Do you ever get " I want, I want " in your house ? Do your kids or spouse put an order in for you to buy a particular grocery item that is out of the ordinary, too expensive or not overly healthy ? How do you handle the situation ? Do you automatically write it on the shopping list and just buy it ?
When the girls were younger they'd ask for Uncle Toby's Sports Plus cereal. This was ( and still is ) a yummy cereal, but I must admit, it cost a lot more than the usual no name Rice Bubbles or Corn Flakes they ate. My trick was to never say yes or no straight up. . I'd always wait to see if it came on sale over the next few weeks. Then I'd look at my grocery slush fund to see if there was enough money to cover the extra cost.
Another way to prevent your grocery bill from blowing out on these unusual requests is to include these treats in their birthday present or Christmas present when possible. For many years I've been putting together Santa sacks for my girls, Darren and I each Christmas. In the sack was a box of requested cereal ( when the girls were younger ) as well as other yummy treats. The only problem I had was finding room in my pantry for the extra cereal boxes after Christmas.
So, as the requests start coming in, write a list of items wanted by the family so you'll remember them all for their Christmas stockings. The bonus is, it gives you plenty of time to find things on special. You could use money you've put away for presents, therefore leaving your grocery money just for buying the usual items.
No more grocery blowouts.
My kids are grown and live out of town but on the occasions when they visit, I will accommodate their favorites. I always know well in advance when they will be arriving so I have time to watch for sales. When they were younger, I never said absolutely no but special requests were honored rarely. I still get grief for buying Magic Shell (an ice cream topping) no more than once a year.
ReplyDeleteThree times a year my children received their cereal requests. I bought their favourites for birthdays and since two of mine share a birthday it was easy. Then when we went on holiday the three of them had to choose their holiday treat. It would always be a cereal and creamed honey.
ReplyDeleteI admit now there are frequent blow outs. I am my mother's carer and she has lost many teeth. Her food requests are expensive. She likes smoked salmon , cheeses, steaks and other luxuries. Mum is permanently very anaemic. Now we compromise and have smaller serves of the steaks she can eat.
My kids always get a box of their favorite cereal for Christmas. I always got it as a kid and carried it on. Hubby thought it was weird when I started it but the kids love it. Easter baskets get all of their favorite snacks.
ReplyDeleteYep. Every year my pre-teen and teen sons got a box of their favorite cereal and a 12 pack of their favorite soda. They didn't have to share. They could eat and drink it fast or slow or when they wanted. To this day still on of their favorite memories. And of course I got everything on sale and hid it in a box marked Summer Clothes in my my closet with a few clothes on top of everything. They never caught on. lol
ReplyDeleteI also bought treat on sale or clearance and hid them too for surprises.
Well, my husband does the majority of the grocery shopping & often buys more than I'd like, but he's wonderful in many other ways :-)
ReplyDeleteFor the kids, if it's convenient & we have the money left in the budget, we sometimes do honor the request. But, we never purchase: soda, cereal or candy. They just aren't foods we buy. The kids get those kind of things (maybe minus the soda) when they see their grandparents. We try to make homemade options for other things, though.