How to Feed a Large Family on a Budget

Feeding a large family on a budget can be a challenge, but with a little planning, creativity and some good old-fashioned determination, it can be done. Look at it as an opportunity to eat healthier and get the whole family involved in the process. Pancakes instead of cereal? Hot dogs instead of hamburgers? Turkey instead of pot roast? That doesn't sound so bad, does it?

Instructions

1. Plan your menus in advance. Sit down once a week and write down exactly what you're going to make for each meal, and create a shopping list of the ingredients you'll need. Not only will this save you from making unnecessary purchases in the grocery store, it will allow you to think of uses for your leftovers, maximizing your grocery budget. Having ham on Sunday? Toss the hambone into the slow-cooker on Monday for split-pea soup.

2. Buy staples such as rice and pasta in bulk, and limit grocery store runs to once a week, tops. Stores spend thousands of dollars designing environments that tempt shoppers into impulse purchases, but you can't overspend if you aren't there. Plan ahead, and stick to your list. If you're a recovering shopaholic, give your list to someone else and have them do the shopping for you.

3. Go heavy on the veggies and cut back on the meat. Vegetables are full of nutrients, less expensive than fruit, and can turn a measly two-pound package of chicken thighs into crock-pot full of hearty, delicious stew. Most of the world eats this way, subsisting on vegetable-based dishes served over rice, with a little bit of meat thrown in if it's available.

4. Fall in love with legumes and round your meals out with healthy grains. Legumes are a good source of inexpensive protein, and rice, bulgur or pasta can bulk up just about any meal. Dried beans and brown rice give you a lot of nutritional bang for the buck.

5. Rethink breakfast. Sure, plunking a gallon of milk and a box of brand-name cereal on the table makes for easy mornings, but it's not cost-effective. A big pot of oatmeal can feed a large family for next to nothing, and pancakes can be made for pennies. No one will feel deprived.

6. Stop buying pre-packaged junk food and snack on less expensive choices like bought-in-bulk popcorn. If your kids really want potato chips or candy bars let them earn money to buy them themselves. Your kids will be eating healthier and learning valuable money management skills along the way.

7. Stop shelling out cash for sodas, juices and Kool-Aid, and drink water instead. Even 100 percent fruit juices are too sugary to be good for children; if you're worried about your kids getting enough nutrients, give them a multivitamin, or better yet an orange. Cutting beverages out of your budget will bring your grocery bill down by a lot.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy expensive foods such as meat when they're on sale and freeze them until you need them.

• Don't be discouraged if your family balks at your early attempts to cut the grocery budget. It's normal for people to resist change, but they will come around if you stick to your guns.

Resources

• The Dinner Diva, Leanne Ely