Having a large family might sometimes remind you of the pressures of a career in the culinary arts. You can quickly and accurately estimate the number of meals you can make from 4 pounds of chicken. You are also constantly planning meals for a large party. As if that weren’t enough, there’s also the grocery shopping.
As the primary food provider for your household, weekly grocery shopping might take up a significant amount of your time. You could feel like you’re always running out of essentials or spending more money on groceries than you’d like. It’s not just you. It might be challenging for big family parents to meet their children’s nutritional needs.
That’s why we’ve compiled a few tried-and-true strategies for making the most of your time and energy in the grocery store with your family while reducing your stress and saving money.
Here’s how you can prepare your family budget.
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What is your monthly budget like?
Check your most recent bank statement and tally all the purchases you made at the supermarket or the pharmacy in the last 30 days. Look at that figure and contrast it to the minimum recommended $120 per family member. Suppose you add up everything you had to throw away. The reason is that it went bad or was past its expiration date. You might be surprised to realize how much your family spends on groceries every month.
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Ensure your refrigerator and pantry are in order
Efficient food shopping begins in the kitchen, well before the trip to the store. Keeping your pantry in order helps you plan your weekly meals and avoid buying unnecessary items. If you’re having trouble organizing your pantry and fridge, try assigning shelves to different food groups. Maybe you have a shelf for canned items, another for snacks, a third for baking ingredients, and so on.
Then, label them so everyone knows exactly what goes where. Finding what you need in your kitchen is a lot like grocery shopping when everything is in one place.
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Think about how much money you have and how much food you need to buy
Constant budgeting is important. All grocery lists should start with a strict financial plan regardless of family size. What is your weekly spending limit like? Within the next 30 days? Establish a hard spending limit. When making your grocery list and meal plans with your family members, remember this. If you’re trying to save money, you should avoid preparing meals that require pricey proteins or a long list of ingredients.
A well-organized kitchen is the foundation of a successful food-shopping trip. An organized pantry allows you and your family to save money by not having to run out and buy random things every week. Assigning shelves to different food groupings may help keep your pantry and refrigerator more organized. You may divide your pantry into sections, including one for canned goods, another for snacks, a third for baking supplies, etc.
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Do not take all the children
As much as you adore your children, they don’t make going to the supermarket fun. You don’t want to break up a fight or answer a hundred questions when trying to concentrate on sale prices and how much you need to buy.
Make the trip to the supermarket as light as possible by doing it yourself. If you need to acquire groceries but can’t find anybody to watch your kids while shopping, consider arranging a weekly babysitting swap with a friend who also has kids. You can also go when your partner is free to stay at home. You’ll be more level-headed when faced with myriad choices while grocery shopping for a big family.
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Get organized by making a list
Assuming you have your menu for the week mapped out, you can then compile a shopping list of everything you’ll need. Some people find it helpful to plan their shopping lists out in advance, categorizing products according to where they can be found in the store. Then make a pact with yourself to keep it!
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Purchase in large quantities
For obvious reasons, big-box businesses that sell in bulk cater to households with many members. They help families with multiple children make ends meet by offering bulk quantities of commonly purchased items at steep discounts. However, it’s not always more cost-effective to buy in quantity.
Be mindful of stocking up on herbs, spices, and condiments because you may only need a small amount at a time. Similarly, you shouldn’t stock up on consumables unless you’re sure you’ll use them all before they go bad.
No one wants to overpay for food, but perusing a wall of discounted items can be a daunting task. If you want to save money while grocery shopping, one trick is to check the price per ounce. You’ll be able to see the relative value of your options and make more informed decisions.
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Try shopping online
Online grocery shopping is a terrific place to start when making a food list on a tight kitchen budget. Online food shopping with delivery services is available at most major supermarkets. You can use your mobile device or computer to place an order and pick it up quickly at the store’s curbside. It’s a win-win situation because you save time and money by not dealing with the queues at the grocery store on the weekend. Find the things you need with the help of the filters, and then arrange them by price. Pick out whatever has the best price cut or is on sale this week.
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Kid’s occupation with work
If you must bring your children to the store, try assigning them age-appropriate “tasks” to complete while you’re there. Send your older children out to shop for and compare the prices of the things on your list. Encourage young children to look around and make a list.
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Always carry reusable bags
Finally, do your part for the environment and your own sense of order by stocking your car with reusable grocery bags. In this way, you can avoid the hassle of carrying around a pile of plastic bags from your many shopping excursions.
Conclusion
The most important factor in minimizing food costs is making and keeping to a family kitchen list. Once you’ve done that, you can maximize your savings with apps, coupons, and other tips.
