I love to grocery shop.
For real.
No sarcasm at all.
I love making the list of what we are eating that month. I love to pour over my recipes (and then don't follow them!), I love to decide what we are rotating off my food storage that month, I love the act of actually shopping. I even love putting all the groceries away.
So, now that my kids are older I hate to give up some of my control over something I love so much.
BUT, I want them to possibly love it just as much.
Grocery shopping needn't be a chore. Meal planning also can be fun.
So, how do I instill the love of that part into my boys? (and make it count as school!)
Here is a little peek into what we do.
First, I let them browse my pintrest boards. I have them all broken down into meals and desserts and what have you, and I know it is safe for them to check them out. (I have actually clicked on all the links so I know where they go) This would also be a good place for your kids to page through cookbooks, ours are all packed because this new place is so teeny tiny I had to pack them away.
Second, once the meals are decided on, I have them write a list of all the ingredients that their chosen recipes will take. I don't let them plan alot, some months are more than others depending on MY list.
Once they have their list, I go through and cross off the things they don't need to buy. I have an extensive food storage and so we do have lots of things that we don't need to buy.
Third, I have them estimate how much THEY think it will cost to buy the things they have chosen. They can use their knowledge of what we have bought before, but I want them to see how much they THINK things cost.
Fourth, I make out a list for them to write in how much things REALLY cost. They are responsible for making sure that their list of ingredients make it into the cart. They have to bargain shop as well to get the very best price that they can for their stuff.
Fifth, when we get home they total their list. Then we compare the estimate to the real cost.
Sixth, they figure out how much each recipe costs to make for our family. This sometimes means doubling or tripling a recipe first so they can figure out how much they need to double or triple the price. Then they figure out cost per serving of each recipe.
This teaches them so many things. I find the most gratifying thing that they have learned though is that food is costly. We can't afford to have $10 meals each night (our budget is about $400/month), but we can eat REALLY well if we plan it out. Sometimes we can eat for as little as $2 per day!
It is fun to teach my boys how much things really cost, but it is also really fun to see them process that and try to make things cost less or just figure out how to make it work.
How about you? How do you involve your kids in the kitchen? How do you involve them in meal planning and shopping? How do you teach your kids this skill that they will need when they grow up and move out?
Cheers
