How To Buy Smart When You Have A Large Family
When you have a large family, there are many things that you need to account for. There are lots of people to clothe and feed, plus activities to cover. For these reasons, it’s especially important to have a well thought out budget when it comes to your finances as the head of a household with several children. Let’s look at some steps you can take to buy smart.
Plan Ahead
First, let’s talk about being organized. The most important thing to do is write a weekly meal plan and stick with it. You don’t have to be a fantastic cook or even follow complicated recipes every night; have a list of quick go-to meals that everyone will eat, like this delicious recipe for crockpot loaded potato soup. Try to rotate them, so you do not repeat any within two weeks.
Buy In Bulk
When you shop for groceries, only go once every week or two rather than going day-to-day for your food. You’ll save so much money. Buying in bulk always saves you more money in the long run. You may be tempted when you see a great deal, but when you have a big family, it’s not worth buying something just because it’s on sale. Your food will expire before you can eat it, and your family won’t eat it anyway, so don’t waste your money.
List Items Only
When you go to the store, be sure to list all you need and stick to it no matter what else is on sale. This way, you will stay organized and avoid impulse buying, which always happens when we see sales or clearance items in the grocery store. If bread isn’t on sale this week, don’t buy any bread, even if it’s only a dollar at another grocery store.
Be Frugal
Now let’s talk about being frugal. With a large family, you’re probably cooking for at least five people every day, and the chances are that the money allotted for groceries is not going to be enough. So, before you go shopping, please make a list of all the recipes that your family eats and then assign each recipe to an amount you want to spend on it. This way, if one recipe costs more than its allocation, something else will either cost less or be omitted from your meal plan (if possible).
There are ways around this if you don’t like buying pre-made ingredients such as cake mix or pre-chopped veggies. You can always buy these things in bulk and take advantage of store coupons to save even more money. You can also make your cake mix and freeze the extra to use at a later date.
Freeze It
The freezer is another excellent way to save money and time when cooking for a large family. Things like meatballs, chili, soups, and stews all freeze well, so do veggies if you cook them in bulk. Just be sure to label everything with the date you made it and how long it will remain edible. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
With these helpful hints, I’m sure that any large family will be able to get through dinner time without breaking their budget or rushing around trying to figure out what they’re going to serve as their next meal. After all, everyone knows that planning is the key to success in anything you do!
