The Best Dollar Tree Hacks For Eating On The Road

Road trips and hotel stays can be exciting, but when it comes to eating well on the go, things get tricky fast. Gas station snacks, fast food stops, and inconsistent access to kitchens can make it hard to stay full, energized, and on budget. But there's one unexpected secret weapon that travelers can turn to: Dollar Tree. This unassuming store is an underrated goldmine for eating well on the road. One Mashed writer even tried eating only from Dollar Tree for three days.

You can pick up ingredients for simple meals, build custom snack boxes, or stock up on microwave-friendly foods. If you're staying somewhere with a kitchen, such as one of Choice Hotels' extended stay suites, you could even assemble a full holiday dinner. And because everything is inexpensive and easy to pack, these hacks work for anyone trying to keep food costs down while traveling.

Utilizing Dollar Tree's offerings to the fullest isn't always as easy as it seems. Thankfully, we've spoken to Rebecca Chobat of TikTok's DollarTreeDinners to get some inside knowledge on how you can put together snacks, meals, and holiday dinners on the cheap. So before you pack your bags, take a moment to uncover the best Dollar Tree hacks for eating on the road.

When you're on the road, eating healthy is one of the most important ways to stay energized and avoid getting sick. And this all starts with the snacks you choose. While many people think Dollar Tree is only for salty and sugary treats (which it does carry its fair share of), it stocks a surprising amount of healthy options, too.

Chobat recommends going for things like mixed nuts, trail mixes, Dollar Tree jerky, corn nuts, and popcorn. And when you're grabbing snacks, don't just plan for the long drive or flight. As she explains, "There's really nothing worse than sitting in a hotel room after a long day and realizing you have nothing to eat and you've got to spend money on takeout or DoorDash. But having these little snacks and convenience items can save you so much money."

Snacks that are high in protein or soluble fiber,  like nuts and popcorn, also have the added benefit of keeping you fuller longer. If you want to make something special for the road, peanut butter oat balls would also be a great option. You just need to combine oats, peanut butter, and a little syrup with your mix-ins of choice, and you have an easy, filling, and healthy snack for the road.

It's hard enough to stay organized in a cramped car or plane. The last thing you need to worry about is passing different bags of snacks between your family. One of the easiest ways to curb hunger on the road is to build your own snack boxes before you leave.

According to Chobat, Dollar Tree is a great option for this because they sell smaller, more affordable packages. She continues to say that choosing a variety of grocery store snacks could mean you spend "40 to 50 bucks before you've even started filling up the container. But if you were to use that same mindset and go to Dollar Tree, it would be $10 to $12 because of the $1.25 per item. So [...] you could just really pick an assortment."

To make your snack boxes, start by finding the right container. Dollar Tree carries a wide range of plastic food containers, including sectioned meal containers to keep your snacks from mixing together. Then, move on to your snacks. 

Thankfully, shopping at Dollar Tree doesn't mean you need to forgo name-brand goodies. Chobat notes that Dollar Tree carries smaller packages of some name-brand snacks, which are perfect for traveling. But her personal favorite? "Their little dupes of like, Girl Scout cookies," she says. "They have all of the different types of Girl Scout cookies, and from what I've heard, it's the same manufacturer." By taking advantage of Dollar Tree's small, affordable snacks, you can get a wide array of options, so you're ready no matter what craving hits.

While many people think Dollar Tree's food section is limited to snacks, it carries a surprising variety. If you're staying somewhere with a kitchen, you can shop for full meals using only Dollar Tree items, including a variety of canned goods and spices. Keeping all the food organized among the chaos of a packed car or hotel room may seem overwhelming, but Chobat has created a simple solution: meals in a bag.

The idea is to gather all the ingredients you'd need for a full meal and organize them in a gallon freezer bag. "A lot of [my meals in a bag] are one-pot, stovetop only," she says. "They don't require any chopping or prepping, so you don't need a big counter space. It's mostly just dump, heat, and eat."

They're typically made with things like canned beans and vegetables, bouillon cubes, boxes of rice, canned chicken or tuna, and cans of soup. While this may not seem like much, the end products are surprisingly flavorful and comforting. "Personally, my favorite is anything in like, the Tex-Mex realm, so I really like my cheesy chicken and rice soup," she says. Other meals in a bag she's created include white chicken chili, chicken and dumplings, ham chowder, and even a full Thanksgiving dinner. They only require a small amount of prepping ahead of time, but they become a convenient way to get a full home-cooked meal in a small hotel room.

It can be tempting to skimp on your vacation grocery haul. But it'll be difficult to make full meals if you don't have your basic pantry staples. Chobat notes that "traveling and eating on a budget are challenging because if you are just staying in a regular hotel room, then you are relying on takeout and DoorDash a lot, which is why I am partnering with Choice Hotels extended stay. Their hotels have kitchens, and that's one of my favorite hacks while traveling [...] because then I can go to a store, like Dollar Tree, and pick up regular, everyday ingredients and cook them in my kitchen to save me like 70% on my food while I'm traveling."

The good news is that you don't have to spend a ton on large packages that you'll inevitably toss most of. For Chobat, the appeal of shopping at Dollar Tree before a trip is clear: "You can get a small bottle of vegetable oil, you can get milk and butter, and you don't have to buy the full-size packages, which is important when you're traveling, because you don't have a way to bring those ingredients home with you when you leave." The Dollar Store carries most of the essentials you'll need while cooking, from spices and sugar to flour and cooking oil, making it easier to whip up three simple meals a day.

While grabbing a spice container or two to use as pantry staples is a good idea, you probably won't want to recreate your whole spice rack for your trip. Thankfully, that doesn't mean you need to settle for bland meals. "It does take a bit of a mindset switch [...] if you're used to shopping for specific types of ingredients when you're at home," Chobat says. "But again, you're in a hotel, you don't have a spice cabinet, you don't have a pantry. Everything needs to kind of be [a] one-stop shop. So I tend to rely on flavored bases; things like scalloped potatoes, flavored rice sides, flavored pasta sides, and using those as the base for the meal, then adding in a simple protein or a vegetable into those to make a complete dinner rather than having to shop for all of these ingredients that you can't take home with you at the end of the day."

The beauty of these pre-flavored options is that they save you both time and money. You won't have to worry about chopping and sautéing aromatics or stocking your room with different spices. Most of these pre-seasoned foods cook in just a few minutes, so you can enjoy flavorful dishes that will make you feel right at home while you're on the road.

When you're traveling and living out of hotel rooms, your "kitchen" may consist of a microwave, mini-fridge, and coffee maker. But that doesn't mean you can't make your own meals with some simple Dollar Tree foods. Chobat suggests getting things like frozen breakfast sandwiches along with snacks and drinks. "These are quick things that you can make in a microwave," she says, "and they will still save you money on takeout, even if they're more expensive than their homemade counterparts."

If your room doesn't have a freezer (or if it doesn't have a big one), you can also find things like canned ravioli, ramen bowls, canned soup, quinoa pouches, and rice cups that are all microwavable. You can even cook small meals in a coffee pot, from simple pasta or ramen to complex dishes, like salmon and steamed vegetables.

Some hotels take things a step further. For example, Choice Hotels' MainStay Suites and Everhome Suites have a toaster, blender, slow cooker, Instant Pot, and air fryer that can be checked out at the front desk, while WoodSpring Suites has dishes and cookware for sale. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Not only can you elevate things like frozen dumplings and chicken tenders from the Dollar Tree by popping them in an air fryer, but you can also enjoy home-cooked meals, like Swedish meatballs, using Dollar Tree ingredients.

Being away from home during the holidays can make traditional meals feel out of reach, but you don't have to settle for takeout or instant ramen. While you may not be able to grab a whole turkey or ham at Dollar Tree, there are plenty of classic holiday foods to choose from. The key is to think outside the box and to stay in a hotel room with a kitchen to make preparation easier.

Dollar Tree carries almost all of the classic Thanksgiving and Christmas sides you can think of: boxed stuffing, instant mashed potatoes, gravy mix, cranberry sauce, biscuit mix, canned vegetables, and boxed macaroni and cheese. For mains, you could go with a frozen meal, like chicken pot pie. If you want to bring in more classic favors, Chobat has taken different spins on Thanksgiving meals, including a Thanksgiving dinner in a bag, a Best of Thanksgiving casserole, and warm Thanksgiving turkey rollups.

"Recently, I did a Thanksgiving dinner in a [Choice Hotels extended stay] hotel, which was again MainStay Suites, and it's stovetop only," she explains. "I took deli turkey and wrapped it around stuffing and simmered it in turkey gravy on the stove top, and used [sic] things like instant mashed potatoes, which don't require a lot of prep or cooking, and microwave vegetables. I even made a no-bake banana cream pie. So, I was able to make a full Thanksgiving spread with a fridge and a single burner on the stove top."

It's no secret that a lot of hotel rooms feel stuffy or sterile. And those feelings can intensify when you're traveling over the holidays and are missing all the traditions and decorations that make your home feel extra cozy during this time of year. The good news is that there are some simple purchases you can make at the Dollar Tree that will take your hotel room from simple to seasonal.

It all starts with the kitchenware. Dollar Tree has a wide assortment of plates, cups, and cutlery available, including festive Christmas options. Chobat points out that this small purchase can make a big difference. "When I have even made microwave dinners, I will plate them. Rather than eating them out of the plastic container, I will cook them in the microwave and then transfer them to a plate, because then it feels more like a meal than just a microwave dinner."

And you don't need to stop at your dishes. "Grab some festive paper plates, grab a festive tablecloth, or some napkins, maybe even, like some little candles or something like that, and just kind of set the ambiance," Chobat says. "And again, you could probably do this for less than $10 and just really enhance your experience while traveling, and really make that hotel stay feel like home."

Eating on the road also means cleaning on the road. And whether your room has a kitchen or you're working with just the bathroom sink, keeping your dishes clean can be more cumbersome than anticipated. If you're planning on doing any cooking on your trip, you should also browse the cleaning aisle at Dollar Tree and pick up some essentials.

Start with the basics, like a sponge, a small bottle of dish soap, and a couple of dish towels. If your room has a little extra counter space, Dollar Tree even sells small dish drying racks. And if your room doesn't include a kitchen with a sink and you don't want to do dishes in your bathroom sink, you can also get a plastic serving bowl that can act as a cleaning basin.

When not in use, you can store everything in your makeshift cleaning basin and tuck it away under the sink or in the closet. This will keep your room uncluttered and your dishwashing setup ready to go whenever you need it. With just these few items, you'll be able to take advantage of the above tips and enjoy some home-cooked meals on the road.