DAYS UNTIL TRIP: 8
It’s hard to believe I’m only a week away from leaving. There’s not a whole lot left to do. I have to buy a large supply of snacks and bottled water. Get everything packed up inside the van. Spend time with a few friends before I leave town. And that’s pretty much it.
Water is the only thing I’m going to drink on this trip. Spending $1.49 to buy a drink doesn’t make sense when your food budget is $7/a day. Plus, I’d prefer to drink water anyway. I’ll buy a few gallons of water to keep on hand, and also have a few water bottles that I can fill up with cold water wherever I get the opportunity.
As for snacks, I’m looking for stuff that is cheap, full of calories (so I get my money’s worth), doesn’t require refrigeration, and isn’t totally unhealthy. Right now some options I’m thinking about are wheat thins, nuts, cereal bars, pudding, some candy like tootsie rolls, peanut butter. Bananas and apples will be a big part of my diet but obviously I can’t stock up on those in advance. I’m going to make great use of any farmers markets I encounter on the road. Maybe I’ll even move beyond my comfort zone and try some new fruits that I’ve never tried before, the weird ones that I point at and laugh when I see them in the grocery store.
9000 Miles 
Star Fruit. That is all.
Good call. I’ve never had it. But I hear it’s a “superfruit.”