How to Grocery Shop for a Large Family

One of the biggest challenges of managing a large family is feeding them. Grocery shopping for a large family can quickly take up a lot of your monthly budget. The trick to shopping for a large family is finding ways to trim the grocery bill, while still buying healthy and tasty foods. Using coupons, buying in bulk, and planning menus are all ways to save money on groceries.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Before Shopping

1. Make a list of meals for two weeks. Write out all the food you will need for these meals. If you need one ingredient for more than one meal, mark a check next to it.
2. Clean out the refrigerator the night before you go shopping. This makes it easier to come home and unload groceries quickly.
3. Go through any coupons you have, and look at any store fliers for items on sale. Make a note on your shopping list of which items you have coupons for, or which items are on sale.

At the Store

4. Bring a calculator along, to keep track of how much you are spending.
5. Skip sale items unless they are something you will actually eat or use. For example, if no one in your house likes lima beans, don't bother picking up the 10-pound can on sale.
6. Work the outside aisles first. That is where the produce, dairy and meat are kept. More expensive items are in the middle aisles.
7. Limit pre-packaged goods, such as cookies or frozen dinners. These cost far more than if you made the same stuff from scratch.
8. Purchase generic brands, at least once. If your family likes the product, then keep on buying it and save money. If it is no good, then you won't be out a lot of money.

Tips & Warnings

• Map out meals on a blank calendar. Plan easy meals for days you know are busy.
• By limiting grocery trips to every two weeks (or even just once a month) you can cut your grocery bill by quite a bit.