Save Money on Groceries: Keep Kids Out of the Kitchen

Whether you have a few children or a small army of kids it is hard to keep cabinets full of groceries. We all want the refrigerator to be packed or well stocked with our favorite organic fruits, gourmet cheeses, grain fed meats, and some chocolate delights. Then there are the specialty items that some children either need because of certain allergies to food or the items that you must buy because Stephan your 10 year old must have vegan delights like garden or veggie burgers. He has come of age and doesn't want anymore family Friday night meaty hamburgers. Then there is Alexis your (I think I am grown but I am 13 years old and "don't pay" no grocery bills) daughter who only wants sushi and bags of salad for her ongoing diet, though she is almost skin and bones. Regardless of all the special diet requirements, something has to give with the kids coming in and out of the kitchen eating what they please when they please. Keep kids out of the kitchen and you will save money on groceries.

First of all if you were born at a certain time period, what your parents fixed for dinner you ate it. There were no questions asked and most definitely no special diet requirements. If you did not eat what was on the table, you simply did not eat. It is okay to get the healthy foods your family requests. It is not okay for the children who do not contribute to paying for groceries to come in and out of the kitchen with handfuls of cookies (especially organic ones that are not cheap) or a big ole' glass of milk. Excessive over the limit servings help the groceries to decline fast. The food may be gone before your next pay check. The check dedicated to keeping everybody's bellies full. How do you gain control of a kitchen that is out of order?

Out of order means, kids are going in cabinets making big bowls of cereal 2-3 times a day, popping cans of soda drinking more than their fair share, the veggie burgers you splurged and bought for Stephan your 10 year old has eaten them in one day. You were working late so Alexis the 13 year old makes the younger kids favorite cheese quesadillas and uses up all the butter or oil, shredded cheese, sour cream, and salsa. To really top it off and send you in a rage, you come home after a long day's work expecting to have a couple of chocolates that you bought for yourself from the health food market. That treat set you back a couple of dollars but well worth it. The kids who have full run of the kitchen have not only eaten every piece of chocolate in the damned box, but had the audacity to leave it all crumpled up on the counter letting you know every piece is gone. This is the last straw and the last time the children will take advantage of being able to make their own meals in the kitchen. You must grab a marker and a piece of paper that will become your sign; it will be your 1st kitchen commandment. Kids Keep Out of the Kitchen!!!

Food Rations

There shall be no coming in and out of the kitchen. Each child shall receive a fair share of each snack and stay out of the kitchen. Sometimes the word rations makes you feel guilty like you may be depriving your children so you have allowed them to get as much as they want. This habit is not only unhealthy but could also lead to obesity problems like it has for many of our youth today. Readjust your thinking. If an adult's serving size is rationed out and it is enough for an adult a small child or teenager should be satisfied as well. If you are not home and the kids must get a snack before dinner, have allotted snacks already out that you have put in little baggies the night before. Let's say the snack is cookies, milk, and chips. Each child could have 2-4 cookies. Instruct the oldest one to pour everyone an 8-10 glass of milk the next day. Put a rationed amount of chips in each baggie; go by the bags serving size that could be about 12 chips if you want to go a little over that is fine. The bag of chips will last because no one is grabbing big handfuls and the cookies will stretch a bit longer as well. If cups of milk are rationed out appropriately then it should last for cereal, for snacks, and for meals you may use it for such as creamed potatoes.

Drink Patrol

Kids are always thirsty. This is their main excuse for visiting the realms of the kitchen more than they should. How do you save on buying so many drinks? I have 5 children; all are always thirsty and sneaking drinks. I stopped buying sodas and our main drink is made from powdered lemonade or tea. This will outlast the food if you buy large containers. If you do buy sodas, juices, etc. Some kids can share a can each can get half in their cup. If they are really thirsty there is always ice and water. Kids in some parts of the world go through great lengths to just get clean water, ice is a luxury.

Teach Your Children How to Ration

You have adjusted the rules and everyone knows that you mean business. They cannot eat anything without asking and when they are allowed to get something they should know not to touch specialty foods bought for the adults of the house. Stephan should only be eating one of the veggie burgers for dinner. Alexis should know how to get measuring cup and put ¼ cup of cheese in each cheese quesadilla. All the kids who are cereal lovers should be getting cereal using a cup measure and pouring just enough milk to wet the cereal, and then they need to drink the milk at the end. Your drinks should last, because the super thirsty children are drinking ice water and having sweet drinks with their meals only. Keeping the Kids out of the Kitchen isn't so bad, and your grocery bill isn't so high.