Family Frugality Training

[Darster]

Yesterday my husband went grocery shopping with me....yes, taking ANY family member with you to the grocery store is a budgeting disaster - doesn't matter if it's kids or husband lol.

He picks up a TINY individually packaged container of cut up watermelon....no more than a pint. It's $1.80. I say, 'Um, think about this...that's nearly 2 dollars, and will only serve YOU. We can get this HUGE watermelon for only about a dollar more, and I can cut it up and put it in tupperware and the WHOLE FAMILY can have some." He looked sheepish and put it back and we got the whole watermelon.

It's almost going into battle with the grocery store these days, they are always tempting us with convenience for a PRICE.
How hard is it to cut up a watermelon ?!?
I tried to say it nicely, but then I think was it worth it that he felt bad but we saved a bit of money?

My credo: go alone next time!

[AndersonGal]

Don't go alone next time. You have the perfect opportunity to start converting your family at the grocery store. I use to dread taking my dh or dd but now they are a true asset.

Some tips: (just in case someone can use them)

*Put them in charge of the coupons.
Let them get use to the fact you are trying to *save* not just spend $.

*Let them push the cart.
Keeps their hands busy and they feel important.

*Always let them know the amount your grocery trip is budgeted for.
Will keep them from pointing at too many expensive, unnecessary items.

*Always praise them for spotting any bargain & encourage such.
They can spot the hidden marked down goodies sometimes while your busy squeezing the fruit.


*Have them do the math.
They will get use to comparing price per unit instead of grabbing what they are use to.


That should get you started.

[tkkmasky]

*Let them push the cart.
Keeps their hands busy and they feel important.

LOL.....this does make my dh feel important! He insists on always pushing the cart for some reason!

BTW....dh used to be pretty bad but he has gotten so much better at finding deals, price comparisons, etc. that I (gasp!) sometimes let him go alone!

Warning......don't try this at home until you are sure he is ready!

[Ttulipss]

I have to leave dh at home otherwise he is filling the cart and all I'm doing is chasing after him trying to figure out what he just put in the cart and if we have a coupon for it, then switching brands if I have a coupon for a different brand. To make it even more fun, in between this, we're chasing after the girls, trying to put back products they pulled off the shelves, and then bickering about who is watching which kid!

No thanks! I will do my frugal shopping, comparing prices, and checking for coupons at 8 or 9 on a weeknight while he is at home giving the kids a bath and getting them ready for bed - not to mention waiting for me so he can help unload!

I like to go on Monday or Tuesday night as in addition to the weekly ad, my grocery store has a 72 hour sale that runs every Sunday-Tuesday and has some additional store coupons that I can use in conjunction with manufacturers' coupons! With coupons the minimum I save on BIG shopping days is 40%, the max has been about 55%, but I'm working on improving that.....meats and produce make that a little difficult, though.

[Darster]

LOL! These posts made me laugh out loud! So true, I DO want to teach the kids, but i'll be a smaller planned excursion, not the major shop I think.

My major hurdle is trying to teach the family that it's not the price of the item so much as getting the most food I can for the dollar!

I quit my day job to be a WAHM - be here for my kids when they get off the bus and take care of the housework/cooking and develop my portrait art business and it's prime time to learn to live more simply.

I am working toward doing the cooking of 2 weeks worth of meals in one day...would only have to pull stuff out of freezer and re-heat. Cooking this way is more time effective and allows me to buy up stuff when it's on sale and actually use it....some people cook once a month, but my freezer isn't big enough for that...I'll try this method and let you know what I think

Take care!

[Darster]

Sorry, I forgot...update on the watermelon. I cut it up today and it supplied a quantity equivalent of at least SEVEN containers that dh wanted to buy at $1.80. I wonder if he would consider buying a watermelon for $12.60??? Because that's what 7 x 1.80 comes out to. LOL

[Ttulipss]

Originally posted by Darster
I am working toward doing the cooking of 2 weeks worth of meals in one day...would only have to pull stuff out of freezer and re-heat. Cooking this way is more time effective and allows me to buy up stuff when it's on sale and actually use it....some people cook once a month, but my freezer isn't big enough for that...I'll try this method and let you know what I think

I'd like to try this, but not quite sure of what would be easy and would freeze well. How about starting a thread for recipes to make and freeze ahead!?!

DH is the cook in our household. He enjoys it, I don't. On occasion I like to cook and sometimes I just flat out want to surprise him ~ and boy it does! I can cook and I can follow recipes (and they usually turn out too!), but it would be nice to have some meals that just need heating on those "I really don't want to cook tonight" nights.

[eaparham]

I enjoy periodically demonstrating the recommnded portion size to my kids...(boys AND teenagers) So far, it hasn't worked with them (what a surprise), but now I am contemplating cooking an entire meal in the portion sizes and see what they think. I guess I can always use the "be grateful, there are starving children in Africa"

[Darster]

lol eaparham! So true....I remember the episode of Roseanne where she took her daughters and several of their friends to the grocery store...'lesse, it says 'serves 4, ' and there's 8 of us eating tonight, so how many pkgs do we need?" and of course the kids answer 2, because 2 x 4 = 8.....but she teaches them that the math they learn in school has to be modified because the people who label those things are unrealistic....so they actually need 4 packages to really feed 8 people....I miss the good old days of the Roseanne show where she was doing that homemaking stuff!!!