Frugal Living    Thrift     Saving Money     Penny Pinching       Home

Frugal Living Tips and Frugal Living Articles for
Frugal Happy Families

The Frugal Library

Search Frugal and Simple Living Sites by Keyword Below

 

 

Welcome to one of the thousands of pages on Frugal Happy Families.

Shopping with Children by Nikki Willhite It is always preferable to go shopping without your children.  However, sometimes you can’t avoid it. This is especially true with grocery shopping. There are things you can do to make it easier on yourself and your children. Here are a few. - Always be sure your children are well fed before you go shopping. If you are one to use bribes, promise them that if they behave they will get a special treat when they get home. It doesn’t have to be food;  just something they want. - If you are going grocery shopping, and your children are old enough, make them feel part of the process. Show them your list. Tell them it’s like a game to see if you can get through the store without buying anything that isn’t on the list. Be sure that there is something on the list especially for them. - If you use coupons, have a time when you cut them out together. Children love to cut out things. They can also help you file them. - If the store is a bit of a drive, make up food games to play on the way. Use your creativity. Make a game out of reviewing the food groups, and which food is in which group. Name a food group, and then give them a word which rhymes with one of the items in that group and have them guess. For instance: "What rhymes with silk?"  - If your children misbehave in the store, do not feel intimidated by being in public. Deal with it on the spot.   I use to feel that once I started loading food into my cart, I couldn’t leave it for any reason Then, when my son became a box boy, he was constantly putting back items from carts that had been abandoned- including frozen food. I am not saying to leave your cart permanently-, but if you need to, step outside with your child, take them to your car,  and deal with the situation. Once they realize they don’t have the upper hand in the store, and that you will still calmly and rationally discipline them, you will have less problems with them in the future. - Bring a small, inexpensive calculator with you, and have one of your older children add up the prices as you go. When you get home, let the children help as much as possible putting the food away. Let them know beforehand what is expected of them. Explain to them that you have to shop because you all need food,  and how you expect them to behave. Establish rules, and be consistent. Try and make shopping, as well as all your activities with your children, a learning and enjoyable experience. About the Author: Nikki Willhite, mother of 3 and an interior design graduate, has been writing and publishing articles on the topic of frugal living for over a decade. Visit her at www.frugalhappyfamilies.com - where you will find hundreds of frugal living tips and articles. Frugal Happy Families- more than just money!  Article first published at www.allthingsfrugal.com

 

 

 

The Frugal Network
Free Clipart	Frugal Happy Families	Mini Preppers	Scrappy Quilting	Simple Living Toolbox
Be warm, be safe;   save time and money.    Be frugal and be happy.

Home