One thing that seems to be a fact of life: grocery shopping with kids means that you wind up spending more money than you originally planned to spend. Sometimes this is because the kids find things on the shelves that they want you to buy, and sometimes it is because you tend to rush through shopping or are too distracted to compare prices and use your coupons.
When you do go grocery shopping with kids, use the following tips to not only save money, but to make the trip a whole lot easier on everyone.
Build in a Treat
When I take my kids grocery shopping, they know that if they behave nicely we will stop by the bakery for a free cookie. When they were smaller, I used the free cookie as a distraction while I shopped. Build in some small treat, such as picking out a movie rental, stopping off at the library or park on the way home or allowing them to pick out a favorite cereal (on sale of course) as a way to encourage good behavior.
Be Proactive
We all know that kids can be at their worst when they are tired or hungry or both. Keep this in mind when you are planning your grocery shopping with kids. Feed the kids well before you go so they won’t be tempted when they go past all of the aisles of food. Not only will they display better behavior, but you’ll find fewer extras in your cart, and that translates into bigger savings.
Making sure you time your trip to when the kids are well-rested can make all the difference in the world between an easy shopping trip and a more difficult one.
Take Advantage of Teaching Moments
When your older child wants something he sees on the shelf, turn it into a teaching moment. Point out the unit pricing on the item and challenge him to find the same product in another brand for a less expensive price.
You can also choose to allow your child to purchase something with his own money (if you approve of the product, of course. If your child doesn’t have enough, you can talk about ways to earn the money or make up the difference using coupons.
Shopping at the grocery store can also provide the basis for math learning, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fractions.