My kids like to eat — meals, snacks, dessert — you name it. We have a preschooler, two tweens, and a teen, and my older three eat adult-size portions. With a big family, it’s not out of the ordinary for our grocery bills to rival our monthly mortgage.
With rapidly rising food prices, how are families going to keep up with their kids’ appetites all summer long?
Thankfully, there are practical ways to save money while not compromising on your family’s health.
1. Eat flexitarian
A few or several times a week, prepare vegetarian meals for your family. Meat, especially healthy meat, is pricey. Substituting proteins like beans, lentils, tofu, and eggs can save you money. On taco night, for example, offer black and refried beans in place of chicken or beef. We like to make rice bowls with veggies (such as peas and carrots), brown rice, a favorite sauce, and either tofu or egg.
2. Drink water
This sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Soda, juice, milk, and other beverages can be incredibly costly. Water is healthy and inexpensive — and I’m not talking about the plastic bottled kind you get at the supermarket. Invest in a water purifier, some stainless water bottles (our kids each have their own color), and then start drinking! I make ice cubes with lemon and lime slices in them that we can throw into our waters.
Letting your crew invade the pantry and fridge when it’s snack time never goes well
3. Create a snack schedule
I sat down with my kiddos and together, we made a summer snack schedule. Instead of going through our groceries like human garbage disposals, we serve snacks they like. It also helps us know exactly what to get at the grocery store each week versus buying items in the moment, which adds up. Our snacks are balanced with protein, healthy fats, and carbs that contain fiber. An example of one of our snacks is a PB&J (made with natural peanut butter) with a piece of whole fruit.
4. Skip individually portioned items
Snacks that are individually portioned are way more money than buying and dividing up yourself. Yes, these items appear to be convenient, but the portions are usually tiny (aka: unfulfilling) and come with a hefty price tag. For example, if your kids like trail mix, buy ingredients and make a bulk batch; whole grain cereal, nuts, mini chocolate chips or dried fruit, and something else crunchy like pea crisps. The only items we buy individually packaged are our kids’ favorite protein bars, because I just can’t get the hang of making them.
Don’t tempt yourself with overpriced — and unhealthy — snacks
5. Skip the simple carbs
Let me give you this fantastic example from my dietitian. I’m a type 1 diabetic, and I’ve had to learn how to understand nutrition. Carbohydrates are like paper in a fire. They burn up fast in your body. Protein is like a twig. It burns up in a fair amount of time. Fat takes the longest to burn, much like a log in a fire. A combination of these three is ideal. If all you’re feeding your kids for snacks are some crackers or fruit gummies — they are going to be hungry again, very shortly. Their blood sugar can’t stabilize when all the body is getting is simple, unhealthy carbs. Basically, eating simple carbohydrates leads to buying way more groceries (without health benefits).
6. Plan for specials — and stick to it
We don’t eat out very often due to the expense. We usually plan a meal out once a month for our family. We do budget to take each kid on a special “date” on occasion, in which they usually choose their favorite restaurant. If you’re always grabbing food on the go for your crew, you’re hemorrhaging money. Another option is to bring along a healthy side (that’s a bag of apples for us) to go with the meal on-the-go. There are times when you must eat out, of course, but there are also times it’s totally unnecessary. Don’t temp yourself by running inside to the gas station when you fill your tank.
What do you need in your kitchen that will make you and your family far more likely to eat at home?
7. Invest in your kitchen
For some families, it’s an air fryer, a crockpot, new pots and pans, or something else. Ask yourself what you need to invest in in order to save money in the future, as well as what will make your family’s meal-making easier.
Buying all your groceries at one store can be a big mistake
8. Shop several stores
Take the time to find out which stores offer the best, regular prices on the items you buy weekly. Look into subscribe-and-save options online. With gas prices as high as they are it may not benefit you to drive to many stores, depending on your location — which is why having some grocery items shipped to you may be a great option.
Little changes can add up to big savings, especially when feeding a family over the summer. Have a family meeting and brainstorm ways to save, including meal and snack ideas that everyone will enjoy. But don’t forget to work in some splurges, because who doesn’t love a pizza night?
