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How to Feed an Army Without Spending Like the Pentagon.Feb 08 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line A little planning can allow your family to eat better for less money.
I have a large family, which consists of many active, busy children. Okay, there are only five, but there are some days that it seems like more. They are the kind of kids that make having rules about television and video games pointless, simply because they don't like to sit still long enough to overuse them. Their energy levels require a lot of fuel to keep them going and if I'm not careful, feeding my family can be my largest expense (including food prepared at home and ordered from the outside), exceeding even the mortgage. I have tinkered with my approach, and have finally settled on a way to feed my family on 50% to 60% of what I spend when I drift by on the grab and run approach at shopping for groceries. The first step is to decide what you think is a reasonable amount to spend on groceries. It will vary according to the size and lifestyle of your family, but you must have an initial goal with which to begin working with. You can adjust it up or down once you get an general idea of the least amount necessary to feed your family in a way that is comfortable for all. After you decide how much you are going to spend, get that amount in cash and put it in an envelope, it is easier to discipline yourself if you have a very tangible method of keeping track. I pull my grocery money out of the bank twice a month, right before I do my two big shopping trips. In my limited universe I actually found it a fun challenge to make the amount of cash in hand stretch as far as possible, and after a while it became routine. The next thing you need to do is plan. Get the flier from your favorite grocery store, your family calendar and plan meals for your designated time frame, in my case about 15 days. You need to take into consideration what is on sale and what activities your family has planned. There are going to be days you have more time to prepare a meal, days you have practically no time and days 4 family members need to be in 5 different places and you will want something that can be easily reheated. I have found I can cut back on trips to the drive thru and calls to the pizza man simply by thinking ahead. Planning also helps by enabling us to eat healthy foods on a regular basis, simply because I am making sure they are there in a form I have time to prepare. Buy items at the lowest price. Many people advocate using a price book, but I find it to be more paperwork than I am wanting to deal with. Once I began to pay attention, I noticed there were items I purchased on a very routine basis and I simply began to make a mental note of what they cost and would buy in bulk when they were at their lowest. Judicious use of coupons is also helpful, you can often get items for pennies by combining a doubled coupon and a sale. Use them carefully, and focus spending the least on the items you need, not saving the most. It is easy to get carried away and "save" a dollar with a coupon by buying something you really don't want, and your family doesn't particularly care to eat. Buy produce in season. When a fruit or vegetable is on sale, it is usually a good indicator that it is in season (somewhere in the world) and plentiful, it will also be of better quality. Ever notice how a $3.00 cantaloupe tastes like Styrofoam, but the $1.00 one is wonderful? The same principle applies to other produce. Take advantage of the seasons and enjoy fruit to it's fullest, it is a wonderful way to inexpensively round out a meal. My kids will eat more fruit if I try and spice it up a little. It doesn't take a lot of work. In the fall, buy three colors of apples and arrange them in the same bowl. In the summer make a simple fruit salad out of cubed canteloupe and black grapes. A young child can amuse themselves while you prepare dinner by making fruit kabobs for dessert. To fend off my hungry hoard in a pinch, I feed my kids "appetizers" while they wait, simply a can of cubed pineapple and a can of mandarin oranges dumped in a pretty bowl that they eat with toothpicks. You haven't eaten citrus, until you have tasted one of those small Clementine Tangerines that can be found on sale in the early winter at $3.99 for a small crate. A word about warehouse clubs. I will admit I love Sam's. I spent about two thirds of my grocery budget at the traditional grocery, then on the off weeks I take a trip to Sam's and use the rest on bulk items that are truly deals. For example I recently purchased a 58oz container of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish for $5.99. When you consider the fact that a great price for a 6oz bag of "fishes" is about $1.00 this was a very good deal. Just use the concept of buying each item at the lowest per unit price and do a little math and you can make the warehouse club an excellent tool in your savings plan. On a side note, you can also use it as a resource for inexpensive, easy to prepare meals. My Sam's sells large 16 inch take and bake pizzas for $6.99, that with a salad is a perfect on the run meal for my family, and much cheaper than ordering take out. They also have nice, plump, rotisserie chickens for $4.99, that with some microwaved baked potatoes and an easy to prepare side of vegetables (even baby carrots) is cheap and quick. These are just a few tips that have worked for my family. You can adjust and arrange them to suit your own circumstances. Don't be afraid that it will take too much work, after a while new habits develop and these tactics will save you money AND time in the long run.  |
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