by Claire
We are now half way through the second week of summer. For the love of all that is holy, the two boys’ appetites have got to find a limit!
We have accepted that $125 a week in groceries was too conservative a number with the boys home for the majority of the day. They are both remaining very physically active with sports camps (one free and one for $50)but with more time on their hands, the food is disappearing at alarming rates! This is tough bc you never want to begrudge children food but we also have to set some limits. On the upside, we are not eating out so we don’t have a fast food bleed on top of groceries. They do not waste the food by any means so that’s good too. They are just bottomless pits. I’ve talked to them about the tendency we all have to snack for the sake of snacking and they both understood. We have increased food money to $200 per week. I saved $50 in coupons this past week and that was just regular good old-fashioned couponing. No stacking, no doubling…just buying what was offered so I’m very pleased with that!
A comment regarding utilities made a good point that our heightened awareness about all spending right now likely impacts our view. While I know the boys have always eaten a lot, this summer will definitely be a marked increase. They are growing and now at the age of true athletics. Once again, we found a way to increase the grocery budget without changing the Dec 2013 payoff. I’m proud of our planning and saving making that possible.
Born and raised in Texas. I’ve at least driven through every state in the US courtesy of a roadtrip loving Dad.
I’m single with two children and a good parenting relationship with their father.
I am a “life is just half full of funny” kinda gal. Humor is my saving grace and I am thankful for it every single day. I have a strong Catholic faith and am thankful for that foundation.
I read a lot for a living but still enjoy a good book. I love biographies but in recent years have found the need for fun fictional books–sadly, for a long time I just didn’t enjoy fiction!
I love live theatre of any kind–from local productions to Broadway.
I love to scrapbook and pride myself in my kids’ albums.
I love being a mom but also love my career. I’m blessed to have found a balance allowing me to be at everything my kids need and want me to be at–while also having a career.
Favorite Quotes: Well behaved women rarely make history.
Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out. -James Bryant Conant
I also have a teenaged boy. They become an entirely different lifeform for a few years don’t they?
I swear, I step on his foot his mouth opens and I scrape the food in. I’m not sure he actually chews. Recently the quantity has been the less dramatic feature – he’s now working out regularly and has become very health conscious and is reading the labels on everything. It’s ultimately a good thing that he’s making healthy choices and not setting bad habbits now during these years when his metabolism would let him get away with pretty much anything. A lot of men in their 20s put on weight because they figure they can keep eating like they did in their teens, and have no idea what normal portions look like. I’ve never tried to fill him up with junk, but filling him with lean protein and fresh fruit and veggies can get costly. I no longer happily stock up when pizza pockets go on sale – they’ll sit in the freezer uneaten now that his after school snacks are salads and fruit smoothies. This week I picked up 4 pork tenderloins on sale. They’ve become his new favorite dinner – all lean meat, no fat, no skin. In order for him to accept that a pasta dinner can be a healthy choice he’s taken over cooking that meal (whole wheat pasta, low fat/salt sauce, and lots of veggies). Now when he asks what’s for dinner, he’s really also asking how it is made/how healthy is it. It’s ultimately a good thing for everyone in the house. We just have to be more organized so that there’s no need to fall back on premade options busy days (ie. frozen pizza)
Oh do I remember those days! The milk jug used to sit on the floor next to his dining room chair as he refilled so much until we suggested a limit. Are they old enough to help create some healthy and filling snacks like home cooked beans with shredded cheese rolled up in tortillas? Celery with peanut butter and carrots with hummus are other old standbys. Many other ideas for filling up teens with healthy food are available but I agree that $125 per week for 2 adults plus teens is low especially since you have reduced eating out. Good for you for using coupons.
My budget tool (All Your Worth books etc) suggest a minimum of $650/month for food, but that’s really laughable. We did a long scan of our purchases at the grocery store (it helps to go to the same store to find the old transactions in something like Mint, etc). and adjusted this up to $1200/month. This is for a family of four with two young (8/11) boys. I can’t imagine what the number will be like in the next few years.
Food budget is a tough nut to crack.
Teenage boys are like eating machines. I remember in high school having guy friends who could eat a large pizza themselves and then turn around 20 mins later and ask when we were going to get something to eat. LOL
Using coupons is good. And making them aware of it is good too. I think you’ll be able to figure something out that is liveable for all of you soon.
I think the key is to go with home-made foods. I know that can be difficult with two working parents. Here’s what I do to feed my kids when they won’t stop eating:
1- Use a bread machine to make bread and pizza dough. Do you have one? If not, check out the Salvation Army or go on Freecycle.org. So many people have them languishing in the basement You can make bread for less than a dollar. Takes a few minutes of work. With a good machine, you could set the timer to have fresh bread when they get home. Healthy and delicious. At my house, a whole loaf can disappear in minutes (3 teens plus friends make quick work of anything). If you freeze pizza dough and keep sauce around, they can make pizza themselves fairly easily. Or you can make minipizzas and freeze them for snacks.
2-Crock pot cooking. Beans are so easy and filling and cheap. Check out Rick Bayless’ slow cooker recipes on line. Refried beans cost almost nothing. (Speaking of which, have you eaten molletes? Not sure they’re typical in Texas, but in Mexico they’re a great snack. Refried beans on a horizontally sliced french bread, sprinkle cheese on and bake ’til done. The bread can be buttered first. So good – filling and cheap, too.)
3-Popcorn for snacks. If you make it yourself, it’s practically free. The stovetop is probably best (or an airpopper, if you have one). I’ve heard it can be made in the microwave inside a paperbag. Just add butter and salt after.
4)Pasta – buy it on sale and keep it around. At $1/pound, it’s a great deal.
Obviously, all of these foods can be as healthy as you choose to make them.
Jaye-I am on board with the crockpot and pasta! I’ve never made my own bread and internally chuckle at the thought of it…but only bc the very idea of my making homemade bread is funny given my history. I’m up for anything though and both boys love to cook. That would be a fun task for them. Thanks! I’m not familiar with molletes but I do cook my own pinto beans and also re-fry them. I will give the molletes a try too. Popcorn does not fill the kids and we have observed it seems to make them eat more…more popcorn and more of everything else!
I feel your pain although I only have one teenage boy! He eats a lot of pb&j sandwiches, LOTS of cereal, and we keep tortillas in the house at all times so he can load those up with shredded cheese and nuke them for snacks.
I love the idea of having pasta made up and something they can microwave whenever they’re hungry. It’s cheap and not bad for them. They can get away with eating loads of carbs with their metabolisms and probably need to be eating loads of carbs right now!
I was also going to suggest popcorn, made on the stove top. Don’t buy the microwave stuff – too expensive and I hear it’s not too healthy. But doing your own in the microwave might be a better alternative.
Teenaged boys and food…. Oy. My mom used to put a bike lock chain on the refrigerator at night so my brother wouldn’t eat all the ice cream and milk in the middle of the night. Also, I went to a boarding school and it was a drag if you got stuck at table full of jocks during our formal sit-down dinners. You’d be stuck there for a while as they wanted seconds and thirds and fourths……
I wonder if it’d help for you to steer them towards “good carbs” that will keep them feeling full longer?
Yep Jen…that occurred to me too on the good carbs. I also think that the habit of going to look in the pantry or fridge when they have “nothing” to do plays a role. We are working on keeping them busy too.
I think any Mom of teenage boys knows exactly what you are talking about. Funny, many of my friends sons are grown now but they all talk about how expensive it was for growing boys! I don’t know that there is a lot you can do other than to make as much as you can so save some money.
I’m not surprised – I thought $150 a week was too low for your family. We do $200 a week and its a stretch for our family of 6. We homeschool so we eat in 3 meals a day, 365 days a year. We also rarely eat out. I also have 2 teens and 2 more that are getting close to those years too (2 boys, 2 girls). I know my budget will go up in the next few years as well. Its just expensive to feed everyone at those ages! Thankfully my kids do cook; its a necessity!