serious problem

I really don't know where else to go to get ideas or vent. I am on my cell phone so yeah, I'll be txt typing.

I have a VERY limited budget for food. As in @$75 per week for 5 people and 3 of those are growing boys.
I buy healthy lasting items (freezer bulk things) and try to get a few things like a bag or 2 of chips or popcorn for a snack to last a few days.

Today I went to the store and spent $35 on enough food for 4 days. I got 2 gallons of milk and cereal for them for the next 2 mornings. They have been told over and over and over DRINK WATER or koolaid.

Tonight I go in the kitchen to get my 8 oz milk with my protein mix....ALL the cereal is gone. There is no milk left. The chips are gone. I am almost completely out of food again! This happens every time I go to the store!
There is hamburger chicken potatoes green beans corn carrots and water left until Saturday.

When I make food they wont eat it. Then cry they are hungry. I am not a short order cook. This is not a restaurant. If I cook breakfast lunch dinner from now til Saturday the food wont last.

I thought of getting a locking cabinet but I shouldn't have to lock up food.
They are pigs. They are inconsiderate and thoughtless. This has gone on for MONTHS!
I have grounded, taken things, stopped buying treats, and yes I've busted their *kitten*. I don't care that they eat SOME but they eat ALL. Example ..I'll buy the 25 pk of popcorn for 2 weeks. Every last one is GONE within 2 DAYS. I've tried hiding food. Locking my bedroom door. Doesn't work. They ask to get something like batteries and go in, next thing ya know popcorn has 1 by 1 disappeared.
They aren't starving. They are healthy and active.
what would you do? I'm so tired of running out of food because they think they have to eat it all the day I buy it.

I had 4 boys and a girl. I know what you are talking about here. At his worst, (I was counting!) my oldest son once ate SIX DINNER SIZED MEALS between lunch and dinner, including the dinner I cooked! Yes, the male teens can EAT!!

This is what I did...we had no junk in the house because I had a grocery budget to stick to, and I stuck to it the best I could, and it wasn't very much more than yours. I cooked dinner and they ate it or not, but I never, ever threw out food they didn't or couldn't eat. It was saved until their next meal if they had taken it and didn't finish. (Youngest son currently has a half eaten plate of mac and cheese in the fridge because he had a horrible headache last night and wasn't up to eating much.) They could have fruit for snacks, and sometimes I bought the huge boxes of pretzels at Sams Club, which came with 4 gigantic bags in them and only cost $6 at the time.

I didn't buy sweet cereals unless I got them for a killer deal (I'm quite adept at using coupons with sales), so they ate breakfast, but never tons of it. I packed their lunches for school. They could have a sandwich, or soup or leftovers warmed up and put into a thermos in their lunchboxes. With that I gave them a serving of crackers and some fruit. Their drink was either water or KoolAid made from the .10 packets.

Our dinners are simple, rarely with what I call "identifiable meat". That means that I rarely serve a roast, or chicken, and steak is like a Christmas treat here, we so rarely see it in our house. I do buy and cook those meats, but a roast becomes bits of meat for stew, soup, fried rice, stir fry, or barbecue beef sandwiches. Same thing with chicken. Steak is usually used for fajitas, stir fries, and sometimes for steak salad. I focus more on serving beans and vegetables, which are more filling and help cut down on my boy's snacking needs.

Someone else mentioned buying the kind of popcorn that you pop yourself. That is what I do, and the kids love it when I make a pot or two of it on the stove. It's a healthy, filling snack, and costs mere cents! I wish you the best of luck with your hungry horde, but know that this too shall pass. Your food purchases will likely just have to change a bit to help keep your boys from being like locusts when you come home with the groceries.

My advice would be too lay down the law. Tell them flat out that you can't afford for them to be eating up all the food. When you make dinner, that's their only choice no if ands or buts. If they don't eat it they go to bed hungry. let it be known milk is for cereal only and you can't afford to be buying everything multiple times a week. Let them know snacks are to only be eaten when you say so and they must ask permission before doing so. And set consequences if they disobey and most importantly stick to it. It may sound strict but my dad was a single father to two boys and two girls and this worked in our house.

Get a lock cabinet is you think that is what is needed.
I'm not a mother, and I'm only 21 but I know what I was like when I was younger.
Me and my brother used to do stuff just like that, and honestly I wish my mom had done something about it.
If I had been forced to break my bad eating habits, I probably wouldn't be as 'fat' as I am now. lol.


I just think it's important for kids to learn healthy eating habits, and how to eat in moderation.

lock up the food .. period ..

feed them when its time to eat ...

if they dont like what you are giving them thats to bad... they can wait until they are hungry enough to eat it ...

its simple .. just do it

the hardest part of being a mother is doing whats best for your family.... i might be hard but you have to do it

i have a 7 year old boy who tries that picky eater crap but NEVER gets away with it ... he pulls it on his grandmother and if he thinks im not paying attention he will try it on his father but the second i look at him he eats it right up ... im the boss, the boss says eat... you eat.

If they don't eat what you put in front of them then they don't eat. It might be harsh, but sometimes it comes down to that. You buy the food, you decide what people eat; so, if you keep catering to your children avoiding cooked food in favor of 'junk' because you will simply buy more 'junk' before the other food is all gone why should they change their habits? Currently, your children don't have to change because there are no consequences to what they do now. Mom gets mad, but it's a joke and nothing really comes of it. Change that now, it is a terrible learned behavior (for both you and your children) and yes it would be nice if they simply respected you and did what you asked, but they don't and changing requires proof that there's a negative to not doing what you've asked of them.

Additionally, if you handle this by not making it into an adversarial encounter, and simply lay out the facts of the situation, your children may actually come to respect you and others more in the future and not be so egocentric, which is honestly one of the greatest life lessons any one of us can learn.

I would stop buying them snacks. And then they would have to eat the more filling food. That's just my opinion.

This depends on how old yous boys are, but have you considered talking to them about the financial issues you're having, and how their habits upset this?

They may not really get it if they're younger, but if they're a bit older maybe this can help get them to control themselves a little.
I don't think you should ever shy away from saying "We can't afford it."

Ok reading all these replies ...I need to clarify some things.
I don't buy snack cakes. When I buy chips/Doritos its for when we have hamburgers for dinner. Not just to have around.
I stock up on tons of fruits and veggies. I buy the 2 pound jars of peanut butter. I get 1% milk. I make homemade bread, biscuits, pancakes, etc..(Sam's has 25# flour $7!!)
I buy freezer items in bulk ...ground chuck, chicken, pork,
I get plain yogurt and add my own fruit.
When I get popcorn its 1 box to last 2 weeks for 5 ppl.
When I talk of "junk" to me that is ramen noodles ..which a 12pk box disappears in under 3 days. Or tortillas with shredded cheese ..which disappears the same nite.

I shop by meal. Like breakfast lunch dinner for each day. So when I make burgers and the chips are gone it throws off that meal. Or when we have spaghetti and they eat the corn on the cob. It throws off the meal..I have to find another veggie to replace it.

I think when I said junk y'all thought I meant ho ho's and fruit pies and cheetos and ding dongs ...that to me is garbage and doesn't come in this house.

I just wish they would eat what is placed in front of them and use moderation with snacks.

Sounds like you're pretty sorted with working out what goes with what when you buy it... but do your kids know? My aunty has a whiteboard on her fridge and the meals for the week are written up. Her kids are awesome in the kitchen (they're 10 and 12) and they start preparing dinner when they get home from school before she gets in from work. This COULD work for your kids - not that they have to prepare the meal, but that they know what in the fridge is designated for which meal. You could also do as other have said and prepare a couple of meals in advance so that they can snack on them.

Honestly it doesn't sound like you get a lot of food. Growing boys are hungry. If you can't afford to pay for food, would you consider applying for assistance? There's no way you can all eat off of that budget healthily, unless you are growing your own food as well.

Okay On top of this, I read OPs reply and see how they make their budget work. I understand the frustration of them not eating what you make but what if they just don't like it? I mean, there is stuff that I would not ever eat unless I was literally dying.

Many others have said this, but I suggest not buying any junk food. My mom was a single mom and raised us 3 kids on her own. We were poor. She never bought treats, tasty cereal or junk food. We had cheerios or bran flakes, whole wheat bread, fruit and other normal foods. She never bought pop, chips, sugar cereal, fruit snacks ect...I lived, and I am healthier because of it. So just don't give them the option. If they are really starving they will eat what you have made for them.

AGAIN LET ME SAY

I DONT BY CANDY OR SNACK CAKES OR THAT TYPE OF JUNK.
WHAT I MEAN BY JUNK IS RAMEN NOODLES POPCORN JELLO

WHEN I BUY CEREAL I BUY ORIGINAL CHEERIOS SHREDDED WHEAT CORN FLAKES BRAN FLAKES I DO NOT BUY PRE SWEETENED GARBAGE.
I DO NOT BUY POP. EVER. NOT AT BALLGAMES. NOT FOR HOME.

I AM TALKING ABOUT SNACKS LIKE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND NUTS AND YOGURTS AND EDAMAME

PLEASE STOP TELLING ME TO STOP BUYING "CANDY AND JUNK FOOD AND GET HEALTHY FOOD"

BECAUSE I DONT BUY IT!!! THE ISSUE IS THEY EAT IT ALL!!!


HOW MUCH CLEARER DO I NEED TO BE?!

SO DON'T BUY RAMEN NOODLES, POPCORN AND JELLO!

If they are snacking on fruit, that's great.

You say they aren't old enough to cook, but they are old enough to be helping themselves to the food in the kitchen all the time. Honestly, they sound really disrespectful. If you are feeding them enough, which it sounds like you are, they should not be ALLOWED to help themselves constantly. If you have to resort to locking the cupboard, I guess that's all you can do, but you should be able to prevent them by other measures. I would have never done that to my mother when I was younger, if I did, I knew I would be in trouble if I got caught.