If your children generally eat free or reduced price breakfast and lunch at school, you are probably already preparing for higher grocery bills over the summer. When I worked at a preschool, many of our parents worried about the extra costs. Their children ate breakfast, lunch, and two snacks at school during the day. Many families didn’t know how they would absorb the costs of feeding their children those meals over the summer, especially those who had more than one child. We invited them to visit the free food pantry at the sponsoring church, and we also offered them tips for reducing costs.
If you are facing a similar situation, these tips should prove helpful.
Buy Fewer Beverages
Everyone needs to stay well hydrated, especially in warmer weather. That doesn’t mean you have to purchase expensive drinks. Water is healthier and you have to pay the water bill anyway, so encourage kids to drink more water, and fewer soft drinks or other beverages each day. Water is much more refreshing when cold, so keep a pitcher handy in the fridge at all times. If a family of four drinks water at even just one meal, the family can save about $1.00 per day or $30.00 per month.
Figure Food Costs by the Serving
A dozen eggs, a loaf of bread, and a can of frozen orange juice, costs about $3.00 total (if you purchase store brands). An average family of four will use about 6 eggs (scrambled), half a loaf of bread (toasted), and drink about half of the juice in one sitting. That’s around 37 cents per person for breakfast (if there is enough food left to have the same meal again) which is comparable to the price of discounted meals at school.
Make your own Snacks and Treats
Pop some popcorn on the stove or in your air popper if you have one, instead of purchasing expensive snacks such as potato chips. An average size bag of popping corn costs between 1-2 dollars (and oil is about the same per bottle if using oil), yet it makes enough to fill about a dozen large potato chip bags. Popcorn and oil together cost just a little more than the price of one bag of chips. Bake muffins and cakes instead of purchasing individually wrapped treats, which can cost up to 50% more than homemade goodies.
*When you get the urge to splurge, and everybody does, consider trying the store brand version of your favorite foods.