Posted by Nancy on March 13, 19100 at 09:29:41:
In R.cgiy to: budget minded posted by Phyl on March 13, 19100 at 00:09:49:
St. John has several good grocery markets and the Starfish Market is in the process of moving to a new larger location, which is sure to help. The Tropicale Market, located on the Southshore Road right before the Westin is also a favorite market with great daily gourmet takeout, which is a less-expensive option to a restaurant meal.
We vacation in a villa and bring a soft-side ice chest filled with frozen steaks, shrimp, hamburger patties, chicken breasts, for grilling. We also bring frozen prepared meals such as meat balls and sauce, lasagna, cornish hens, etc. We eat like kings!
With each visit to St. John the meat selection gets better and better, but we continue to bring our frozen meats because it allows us to do our thinking and.cgianning in advance. When we arrive at our villa we fill up the freezer and then switch to "island" mode. Our only decision becomes what to eat when.
Another reason that we continue to bring our frozen meats is because this tends to be the most costly item in the local markets and we can buy better quality at home for much less cost.
The other general grocery prices are probably equivalent to state-side convenience markets, which is not too bad. However, liquor is cheaper and the coco lopez is $2 a can, which is as cheap as it is my local grocery store. Buying groceries and eating in is an easy and effective way to control costs.
If you decide to go this route, I would suggest bringing spices and other small items from your home pantry. This will save, by not having to buy $3-$5 bottles of spices when you need just a little. You can leave your left-overs for the next guest.
With regards to inexpensive restaurants, there are many, and if you eat out, you could eat your lunch out, which is usually much cheaper.
I would check to see if the condo has a gas grill that you could use, which would make grilling steaks, hamburgers, etc. a breeze.
Hope this helps.