I was chatting with a woman at anetworking event recently when she happened to glance at the cover ofmy book and exclaim “I spend $400 a *WEEK* on groceries – I havetwo teenagers to feed!”
Now, when you do what I do for a living, a lot of people confess their grocery bill to you :) and thisis one of the largest grocery bills I've yet encountered in my neckof the woods. The thing is, I really got the feeling that she feltthere was no way she could do better than that. I run into a lot ofmoms who appear to accept without question the fact that theirgrocery bills are going to be out of control during the years they'refeeding teenagers (especially if they're blessed with boys!)
While it certainly takes more focus tokeep your food budget under control during these years, it's entirelypossible to do so without resorting to beans and rice every day! Irecently shared that our per-person food costs are the same as they were 20 years ago, and I'm now feeding 14 and 16 year old boys(a.k.a. perpetual eating machines). All of the tips I provided inthat article apply to feeding teenagers, too.
Here are a few more thoughts on feedingthis budget-challenging age group:
1. Junk food is a luxury, not a necessity!Nothing runs up a grocery bill faster than piling tons of snack foodsinto your cart. I know the pressure can be on to keep the housestocked with pop, chips, and other munchies (especially if theretends to be a whole gaggle of boys hanging out at your house likethere is at my place!) I've made it clear throughout my boys' livesthat we just don't buy those foods, except very occasionally forbirthday parties and the like (after all, not only are they expensive, they're not the healthiest choices, either!) Now that they're teens, when theycomplain that we don't have pop and chips, I remind them that theyare welcome to spend their OWN money on those items if they want themthat badly. We always have plenty of popcorn around for stove toppopping, and I will buy a bag or two of my favourite good-quality organic tortilla chips when they go on sale, so there are alwaysinexpensive alternatives available to them.
2. Keep beverage consumption undercontrol: Teenage boys are thirsty critters and if you're not careful,they can guzzle away several dollars a day in juice, sports drinks,pop, etc. As mentioned above, we just don't buy pop except as anoccasional treat. Teens do love fizzy drinks, and we now have twoinexpensive and healthful homemade options in our house: water kefir andkombucha (for those of you who are skeptical that your teens would gofor something this "alternative”, I offered a glass of lemon gingerwater kefir to a close friend of my boys the other day, and as I waswalking away I hear him say to them, “I wish my mom would makestuff like this!”). We have a limit of a 4 ounce glass of juiceeach per day, and 8 ounces of milk (we get tons of other dairy in ourmeals). I have trained my family to drink lots of water so whenthey're thirsty it's the first thing they reach for.
3. Go easy on the meat portions: Justbecause they are “growing boys” (or girls), it doesn't mean theyneed insanely-sized portions of meat. Four ounce portions are aboutthe maximum I typically serve at a meal. Yes, they will still getenough protein! Dietary surveys have shown that even teenage boyseasily meet their protein needs (in fact, they typically get aboutdouble the protein they require) so don't feel like you need toprovide massive meat portions to make sure they're adequatelynourished.
4. Stock up on inexpensive, high proteinsnacks: While there's not much likelihood your teens will bedeficient in protein, providing some lower-cost high protein snackswill help them feel full longer so they won't eat everything insight. Scrambled eggs or omelettes, toast with nut butters, sunflowerseeds, and roasted chickpeas are all great options that work well inour home (and the last two are great portable snacks for teens on thego). If you have a few minutes to whip together a batch of Chocolate Powerballs, your teens won't even realize they're having anutrient-rich snack, they'll just think they're enjoying a chocolateytreat :) This recipe is actually simple enough that your teens canmake them by themselves!
5. Get into the bread making habit: Wetypically go through a loaf of bread a day in my house these days,and that can really put a dent in your grocery bill fast! Even ifyou're buying sale-priced bread, you can save over $40 a month bymaking your own. It's very simple and convenient to do so using myWhole Wheat Refrigerator Bread Dough (seriously, I don't know whatI'd do without this recipe.) No bread maker required! Added bonus: You can use this dough for pizza crusts and to make homemade "pizza pockets", which will make your teens really happy while keeping your budget in check :)
6. Make your own yogurt: If you have a lotof yogurt lovers in your house, it's well worth the modest effort tomake your own yogurt, too. You absolutely don't need a yogurt makeror any special equipment to do so – I use this method and mycomplete detailed instructions can be found in my book (I've had MANYpeople tell me they had success making yogurt using my method; theyare always so surprised by how easy it is!)
7. Granola is your friend: I've heard manyhorror stories about teenage boys polishing off an entire box ofcereal for a bedtime snack. Boxed cereals are another budget-buster,and aren't very nutrient-dense for the cost. Homemade granola is muchmore filling and nutritious – especially when paired with somehomemade yogurt and/or some fresh or frozen fruit, it's a verysatisfying snack. My basic granola recipe is so quick and easy, weoften get a batch in the oven while we're cleaning up the dinnerdishes.
Hopefully, I've convinced you it's not necessary to just throw up your hands in despair and resign yourself to spending $350 a week on groceries during the last few years your kids are at home.
Do you have any great tips on feeding teens on a budget? Or maybe a challenge I haven't addressed? Let me know all about it in the comments!
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