we used to go camping with our children we made foil dinners. They were great and we still do them on our grill. Use heavy duty foil. Use frozen Hamburger, mushrooms, green peppers.thin sliced potatoes, onion, carrots. Whatever you can think of. Put it in your camp fire for about 45 mins. Flip once when cooking fold back the sides of foil and eat.
Also when its dark buy those glow in the dark necklaces and put them around the kids necks and you will always see them
We love to foil cook. We even bring frozen shrimp and toss that in with pre cut red peppers, white wine, garlic and butter. Couscous is a quick camp stove dish as well. Camping in Michigan during the summer we take advantage of road side veggie stands.
It is dangerous to boil foods in ziploc bags. The carcinogens in plastic will definitely leach into the food. Go to the ziploc website for their answer.
Oh I love to go camping with my family!!
I asked my kids (ages 16, 14 & 11) what to post and here are their answers…
Make sure you pack a tooth brush
Make sure you pack clothes and not just toys (yes, one of them learned from experience)
Make sure you don’t wear cheap jewelry that will turn your neck green after playing in the water.
Ok, so their tips are what THEY say…here are mine:
Use Ziplock bags to store food in. You need to keep your food in a cooler so if you put your stuff in the bags, it won’t get water logged when the ice melts…I hate using mustard that has water in the spout!
Keep a bottle of dish soap in your camping supplies so you can wash your cooking supplies.
Have a flashlight for each person. Place it under your pillow while sleeping so you know where it is for those middle of the night potty calls.
Flip flops – camp ground showers
Card games and board games are great! Keep a basket of games in camp supplies to always have handy.
Have fun!!
Don’t forget extra rolls of toilet paper!
I’ve learned instead of putting ice in your food cooler freeze 12oz plastic bottles & put them all around your food & then I have a seperate cooler for drinks theirs nothing worse than having water logged food. Also I use my big marinating tupperware lid & bottom to store my meats, cheese, butter & in the other one I put my vegetables in it makes it a lot easier when you have to get the food out you just pull out the whole lid
Wow Joanne! The marinating tupperware lid & bottom is a great tip! I’ll certainly be doing that this summer!
We recycle lots of bottles that we freeze and use in the food cooler. They say blocked ice keeps things cold better than cubes. I freeze all our proteins and then we eat whatever order the thaw in.
We have an RV and we try to bring as much as possible from the house…example,mayo, mustard, pickles. I raid the freezer and get what I can from there also. Most cases, we know we are going to go camping several months in advance, so I will begin making lists..catching items I want when they are on sale and setting them aside to use in the RV. Depending on your family’s taste, we go from eating hamburgers, to grilling chicken, to steamed fish. We use the microwave and electric skillet a lot (note..this is not dry camping). I also prepare in advance tortillas that have sausage, scrambled eggs and cheese in them. Wrap up in non stick foil, put in freezer..take out as many as you want for trip…stick in microwave. Great breakfast. Don’t have to be camping to use this trick.
i really like the idea of the foil wrapped tortillas how do the eggs hold up after being frozen?
http://www.food.com/recipe/breakfast-burritos-once-a-month-cooking-30165
go to this web site and it tells you how to make them. I assume the eggs hold up well since it had good reviews.
Having started camping in a tent, then moved up to a fifth wheel, planning is where it’s at.
Prep as much as you can at home. Kitchen space is at a premium, and you want to have fun and not spend all your time working!
A crock pot is a campers best friend. Chopping veggies, etc and putting food in recloseable ziplock bags works great. They will lay flat and take up very little space in a cooler, unlike hard plastic/glass containers.
LOVE the crockpot idea!
We have used a crock pot from the first trip in our pop up. We now have a pull behind with the same crock pot! Totally necessity in my opinion!
Something else to consider…get a crock pot with a plastic lid instead of the glass. The glass one shifts too easily going down the road and will break everywhere!
invest in crockpot liners they make clean up a breeze!
Most new crockpots come with clips on the side that lock the lid in place so you can take food with you if you’re camrging close to home. Also we use an electric skillet for a lot of our cooking, really handier than the stove, just set up a table for all your appliances. And cook outdoors in style!
I cook anything that I would make at home. The big difference is, I do all the prep work ahead of time and store in plastic bags. So say I want burritos one night. I make a double batch at home of beans and whatever meat. We eat them that night and I store the rest in the freezer until it’s time to go camping (chop extras of any veggies you use the day before camping and refrigerate). When you get to dinner time at the campsite, layout everything and some foil. Everyone can make their own burrito, wrap it in foil and place on the grate above the fire. Pack long tongs so they can turn their burritos. Think of as many meals like this that you can. Not having a bunch of cooking or dishes cuts down on stress and lets everyone, even Mom and Dad enjoy the camping trip. Boboli pizza crusts and build your own pizzas are great too. Build one and place outside of the direct flames, loosely cover with foil and in a few minutes you have pizza while you camp. Have fun!
My husband loves backpacking, so we go for freeze dried foods to minimize cooking, but I’ve been saving his MRE’s that he brings home from work to take with us in case we HAVE to eat them. I’m currently trying to plan a trip now so keep the tips coming!
If you want to REALLY be cheap, find a campground with a primitive area. You just go out in the woods and find a place to pitch your tent. No barbecue pits, no campsite, and definitely no bathrooms.
For these type of situations, you might want to invest in a small port-a-potty along with a port-a-potty tent!!! My husband has found that he would rather put up this extra small tent than to wake up to accompany his wife and daughters to the bathroom in the middle of the night!
I agree! I have further potty set up advice. We got a chemical toilet and it was not worth the money. We got the 5 gal bucket with snap on lid and we line it with a heavy duty trash bag and keep a container of kitty litter next to it. Just sprinkle the top with litter when your done. A tent from salvation army that even has a tear here and there works fine for this setup. Duct tape is your friend it works great to hold a small tear together in a tent!
Bring personal size bags of corn chips. Heat a pot of chili & pour a scoop in each persons bag ~ top w/ pregrated cheese. Hand them a plastic fork & you’re done!
Banana Sundays ~ Split banana in half lengthwise with peeling intact. Fill w/ miniature marshmellows & chocolate chips. Put on the campfire until the goods are melted. YUMMO & fun to make!
Can’t wait to try the banana sundays.
Do you put them on foil to melt everything and do you cover them? Sound delicious!!
We also make the Banana Sundaes at home. We make sure we have everyones favorite candy bar. Chop it. Insert pieces into the banana. Adding marshmallows if the person wants it. Topping with ice cream, syrup and sprinkles…My daughter in law taught me this trick
No, we don’t use foil, we put them right on a rack above the fire. You’ll love these ~ so fun!! : )
We call them banana boats and we do wrap ours in aluminum foil. They are super yummy, easy, and a great alternative to smores every night.
Free fire starter: You’ll need an empty cardboard egg carton, dryer lint, wax from a candle that is almost burned down. Fill egg “holders” about 1/4 way with wax, put some dryer lint on top and push into the wax a bit leaving some sticking out to light, and let cool. Use these instead of little starter logs!
Are you supposed to cut apart each section of the egg carton? So that one dozen egg carton could start 12 fires?
keep the egg carton together and rip off a section as you need them. They work great.
What a great idea!!! I knew about the dryer lint but not the other stuff. Now if I can just get cage free eggs in somthing other than plastic… hm!
These make great fire starters. Yes you can cut them apart. We usually cut ours in groups of two.
AWESOME idea! I am going to use it for my fireplace
Similar to this tip, I stuff dryer lint into empty TP rolls when I remove it from the dryer lint trap. Then, use these for at-home (or camping?) fire starters.
We did this for our Easter camping trip this year and they worked so much better than the firestarters that we buy. Another trick we learned because it was vvery windy so we had trouble keeping the lighter lit to start the fire, we take juice pouches when we camp and we cut the box in half and placed the fire starter inside half of it to light it and then put our kindling and logs on top of the box. The box serves as a wind block as well as extra kindling to start the logs.
Another great idea is to fill toilet paper tubes with shredded newspaper then dip them in wax. I’ve never made these because a local group of disabled adults sells them and I like to help them but they work WONDERFULLY!
We camp every weekend all summer the key for me is to cook like I was at home. I don’t by special camping foods becAuse that’s usually a pricey trip. Foil and a camp pot can do any thing! I use an old kitchen kettle that is for over the fire only. Rummage sale all the supplies like plastic plates utensils etc.
An old coffee pot is my savior for heating water quickly. Kids tip / buy glow sticks at the dollar store and pack your own popcorn if they have a movie night! Camping is cheap fun! Kids game – make them a scavenger hunt. Great fun and gives mom some down time while all the searching is going on!
I have a great idea for heating water. You take old coffee cans and fill them 3/4 full of water and freeze before the camping trip. This helps with keeping your cooler cold. Then you can just place these on the fire after cooking and then when you’re ready to do dishes, you will have hot water when you get finished eating.
Love that Firestarter tip! Do you seperate them into sections or put the whole egg carton on?
seperate
Believe it or not, hand sanitizer is an Excellent fire starter!!! Just use your imagination and be careful!
perfume also works
I love camping! I use a mesh bag from the dollar store with samples from hotels and add toothbrush, paste, soap, wash cloth, towel and a few clothspins. The kids are in charge of there own bag. You don’t spend the whole weekend doling our supplies and dealing with wet sandy towels! Always have a first aid kit, with aloe and sunscreen. I use a plastic shoe box size storage container for all the things you “might” need. After camoing season we use it over the winter. Pepto pills are a good thing to add for the kid that can’t say no to the last smore! I also always put a piece of carpet (from the $ store) I put one inside the tent and outside the door, helps with the sand and dirt!
You can get the mesh bags at walmart as lingerie bags for washing. We use a different colored carabiners so we can identify whose bag is whose. By doing this it’s easy to hang your shower bag in the shower or on the clothes line when finished. This way, they also don’t get lost in the tent.
Wow great idea. I will defintely use it.
If you have electricity a hot pot is worth the ten bucks that it costs. We heat water for washing dishes, making hot chocolate or tea in a matter of just a couple minutes.
We like to take peanuts in the shells and marshmallows for campfire snacks.
Keep the food as easy as possible. Hamburgers, hot dogs, peanut butter, cold cuts, individual boxes of cereal (big treat for kids), baked beans, can corn, oranges, apples, bananas, scrambled eggs, pretzels, granola bars, yogurt. If you cook roast beef in advance and freeze it in a ziploc bag you can make hot roast beef sandwiches with bread and can gravy in no time. Bag lettuce, grape tomatoes a cucumber and one kind of dressing for a quick salad. I sometimes make homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs and then cook the spaghetti and put in a ziploc bag. Heat the sauce, boil water in the hot pot to pour over the spaghetti, done.
Camping is not a fashion show, take warm comfortable old clothes that you could care less what happens to them. Old towels, blankets, sheets and pillows also. Thrift stores and yard sales are good places to pick up pots, pans, linens and the like. Store camping items in a plastic tub. Umbrellas and a first aid kit are a must. Keep food in the car trunk or plastic tub at night as not to draw animals.
I bought a small plastic bin with a lid and kept our camping dishes, one for each family member (keep it simple), the bin did double duty as a sink for washing dishes.
While your children are still at the age where they enjoy spending time going out with you, camping is truly a great way to bond with them. Taking time off from the television and game consoles, a nice idea huh? Just enjoy nature with them doing fun activities.
We camp every other weekend durng the spring, summer & fall seasons. We have a RV and when we are at home we plug the unit in so our refrigerator stays cold. (we do not see an increase in our electric bill or would not do this) This way we leave all our condiments, extra beverages, frozen meat, etc in there.
The day we are scheduled to leave I grab a laundry basket, head to our home’s refrigerator, place anything else we may need in the camper into the basket, next I open our “snack” cupboard at home & empty it’s contents into the basket. I then take the basket to the RV & place the items into refrigerator & cupboards. I will buy one “special” meal for us to take along every so often. This works for us the best. Plus if I really want to clean up our “snack” cupboard, which sometimes gets out of control. I will only take along camping the bags/boxes which seem to have just a cookie or two left, or bag of chips with practically only crumbs left. You know the ones that get forgotten about when new packages arrive. Then the kids have no choice but to eat them! Mean I know, but it works!
Invest in a dutch oven. We finally bought a small one last spring and it has been my favorite camping tool ever since. I’ve baked pilsbury cinnamon rolls, cornbread chili casserole, chicken and potatoes, breakfast quiche, just to name a few. My husband and I camped for years with just our coleman stove…the dutch oven has expanded our camping recipe collection and it’s just a really fun way to cook.
Do you use it on the fire?
I know you can use it on the fire, it’s just a lot harder to judge the heat of your coals. We use briquettes. Get them started in the fire and then set them below and on the lid of the dutch oven. I got a free app for my phone that tells you how many briquettes you need for each temperature and the size of your dutch oven.
oh I need that app! We just recently invested in a dutch oven and love it, but I get worried about the temp being right. Thanks!
One of our all time favorite camping meals that is so quick and easy is Green Beans, Potatoes and Ham. Just dump it in your dutch oven and when your potatoes are done your meal is ready. Good with Rye bread & butter.
I am interested in the name of that app
For android it’s called “Dutch Oven Calculator” and it was free in the marketplace.
I like making enchiladas in the dutch oven. You can use your canned chili beans if you want (I like cooking from scratch) then add corn tortilla chips and cheese. Makes a casserol of sorts and its good! Can also make green chili chicken enchiladas.
Use can green chili, can of cream of chicken soup, can chicken (or cooked if you have some already) add chips and cheese.
How do you make the Cornbread Chili Casserole? Sounds yummy!
We camp in a vintage Scotty camper with other vintage camper enthusiasts from all over the east coast several times a year for the past five years.
Packing everything in storage totes. Buy pots/pans/utensils/plates/cups/linens/play clothes etc at yard sales. That way if you break/lose it, it doesn’t matter.
Definately have flashlight for each person.{great for a game of flashlight tag at night too} Free samples are great to take camping. I have a whole dresser full that I collect throughout the year.
The activity the kids really like our “digital camera scavenger hunt”. They each have a cheap digital camera and are told to take a picture of one thing that starts with the letter A, one of a B item etc. When we get home, we compare their photos to see who was the most creative in finding each letter of the alphabet.We get some great vacation pics this way and its a good way to remember our camping time.
Also, since we camp with usually groups of around 10-15 campers, we potluck most meals and always have a wine and cheese party around the campfire for the adults. each person brings a bottle of wine local to their area.
Love the digital camera scavenger hunt.
Take a roll of duct tape. It fixes almost anything! Rafts, rubber boats, sleeping bags, clothes, shoes, tents, other camping equiptment, and on and on. My husband thought I was nuts but it sure came in handy!
Also, we had horrid rain one year and got a leak in our roof of our camper. My husband went up with a big (lawn/leaf size) garbage bag and put it over the leak. Saved our vacation until we got home. We always pack a couple big bags now. Will add duct tape too now.
Trash bags also come in handy for rain ponchos in a pinch.
My fiance and I always rent a campground place with two or three other couples. We literally pay a couple dollars a person by splitting the cost. Each couple brings food for one meal. We really enjoy this because we get to spend time with our friends but we also get alone time. During the day each couple usually does their own thing. We save a lot of money. We usually spend about $30 for food and such. $30 for a weekend in the outdoors is good bargain for me!
Love, love camping, and it’s one of the most economical ways to get away! We camp in tents, and some of our “essentials” for camping are a tarp (we use it under our tent – helps keep moisture from seeping in and extends the life of the tent), an air mattress, camp chairs and a Coleman stove for cooking. The suggestions above about flashlights and flip-flops for the showers are also very good! We always rent a campsite that has water, but we don’t usually need electricity. I also like to pick a site that’s not too far from the bathrooms for those late-night potty runs in PJ’s!
Some of the “fun” stuff I like to take along is fixins for s’mores (gotta have ‘em!
), those little individual packets of individual flavored coffees (the “just add water” kind) and playing cards. Also, when you’re packing clothes, be sure to pack layers. I’ve had it go from cold to hot (and vice-versa) literally overnight and didn’t have the right clothes!
Thanks, ladies, for the tips. We leave on Sunday for a few days of rest and relaxation at a Florida State Park. Close enough that we can enjoy Busch Gardens during the day (we all have passports that include free parking/discounts on food/trinkets…We have had campers in the past but have gone back to Tent camping. We are excited to be able to spend these days with our 5 year old grandson. We cook, in the woods, just as we cook at home…No different for us…May you all take the time to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine in the days ahead
By the way – we are addicted to Geocaching – any fellow cachers here?
What is Geocaching?
Go to geocaching.com. It’s a BLAST! Like a scavenger hunt for the whole family!
camping and ‘caching’ go hand in hand!! We love both!
Love Geocaching!
We letterbox instead….similar to geocaching, but no GPS needed.
We letterbox,too. Old school but, my kids love using a compassand counting off steps. With over 50,000 boxes in the US there is some wherever we travel so we print them just in case.
http://www.letterboxing.org
We letter box too. We use http://www.atlasquest.com
I have a file on my computer for camping lists. One for tent camping and the other for our camper. I keep a pad of paper with me and jot down any new ideas given to us by fellow campers or those “A-ha” moments while sitting by the fire. I have actually added quite a few things to my list reading all these posts (thanks!)
Thanks to thefrugalgirls for this post! I have to say my husband and I have had fun with your discussion here as well! I am a firm believer in camping being “tent camping” and using an rv as “rving”. There is so much fun to be had no matter what you’re doing, getting yourselves and your kids outside and away from technology can be so refreshing and help center yourself and bring your family closer together. Thank-you for such a fun topic! My husband carried this to work at his police department and had a huge debate among the officers. The modern way seems to be the rv way and yet I have to say that a few folks in this discussion brought back such good memories, I’m just as eager to tent camp this year! In case everyone doesn’t know, the NPS does have some free entrance days this year. Last year, with a new baby, we found day trips to work well for us, state parks, national parks, national forests, we love them all. Checkout this link though, http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm!
Camping food faves include Dad’s breakfast burritos, banana boats cooked in foil, & chili verde, cooked & frozen at home to help keep ice chest cold. We also freeze water in clean milk jugs to avoid buying ice for the first couple of days, which also gives us water to drink. For the long drive to the campground I make a list of about 25 things we could possibly see. We use it to play “I Spy”. As the list dwindles, I add new possibilities. The person to find the most items wins. Activities we like include making plaster molds of handprints on the beach or animal tracks in the woods & building models of shelters out of small rocks, sticks and leaves. No glue. The winning shelter is the one that stands the longest.
am I the only one that keeps finding free campsites
they seem to be forestry they are always at the water
they have toilet picnic table and firepit
freeze your juice and milk instead of all that ice
it thaws you drink it
we love taking our small dogs as I’m in a wheelchair and small kids LOVE to walk them LOL
Yes, FREEZE your milk. 1/2 gallons work well. FREEZE lunchmeat, precooked sausage, meatballs. Eat as it thaws.
Bring a small broom for the tent.
Fruit for dessert travels well. Chill watermelon in the river before cutting.
Shhh, Put a bucket in the tent for overnight, in a box to keep it stable.
GLOW STICKS are fun. A book. Sunscreen.
Mirror, tape, tweezers, string, sponge
CAMP STOVE and two propane canisters.
Rum.
Chuckled at rum!
Hint for smores: Buy the Keebler fudge stripe cookies. These work great for smores. You have the cookie and chocolate all in one. Just roast your marshmellow and you’re good to go.
Hint for hot water: Freeze water in coffee cans. This will help keep your cooler cold and then you can put one can on the fire while you’re eating then you have hot water to do your dishes afterwards.
Must have flip flops for shower shoes.
Dryer lint is great fire starter.
Hampers: we pack the collapsable hampers. They don’t take up any room on the way there. They are a great way to keep wet, dirty camping clothes separated from the clean clothes.
Coolers: We pack all of drinks in one cooler and our food in another. This helps to keep from opening up the food cooler each time you need a drink.
Also we have a camping notebook. We write down the campsite we visited, the date, and then each family member writes their favorite part of that trip. I also take notes about what we loved or didn’t love about the campsite for future camping site references.
If you’re looking for gear, hit up flea markets. I’ve been camping by myself for a decade now, and while I have pretty much everything I need (most of it purchased at flea markets and yard sales), I’m beginning to look for things that are just nice to have. The prices can’t be beat.
I always make a list of everything I think I’m going to need and check things off.
Begin looking at your local state parks websites for deals. I know my state is advertising some half-price weekends and some book-one-night-get-the-next-for-half price. With many campgrounds getting ready to open, those deals will be starting soon.
Here is a great read to help with saving money while you camp and still have a great time!http://gocampohio.blogspot.com/
ABOUT HOT WATER
walmart had camping shower about $6
hang it in the sun PRESTO!!!!!!!!
You can also buy a new weed sprayer, put in sun. As for the shower, hang an umbrella upside down from a tree, and hook a shower curtain on all the ends of the umbrella, instant shower or changing room.
Lisa, that is brilliant. I made a shower room from a hula hoop and shower curtain liner, but your idea is even better. Thanks!
What a fun topic to get to comment on! My family, (4 young kids, me, husband and 2 dogs) camp at least once a month through the fall and spring. Summer is out of the question in Texas! We treasure each trip out. Some helpful tips that have made my life easier I’d love to share.
-I have a master packing list on the computer, before each trip I print, use it while packing, and take it along to jot down anything else that will be helpful for next time.
-We have a huge number of people and dogs for one minivan! Packing smartly is a must. I have each kid bring the prescribed amount of clothes/personal necessities, and they go in a collapsible fabric basket in the tent, and if their clothes are not on their person, they need to be in there or in the dirty clothes bag. Really cuts down on clutter in the tent. We also have tubs for kitchen stuff, dry goods, etc.
-Chop, cook, combine whatever you can at home and haul it out there in ziplocs. I love to cook, but when we’re camping, nothing is better than dumping a bunch of ziplocs in the dutch oven and making something delicious!
-I also do the separate coolers for food/drinks thing. Way more convenient.
-Instead of buying ketchup and mustard to keep in our “camping” bins, we save the leftover packets from the drive thru and keep them handy.
-always bring a roll of tp and a roll of paper towels. You never know how well equipped the facilities may be.
-plan your menu in advance but be prepared to adjust. If it pours down rain make sure your meal can be cooked on a coleman stove and not just the campfire.
Plan as much as you can beforehand, and be prepared for it to change! It seems like a lot of work, but it is most definitely worth it! Have fun
I would love to have a few camping lists as we are foster parents so our childrens ages range different all the time but if I had a list I could go by the list and cut out what I didnt need that time!! I could use a few if you have one you dont mind sharing it would be greatly appreciated!!!
gerri_bolen@msn.com Thanks gjys and happy campingg
I e-mailed you my camping lists. I hope you enjoy your adventure!
http://www.epilogsys.com/scoutingweb/Program/CookingOut.htm Great source for outdoor cooking. Thousands more on the Internet. Put dishwashing detergent all over the outside of pots and pans you will be using to cook over a fire. Prevents soot from sticking to the pots and easily washes off. Make a box oven. I’ve even baked cookies in mine. Use tiki torches for lighting. We usually put four or five around the perimeter of our camping site, if there isn’t electricity. Use citronella oil in them to help keep bugs away. Freeze 2 liter bottles with water and salt in them to use in the cooler. Salt helps keep the water frozen longer and your food won’t be soggy from melting ice. We bring the bottles of water and salt back home and stick them in the freezer to use again. Cotton balls and Vaseline make good fire starters. A book light will light up a tent and can be clipped to the roof. Not as bright as lights at home but enough to find your way around in the tent at night. If there isn’t water at your camp site, use a 5 or 10 gallon water cooler that has a spout and a large aluminum pan under it as your sink for hand washing, etc. We fill a water cooler with ice and top off with water. Everyone has their own water bottle and we buy water mix-ins such as kool aid and crystal light. Plenty of cold water and everyone can make their own drinks. Line the inside of your Dutch oven with foil to make clean up easier. Steam vegetables by wrapping them in a foil pouch with a few ice cubes. Place on the fire grate and cook. If there is electricy, I take a 30 cup coffee pot and keep it filled with water. Great for hot cocoa, instant food such as oatmeal and soups and you will always have hot dish water. Have lots more ideas but will stop now.LOL
AWESOME ideas! Thanks!
Our RV is parked at a campground all summer season. At home, I will cook a big pot of rice (Not the quick rice). I fill sandwich sized zip top bags and place them in the freezer. When we want rice for dinner, a couple minutes in the microwave and its ready. I don’t want to spend 20 minutes cooking rice in the RV and using all that propane! I do this at home, too. Works well with ground beef. Cook it all at once and freeze in zip top bags. It’s ready for chili or spaghetti in no time! That way I don’t have hamburger grease to deal with in the RV.
Tacos in a bag are a favorite of our family. Cook the taco meat at home, store in a ziploc. Bring individual bags of Doritos or other nacho cheese chips, crush, open, add meat, cheese, lettuce, etc. Eat right out of the bag, easy clean up!
We also frequently take our turkey deep fat fryer with. We use it to fry fish (small pan). But we also fill it with water to cook sweet corn and spaghetti noodles, it keeps all that steam out of the camper. A new favorite is making individual omelettes. Take a ziploc freezer bag, add a couple of eggs and what ever else you like with them (peppers, ham, cheese, etc). Mush it all together (make sure bag is securely closed) and put into the boiling water for 6-8 min. Make sure and have a set of thongs to remove from the water. Eggs should slide right out of the baggie. Be sure and use a heavy duty freezer bag!
Bocce ball and ladder golf are favorite games.
Glad to see there are others like us who do both types of camping! We enjoy our camper camping, but with high gas prices we will use it closer to home. When prices got high 3 years ago, we decided to head north in a tent. By being well prepared and organized, we traveled from Georgia to Prince Edward Island and everywhere in between staying a total of 3 weeks. It was the best family vacation we have ever had! The key is being organized for camper OR tent camping.
Take advantage of the National Park Service Fee Free Days, the days can be found on nps.gov This week is National Parks week so many outfitters affiliated with national parks are also offering deals which can be found on the website and over 300 parks NEVER charge fees and those can be found on the website as well.
Plus… be sure to check out all of the great tips from your frugal friends on Facebook ~ for more fun camping tips & tricks:
http://www.facebook.com/thefrugalgirls/posts/194199060610935
Our family has gotten brave we are used to long car trips but we never camp we are good at doing cheap and careful spending and being thrifty…we are thinking about planning a trip from MO to WA state…rain is my biggest worry. I have gotten so many tips from here on camping. Thanks all. I have learned for alot of campgrounds online is a good way to see campsites before you go. I have been hunting for good ones. Happy camping all!
I have been going camping since I was little enough to bunk with my 2 sisters and 1 brother on ONE side of a pop up camper! LOL!
Just went camping last year with a group of families and one of the best dinners we had was taco salad! We bought a case of frito and dorito chips (individual bags) a 13×9 pan of already made taco meat (ground meat and taco seasoning) which we warmed up over a bonfire and all topping for a taco (cheese, sour cream, lettuce, taco sauce) Everyone grabs a bag of chips, crushes the chips up, and adds the meat and all topping that they desire. Simply grab a spoon and eat out of the bag! Simply…and delicious!!!!
$1 pool floating mattresses make great a great mattress for sleeping on, and if you camp by a lake you can float on it during the day. Cheaper than buying an inflatable bed, plus it’s easier on the lungs to fill up.
Just told my husband we needed to camp this summer. A good trick is to put your dishsoap on the bottom of your pot or pan BEFORE you put it on the fire, the black wipes right off! Also pie makers are great for making desserts (pie filling, marshmallows, chocolate pieces) or main dishes,like pizza sandwhiches, or taco whatever you can imagine. Also, slip a bar of soap in a knee high nylon, and hang it buy where you wash your hands, kind of a scrubber, and keeps the soap clean and off the ground. Best book is “Roughing it Easy” by Diane Thomas. She has lots of great ideas and recipes. Love, love love this book!!
We buy the gallon jugs of water that already have a spout, then set up on a tree stump. Perfect for a hand and face washing station!
When I was a kid, my mom put our clothes (1 outfit per day) in Gallon size storage bags. It made it easy to take your bag to the communal shower so your clean clothes would not get wet from the shower.
Also my dad used to put a tarp under the tent. It would help protect from ground freezing.
Camping! What a great subject. Camping is my absolute favorite thing to do when it is warm out. The biggest expense for me is usually the campsite, but this cost can be cut by finding a primitive campground or a cheaper campground. There have been so many great ideas laid out already…but i do have to say that i disagree with cooking as much as possible before you leave. I love the experience of cooking while camping. We have our favorites that we like to make and the majority can all be made over the campfire.
Breakfast burritos- scramble your eggs up in an old pot/pan over the fire…do the same with sausage, peppers, etc. Tortillas can be heated using a marshmallow fork. Grab the cheese, salsa, and sour cream from the cooler and chow down.
Instead of traditional smores i suggest using chocolate chip cookies with a toasted marshmallow sandwhiched in the middle.
Don’t think of what you would usually make at home. Find special things that you can make just over a fire. This is something that has really made camping special to me since I was a child. No matter what happens during the trip you always have that favorite camping food to look forward to.
Condiment packets from fast food restaurants work great for camping if it is just a couple people going.
Remember you don’t need to bring EVERYTHING with you. Camping should be simpler than your home life and it should be fun/relaxing or whatever you are looking for in a camping experience. Camping is what you make of it.
Dont forget a can opener if you are taking canned goods…and dont leave the bread in the car (it will mold!)
We use solar garden lights for lighting in the evening. Then take one inside the tent or rv to use as a nightlight or bathroom light. Saves batteries and electricity.
I have one of those large 5 gallon drinking jugs that we bring. we fill it with a bag of ice and add jugs of water. each kid has a cup with their name on it. they can help themselves to drinks at any time. this saves on cooler space (no need for bottled water, or juice boxes) and helps elimiate waste of un-finished drinks.
we bring a bag of matchbox cars, bubbles and squirt guns. all stuff that takes little space but can entertain if needed. we have also brought coloring/drawing stuff for rainy days, as well as card games. Bug boxes are fun for the kids.
My son has asthma so I always bring his nebulizer and other medicines along regardless is he is taking it at that time. I also check ahead to where the closet hospital is just in case we need it. I also bring a first aid kit that contains Benadryl, Ibuprofen etc. One of my kids had an allergic reaction to something and the Benadryl came in handy. Tweezers in case you need to remove a tick.
a tablecoth and those clips to hold it down are helpful , especially if the picnic tables are dirty.
Did you know that ticks can be removed with dish soap or shower gel? My family and I camp and geocache a lot and deal with a lot of ticks here in NC. Pour enough dish soap over the tick to cover it, which in turn suffocates it and will cause it to back out of your skin making it easy to remove. We even coax it out a little quicker with the tweezers. This has worked well for our family on many occasions and you don’t have to worry about getting an infection from a tick head stuck in your skin!