The Grocery Game

Tonight we decided to treat ourselves to a dinner at The Rib Shack...mmmmmm......  It was GOOOOD!  We also planned to do some grocery shopping while we were in close proximity to Winco. Well naturally that meant taking the whole gang grocery shopping.  Not an appetizing thought.  Dragging everyone down isle after isle, constantly saying no to requests to get things that they know perfectly well NEVER come into our kitchen.  Sounds fun, huh?  So I decided to give Russell and Autumn an assignment.  I wrote them a list - 

something for your bathroom

a side dish to go with tuna melts

something frozen

cereal

something from the meat dept.

Then I gave them the rules - you must work together to decide what to buy, you need to complete your list and you have exactly 20 bucks to do it with.  Good luck.  We sent them off with the list and a shopping cart.  Right away they started making plans as to what they would buy first.  Russell said they needed to prioritize and started with the things they needed.  We saw them several times throughout the store.  Stopping, talking to each other, adding things up on Russell's cell phone calculator.  At one point we saw them and they had a huge roll of cookie dough and two boxes of cereal, but no meat.  Hmmmm.... I commented on that and they started talking about not having enough money for meat.  Ok, I said.  I wanted them to figure it out and see what they came up with.  In the end they put back several items and replaced with other things.  When it was totaled up it came to 17 and some change.  Pretty good!!  On the way home I asked them what was the hardest part and Russell said, 'putting back the cookie dough'.  Autumn wanted to know why I had them do that.  Let's see, besides it being a great lesson in teamwork, navigating a grocery store, budgeting, sticking to a list, menu planning and making wise food choices?  It was darn fun watching my two increasingly independent kids wander through the store with a cart trying to make critical choices like whether or not to take the cookie dough home.

So what did they get??

for their bathroom - shampoo, conditioner, bodywash ( good choice on the budget brand)

a side dish to go with tuna melts - pickles and tomato soup

something frozen - monkey bread and popsicles

cereal - apple jacks 

something from the meat dept - brats

bonus: they had enough money left to get buns for the brats, autumn a drink and russell a pack of gum.

I'm proud of my smart shoppers!  I have visions of Russell driving him and Autumn to the store with my list and a determined amount of money and coming home with wise choices and not poptarts and soda.

Comments

[Gramma jayne]

I love it! Way to go Tara! In years to come, when they make fun of you doing this lesson, they will secretly... or maybe outloud, thank you for being so wise to give them this lesson. keep the life lessons going! love you all!

[Pam Montazeri]

Gee, I didn't get that lesson till I was married and flat ass broke. Could have used it sooner! Hey, I take that back; I think I did it for a GS badge! Very ingenious Tara! It's nice to see Russell pushing the cart instead of riding in it like when he was here...

[Aunt Kim]

I am sending Jordan to the Aunt Tara Life Training Bootcamp! Nice work Tara! Actually, i think i need to attend too!

[ol' aunt Joan]

Wow! They got all that for only twenty dollars? Give them a hundred and they'll overflow the pantry! Way to go kids!