I sneaked in (fill in the blank) in order to save money?

[QuarterMillionMan]

-burrito supreme to an Angels game (also park on the perimeter and ride bike inside to avoid the $20 parking fee)
-.99 cents spray bottles to Disneyland for niece & nephew ($12.99 inside Disneyland but fancy spray bottles with fan) on a 105 degree summer day
-beef jerky into the theater
-sandwich into the casinos

[disneysteve]

We always bring our own snacks to movies and shows. I’m not paying $6 or $7 for a box of candy that’s $1 at Target. We will buy a drink and popcorn though.

[QuarterMillionMan]

For plane rides I bring sandwiches, carrot stcks, sliced apples, oranges, etc (though not necessarily sneaked-in). I also freeze bottles of water for the plane ride. I refuse to pay the high mark ups at the airports or on the plane. Or if I'm away from home let's say in Las Vegas and cannot make a homemade sandwich I'll buy a footlong at Subway before going to the airport or burritos or stop at Von's (Safeway) and get a prepared salad or sandwiches, etc.

[disneysteve]

For plane rides I bring sandwiches, carrot stcks, sliced apples, oranges, etc (though not necessarily sneaked-in). I also freeze bottles of water for the plane ride. I refuse to pay the high mark ups at the airports or on the plane. Or if I'm away from home let's say in Las Vegas and cannot make a homemade sandwich I'll buy a footlong at Subway before going to the airport or burritos or stop at Von's (Safeway) and get a prepared salad or sandwiches, etc.

You’d never get past security here with that stuff. They must be much more lax where you are.

[Fishindude77]

We used to sneak in to the drive in movie theatre when we were kids, one driver and a few in the trunk

[QuarterMillionMan]

You’d never get past security here with that stuff. They must be much more lax where you are.

Huh, wait, what (lol)? I fell asleep after my last post last night and just woke up now and saw this and I thought what is disneysteve talking about? Let's scrutinize the details here. The main one that jumps out at me is "I also freeze bottles of water for the plane ride." Sometimes the TSA x-ray screener will pull my backpack aside for secondary screening but when they physically inspect the frozen bottles of water with a little melted water inside they always put it back in my backpack and send me on my merry way. The only other thing that I can think of are the fresh fruits & veggies which the USDA Agriculture inspectors won't pass. Only when flying into and out of Hawaii where they are strict about no fresh fruits & veggies. LAX to LAS, LAX to Reno, LAX to SFO, LAS to Arizona, never have I been stopped with fresh fruits & veggies. Those are the only 2 things that I can think of not being allowed inter-state. Technically, the footlong Subway which has fresh veggies might not allowed, or even a burrito which has fresh onions, lettuce, tomatoes, etc, might not be allowed as well. Are these things what you were referring to?

[disneysteve]

Huh, wait, what (lol)? I fell asleep after my last post last night and just woke up now and saw this and I thought what is disneysteve talking about? Let's scrutinize the details here. The main one that jumps out at me is "I also freeze bottles of water for the plane ride." Sometimes the TSA x-ray screener will pull my backpack aside for secondary screening but when they physically inspect the frozen bottles of water with a little melted water inside they always put it back in my backpack and send me on my merry way. The only other thing that I can think of are the fresh fruits & veggies which the USDA Agriculture inspectors won't pass. Only when flying into and out of Hawaii where they are strict about no fresh fruits & veggies. LAX to LAS, LAX to Reno, LAX to SFO, LAS to Arizona, never have I been stopped with fresh fruits & veggies. Those are the only 2 things that I can think of not being allowed inter-state. Technically, the footlong Subway which has fresh veggies might not allowed, or even a burrito which has fresh onions, lettuce, tomatoes, etc, might not be allowed as well. Are these things what you were referring to?

I thought generally speaking (it always depends on the mood of the agent you happen to get) you can bring sealed food items but not open ones. So a sealed bag of chips is fine but a hand wrapped sandwich is not. Maybe I'm wrong about that.

Liquids over 3 oz definitely get flagged and tossed so a full water bottle, frozen or not, would never get through around here.

[kork13]

Actually, TSA standards allow fully frozen bottles of water no problems. But if there's any melted water, no-go. DW fills her Hydroflask with ice before almost every flight. As long as it remains frozen until she's through TSA, zero issues. X-ray can distinguish between ice & liquid water.

I've never seen or heard of any restrictions on non-sealed foods. I (and especially my wife) have brought all kinds of snacks, sandwiches, & full meals onto flights across the country. Seattle, Boise, Vegas, SLC, Denver, Houston, OKC, MSP, Chicago, Atlanta, Philly, JFK, .... On and on. We've traveled alot, and rarely have had any complications.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I didn't know about sealed vs unsealed packages but good to know. As for the frozen water bottles I guess that I've been lucky and never had to toss any. The melted water must have always been under the 3 oz limit. Also, what I do is before placing my backpack on the conveyor belt to go into the x-ray scanner is I will drink the melted water. All that remains is frozen ice which always passes and never had to throw it away.

In Hawaii before departure and upon arriving at HNL to check in your baggage you have to get screened first by the USDA, then check in your baggage with your airlines. USDA is also at your gate and before boarding USDA screens your backpack or carryons before boarding your flight. If you have fresh fruits & veggies you will have to surrender it to USDA. Also, on your flight before arriving to HNL the flight attendants will pass out USDA forms to fill out just before its initial descent in order to declare if you have fresh fruit & veggies & insects, etc. Hawaii is the only place that I know of that does this.

[ua_guy]

I actually cannot remember the last movie we went to see in a theater. Decided to save money on the tickets and everything else, I guess. Mom used to stuff her purse with candy from the store and a soda can or two for us kids when we'd go as a family. I know why she did it but as an adult I'm just not sure I really agree with it. It's the whole, "we're good people, so it's OK that we ignore the rules in this instance" mentality. As an adult, I've mostly just gone without snacks at the movies, and if I really want something, I'll just buy it there on the rare occasion I ever go to see a movie anymore.

But it stands I'd just rather go without or limit what I purchase at a concession stand than try to be the proverbial cheapskate and sneak something in.

[QuarterMillionMan]

BTW, that's a good thing that Hawaii is strict with USDA issues to keep out vermin and diseases and also keep it in-house and not spread it around. More states should do this. Also, when travelling on roads at the California-Nevada border there is a USDA check point where all vehicles need to pass through.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Ua-guy just made me think of buffets. Who here has stuffed away food items after done eating at the buffet to "steal" and take it out? I don't but I know people who do. Come on don't lie, lol.

[disneysteve]

Ua-guy just made me think of buffets. Who here has stuffed away food items after done eating at the buffet to "steal" and take it out? I don't but I know people who do. Come on don't lie, lol.

Many years ago my family used to vacation every year at a resort in PA. Breakfast and dinner were included but not lunch. So before leaving breakfast the women would all stuff their bags with bagels, fruit, and whatever else they could use for lunch later.

[QuarterMillionMan]

In Hawaii in 1988, I worked as a manager at Perry Boy's Smorgy (went out of business later) in Waikiki. I would give warnings to people stealing and I was lenient sometimes giving multiple warnings but habitual offenders I had to ban. A Samoan family would steal bags of fried chicken and after the 4th or 5th time I told them they could no longer patronize the restaurant. I never saw them again.

[disneysteve]

Actually, TSA standards allow fully frozen bottles of water no problems.

That makes no sense. Why is a frozen bottle okay but not a liquid bottle? Maybe the dangerous chemicals they're concerned about don't freeze. I'll have to try that next time we fly.

As for food, I guess I'm wrong about that. We don't fly much so maybe the rules have changed since post-9/11 when they were super strict about everything.

We recently went to Mexico and found it pretty funny how minimal security was at the airport compared to the US. No taking off shoes or belts or anything like that. No removing items from your bag. Just put stuff on the belt and walk through the scanner.