serious problem

Oh, and ramen noodles! They're not exactly the healthiest food in the world, but there are times when my family wouldn't be able to make it without them. For my brother Foster (he's 15) they're a lifesaver, because he eats pretty much nonstop and we're not exactly in the *greatest* financial situation.

I empathize, I do. I have had similar experiences. I don't have any suggestions in particular but I can tell you what works for me.

- I don't buy junk food and thus no one eats it.
- Food is rationed strategically each meal by type of food (grain, veggies, fruit, meat, etc), how much of each is available, how many people there are, how much they will need realistically, and how much will need to be saved if any.
- Everyone is given 1 serving size (or a little less if it's a wee one) of each type of food offered in a meal. No one gets to take more until everyone has had some (sometimes "everyone" can include people who are not yet home).
- Leftovers are used for lunches, sides for dinners, or to make entire other entrees.
- I substitute healthier snacks for junk food and I don't just mean carrot sticks and raisins. Things like baked sweet potato fries instead of chips or oatmeal cookies made without sugar, oil or eggs but instead with applesauce, some sort of dried fruit, and honey.
- What is here is what is available, you eat what there is or you don't eat at all. It doesn't take long, in my experience, for one to eat what there is.
- If anyone gives me crap about all of the food that "we don't have" because they are "starving", I remind them of what it's like to actually starve. I remind them to be grateful. This doesn't work all the time but it does a lot of the time. If nothing else it will potentially encourage some thought for future good decision making.

Buy a small locking fridge for what you need for your meals. Continue to cook meals for them but no chips etc. put leftovers from dinner that they don't eat in fridge. Mark their own containers, whatever. When they cry hungry again send them to their leftovers. If they don't want that they probably are not really hungry.

This is the ideal solution if you ask me. It was like she was reading my mind!

If this isn't an option, I say lock up the food and they can earn it back. The problem with that is that this is summer time, they are boys and the first time you are in the shower they will be picking or removing the lock.

I was going to say stop buying junk food but looks like everyone else has that covered.

If they are hungry, they will eat whatever is available.

Recoiljpr...... if they would EAT the food I made and not ALL the snacks and junk and treats in one or two days I wouldn't care.

Well, then don't get snacks for a few weeks and only give them plenty of food you cook. They will eat it, I promise they won't starve. :-)

Yeah, it sucks you can't keep a few treats for yourself, but for now that's really your only choice. Show them you mean business by not buying a single snack food for a while. They will get the picture.

This! Stop buying snacks! One a month maybe and ration them out into baggies with names on them. Offer healthier snacks. If produce is expensive where you are hit up farmers markets. They are probably hungry all the time because what they are eating is not nutrient dense.

You give them two choices, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT! My parents did this and it worked. They won't starve but by continuing to buy junk you are enabling them to continue the same behaviors. As a mother of a child who was over weight until I put my foot down and stopped being in denial, I can relate but YOU ARE THE PARENT!

Hello I also know what it's like to live off of tiny, tiny grocery budgets. It stinks, plain and simple. And with 3 boys?? I have no idea how you do it! In my family there is myself (21), my mom, and my baby sister (6) and we have trouble keeping up sometimes.

I have to agree with a lot of people about ditching the snacks, at least some of them. Certain snacks, like chips, are what I call "slider foods", meaning that you can eat hordes of them without feeling "full" (makes sense since they squish down so little when you chew them). I wouldn't even have them in the house at all. Its just not worth it, even though they are cheap.

I second the person who suggested the "make it yourself popcorn". Not only is it healthier, but it is cheaper and easy to make. You can make it in large quantities and put it in baggies, it will keep for a couple days.

The milk... not sure what to say on that one. On the one hand, it is good for them and its pretty much a must-have when it comes to cereal. I would maybe tell them "once its gone, i'm not buying anymore" and make them eat their cereal dry or with water.

As much as I'm generally against having spaghetti as the main part of your meal, there is no denying that it is both cheap AND filling. Maybe make extra the nights you make it for dinner, so that it is around for a couple days as "snacks" or lunches. Bread and peanut butter is another great one since it is filling. Frozen grapes are the only way we have "fresh" fruit in our house, but my sister loves them. Grapes are probably the cheapest fruit you can get. You could buy it on sale, place them flat on a cookie sheet overnight and then transfer them into a baggie to store (so they don't freeze together). It tastes sweeter this way (according to my sister) and is a very healthy snack for her.

As for staying away from YOUR foods. I would get either a box (that is not deep, like the cardboard when you buy bottled water) or a storage container that fits in your fridge. Label it "MOM"S FOOD, DO NOT TOUCH" and place your yogurt, your milk (maybe buy them the gallon and a half gallon or a small bottle for yourself), etc, in this. Tell them they can have whatever they want that is NOT in that box, and that once its gone, its gone and too bad. If they won't respect your items that are clearly labelled, then this is a deeper issue.

This also reminds me of something we did for my sister when she was too young to understand what was "okay" to snack on and what wasn't. I did the box thing I mentioned above and every night I, or my mom, would make sure all of her "approved" foods were in there. We would put cheese sticks, yogurt, fruit, etc. But we would only put ONE cheese stick in the box or ONE granola bar or a baggie with a handful of crackers. She did not have to ask for a snack, because she knew she was allowed whatever was in the box. If she ate it, it was gone and she would have to chose something else. Maybe this would work for your boys? Make them eat a section. I know its in the fridge, but you could put ONE bag of popcorn in their box. Maybe if they could visualize what is allowed and what isn't it would help?

It sounds like your main problem is keeping them away from it. But since they are obviously little blood hounds, I still think the best thing is to simply not have those items in the house. We've also had to get food from a food pantry before, it stinks and it is humbling, but it is worth it when you truly need it. They also often have non-food items like toilet paper that can really add to a grocery bill. (((hugs))) Hang in there, and good luck!

What my mom did:

Stopped buying junk food. Seriously, just stop.

Cooked 2-3 times a week, but would fill up the fridge with tupperware. She'd cook food for 2-3 days each time and just put it in the fridge in "portions" so if we were hungry, we could go in, grab a tupperware meal, microwave it and be done. It worked really nicely because we were too lazy to cook, but we couldn't use the "there's no food" argument because there was, and it gave us a pretty well rounded diet.

It's not my place to tell people how to parent - all I can do is share my own experience. For myself, I had to stop enabling poor eating habits for my kids. In my quest to change my life and be healthy, I knew I had to get the kids on board. The first month was extremely unpleasant and they complained every.single.day. But now, a few months into the journey, their tune is pretty different. I had to stop purchasing junk food. Other posters are spot on. Quit buying the mindless eating foods. Keep your fridge and pantry full of fruits, veggies, jello, etc.

Prepare yourself: they'll freak out. They'll complain. They'll tell you they're going to die because they're so hungry. I promise, they will survive! And so you will you.

Set your boundaries and most importantly....keep them.

May I ask something personal? Are your kids thankful for the food they have? I know mine were not. I started making bags for homeless people to keep in my car and involved my kids in it. Doing that gave us the opportunity to discuss that while sometimes we have to keep a crazy tight budget, we have what we need. As my kids began handing out these bags, they began to discover that others go hungry. Others have no bed to sleep in. Others don't have a family like ours. Perhaps it might be good for your kids to volunteer at a food bank or get involved in a service project. Just my opinion, but changing what you keep in your pantry is part of the issue. There is a heart-issue involved as well.

Hang in there. You are diligent in providing for them, you're diligent in loving them. Be diligent in helping them learn the value of what you bring home for them to consume.

Buy a small locking fridge for what you need for your meals. Continue to cook meals for them but no chips etc. put leftovers from dinner that they don't eat in fridge. Mark their own containers, whatever. When they cry hungry again send them to their leftovers. If they don't want that they probably are not really hungry.

^ This ^

When my son was a teenager, we had to do this. Hid the mini fridge in our closet, he never knew it was there. Once we quit buying chips, popcorn & other snacks and he realized the only thing there was to eat in the house was leftovers, he caved. I still have the fridge, by the way, and he is 28 now, still doesn't know about the fridge.