Keeping a large family healthy and well-fed while trying to maintain a great lifestyle can be very difficult and very expensive. With most families trying to maintain a budget, spending needs to be critically analyzed in all areas. Here are some great, economical tips on keeping your big family healthy, happy, and active.
Storage Space
An essential part of staying on top of your food budget is making sure that you have adequate storage for all of your different food items. Your pantry should have plenty of cool, dark shelf space to store all of your canned foods and boxed items. You will also need plenty of freezer and refrigerator space available to keep your cold and frozen foods fresh. A freezerless refrigerator is especially convenient if you are trying to keep enough fresh fruits, vegetables, and other perishables on hand for a large family’s weekly needs. You can then have a separate deep freezer for just meat storage and other frozen foods. Having a separate freezer and refrigerator along with plenty of other storage areas will give you plenty of space to take advantage of deals and provide your family with healthy food options every day.
The Power of Buying in Bulk
Grocery retailers want you to spend as much money as possible every time that you shop at their store. While buying in bulk will cost you more initially, you will save a substantial amount of money purchasing in larger quantities and storing at home for future use. Most of the time, you can easily look at the price on the grocer’s shelf and it will break down the cost per unit for each product size showing you the savings you can reap by buying in larger quantities.
Canned Goods
Canned goods are an ideal item to stock up on and they will last for years in your pantry. You can either buy them by the case and get a price break or keep an eye out for sales. You can even can foods yourself. If you take advantage of deals on canned foods, you can easily shave a hefty chunk of money off of your grocery bill.
Grow Your Own Vegetables
Not only can you take a great deal of pride in producing your own vegetables out of a home garden that you personally care for, but, you will be providing your family with much healthier food choices than produce that may have been treated with dangerous pesticides. Planning for how to incorporate your fresh vegetables into each meal is as easy as using them as they become ripe. If you find yourself with a bigger bounty of produce than you planned for, you can either give some to friends and family or try some home-canning methods or even freeze them for later use. If you plan to try to can some of your own vegetables, be especially careful about sealing the jars correctly to avoid any possibility of early spoilage.
Make Your Home The Hub
When you have a big family you pretty much need a lot of living space to match. Parents who have had several kids will attest that getting a big house is the way to go. When your home has enough bedrooms, common space, and ideally outdoor area for kids to play you can count on all your rascals wanting to stay home or invite friends over rather than trying to leave a cramped house that is too small. Investments in your home like space additions, landscaping makeovers, or behind the scenes repairs like hot water heater repair are done by homeowners because their family has overrun the space and amenities of their current home which now needs changing to withstand the next several years.
Whether you are looking back at your time in a crowded family house as a child or you are a parent about to have a big family, you can imagine the needs of keeping the whole group happy, healthy, and safe. Starting with providing healthy meals and a lot of space is a good place to start your seemingly never ending journey of parenthood.