I would avoid TS altogether. QS, order from kid’s menu if possible. Definitely have breakfast/snacks in the room. Bring a water bottle into the parks to avoid buying drinks. Other than kid’s meals, drinks aren’t included so default to water when you can.
When we were really tight, we would actually bring lunch into the parks with us as well, and only pay for one meal a day (again…no TS).
I’ll agree with that! I also take along some Mio or other liquid drink additive - that also has caffeine! I have a bad habit at home of drinking caffeinated diet soda throughout the day, so this method lets me have my caffeine without paying for expensive bottles of soda!
FYI - although I’m not so much concerned with eating on the cheap as I was interested to know about how much I should budget for my trip next week, I went through almost this same exercise, working through menus to identify what I’m likely to order in each location.
I came up right around $425, including alcohol enjoyed at mealtimes (there will be other alcohol), for a full 7 day trip. I didn’t think that was too bad at all
I have mostly QS with a couple of TS (breakfast) mixed in. I also plan a couple of lounge-for-dinner (apps) experiences
Same. There are great options.
Why not buy drinks ingredients and make your own?
One alternative is have a late ts lunch, carry leftovers to your lodging for late supper/snacking
Luckily my sister is with me on biggish breakfasts (not necessarily buffets 
), and very light suppers.
I thought the kid’s portion of bangers and mash at Rose and Crown was the perfect size and so good. DH got the kids size fish and chips.
At Coral Reef he got the chowder and I got my fav caesar salad. At A&C we both got the chowder which was plenty and so yummy 
.
Our trip was 3 years ago but our two meals together rarely totaled $30, even with tip. I can’t do alcohol any more and he didn’t seem to remember beer existed. Money saved 
It’s not healthy but I think the best deal on property is a family meal from Trail’s End at FW. $28 gets you 8 pieces of fried chicken, cornbread and 2 pints of sides.
Did you check out any of the restaurants offering the 40 percent off for summer pass holders?
I don’t have anything new to add but vote for sharing, kids meals and apps as entrees. I would rather have a really good app and delicious drink at a TS with AC than any QS meal though
Another good option is Columbia Harbor House - I think it’s a great in park QS. The trio platter is huge and can easily be split and is just $14.
For your Epcot day. we always try to grab one meal at Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie. The seating is very limited, but the food is
This is a great deal! I have been meaning to try Pecos Bills. This is definitely on the list now.
This is definitely an option for my sisters. I am the cocktail. In the heat we probably won’t drink that much either.
I’ll probably have some kind of alcohol delivered to our room. Plus snacks and grab and go breakfast.
Kids fish and chips puts Rose and Crown back on the list!
Who needs healthy 
I forget about this deal. Definitely the best the deal on property!
I thought I knew these, but I missed a few. I’m bummed we are missing Tuskwr House. 40% off makes that an affordable character meet. Whispering Canyon and Ale and Compass were already on my list as possibilities, but add 40% off and those are amazing deals.
Me too. That is why I am considering some TS!
This is one of my favorites.
I’m sad we won’t be rope dropping EPCOT or I would 100% rope drop La Halles. So yummy.
I don’t think they allow this, do they? If you mean from something like Instacart, I believe you have to be there when the delivery is made to confirm you are of age.
Garde Grocer delivers alcohol because they pre-verify you. You can also meet the delivery person.
This is a good idea. When I travel and am not on the same caffeine schedule, I bring my excedrine tension - it is Tylenol with caffeine and has saved me from many caffeine headaches!
I’m not great at drinking a lot of plain water, or adding lemon juice to flavor it (DH does that), so Mio lets me have something with flavor I like (strawberry-kiwi). I will gladly drink that throughout the day. It got me through WDW last Dec and DLR a few weeks ago, with very rarely buying a soft drink.
Another plug for kids’ meal.
The grilled cheese sandwich, 2 Cuties and the OJ were the kids’ meal at Woody. It was about $1 more than buying just the OJ!
And the GIANT slice of cheese pizza with 2 Cuties and milk were on the kids’ meal at Connection Cafe.
And they were yummy, though I wished the pizza crust was a bit more crispy!
If you really want to save money above all else, I think QS is the way to go. Remember that TS has a 20% premium for tips, although that can be somewhat offset by passholder discounts.
That said, if you’re trying to plus the quality for minimum cost, appetizers as entrees and sharing is a good way to get there. A full pizza is usually a good value even at TS. Places like Polite Pig where the portion sizes or filling nature of the food can also stretch a budget.
I don’t think I can add to any of the GREAT suggestions here all of which we use ourselves. The US is really good about allowing/helping customers split checks & share plates, not in the EU. While traveling w/ friends we started using an app “Splitwise” it was really helpful, did all the math and became a game that our party could watch to see who needed to pay next (@JustKeepSmiling this might help you w/ all the bookkeeping). The app does all the work for you. The only other part that I will share is that, since we hardly ever drink, we don’t care to “split” a bill equally, it is unfair to us. We could offset it by ordering more food but then it becomes overeating to compensate. The app really helped us settle this difference in ordering preference.
Did you know a bottle of wine from France fits perfectly into a swell insulated bottle? Heck-save more and bring it in. Please, don’t roast me for this…
And the kids bao buns at connections are my fave!
No judgements! I have friends who sneak in all kinds of things. I’ve never had the bao buns!
