But Mom..... I want chips!

I dread taking my kids grocery shopping with me. Although I must say that is is getting better. When they were small, it was a constant.... "I want this.... I want that!". Sometimes I would buy them something just to keep them quiet.

That added dollars to my grocery bill! Money that I could not afford, but did.... because I did not want to hear the crying and whining.

How do you say "no" and not have your child throw a fit.

These are some of the things I did. First, I will say that I have a very supportive spouse and I leaned on him. If at all possible, I would leave the kids at home with him. If not him, I would call a sister (by the way I have 6 sisters and 1 brother) and see if I could leave my kids with them or do a swap. My sister would watch my kids while I did my shopping, then in return I would watch hers.

Leaving my kids with a sister or spouse was not always possible. There were times, plenty of times, that I had to take them with me. When that was the case, I made sure that I was prepared. I had my grocery list ready. I did not go by memory.... I also went to a smaller grocery store where I could get in and out fast. I also warned my children that if they were not well behaved or they begged a lot..... I would leave the cart where it was and take them home. Once at home they would go straight down for a nap!

Did that ever happen? Yes it did..... once! After that my kids knew I meant business.

How does all this relate to saving money? It should be obvious. I saved money by not having my children beg me for everything. An extra bag of chips is about $3.98 right now. Candy bars are about $0.75 and if your children are like mine.... they want junk food (chips, candy, soda, etc) not the healthy veggies or fruit!

Hope this helps!

Macaroni and Cheese

Tired of the boxed macaroni and cheese. Why not consider making your own. It is not only healthier, but it is about the same cost.

Take a medium size pot (4 quart) and fill it about 2/3 with water. Bring the water to a boil. To the boiling water add 3 cups of elbow macaroni. Boil until the macaroni is tender about 5 minutes.

Once the macaroni is tender take it and strain it in a colander. Put the macaroni back in the pot, add about 1 tablespoon of butter, 1/4 cup of milk and about 2 cups of shredded American cheese. Mix and put the cover on. The cheese should melt into the macaroni. If not, put it back on the burner (medium) for about 3 minutes. Be sure to continually stir so that it does not burn.

You will notice that I did not add any salt. I think that there is enough salt in the cheese, but if you need to add some... go ahead. For a little different flavor, try garlic salt.

This is a great recipe for a quick meal and is also fairly inexpensive. My children love it..... even more than the box version.

Roast Beef

Are you as frustrated as I am with the price of sandwich meat? I just received a call from my sister who returned from the store. Almost $10.00 a pound for roast beef sandwich meat! What is a mom to do when she wants/needs to feed her growing family? She refused to pay that much and ended up not buying anything. Her solution.... see what is currently in the freezer and cook it up.

My solution: When beef is on sale (less than $2.50 per pound) buy up a few extra packages. Put them in the freezer and when you want roast beef sandwiches, take one out and cook it up. Have it for supper one night and use the leftovers for school/work sandwiches the next.