By Jay Lloyd

CAPE MAY, N.J. (CBS) –  Want to cut the cost of your vacation or other getaway in half?

It’s not hard, and you need look no further than what you’re eating.

The biggest getaway budget buster can be the meals.  And if you’ve got a brood, eating in restaurants can be an even bigger burden.

Don’t get me wrong, I love restaurants: the Manhattans, the service, the food, the wine!    But the bill? Not so much.

Still, whether we’re going on a ski jaunt, a beach trip, or boating, our friends and family have often opted to rent a condo with cooking facilities.  Or we use the boat galley to whip up great meals at relatively little cost.

The wine and cocktails, especially, are a fraction of the restaurant price.

But sometimes there’s a glitch.  I still remember three couples in a Cape May condo buying six lobsters to boil in the kitchenette. A real treat!  Then we discovered there wasn’t a pot in the place big enough to hold a lobster.

(Jay’s one-pot chicken with vegetables, prepared in a slow-cooking clay pot. Credit: Jay Lloyd)

—–

A couple of suggestions…

Keep it simple.  Do one-pot meals.  I prefer a clay pot that doesn’t require constant tending. Make up some meals at home -– meatballs and sauce or stews, for example — and just warm them later.

Or, find those lobsters — but bring your own pot!

—–

“Jay Lloyd’s Getaway” Main Page