serious problem UPDATE!!

I know what you mean, I can remember when my children were young, I wanted to put a padlock on anything that had food in it so we could have something for the next meal.

They're growing boys. Eating everything in sight is their default mode. If you don't want them eating a weeks' worth of food in one day, don't buy a weeks' worth of food in one day. And if you're as hard-up for cash as you say you are maybe you should consider skipping the protein powder. You said your kids are healthy, so they must be getting protein somehow right? You don't need much more protein than they do (they might even need more, depending on their age), so why can't you just get it from the same foods they're getting it from?

I have the exact same problem. I bought three 5 lb bags of apples and they are gone in 2 days! 5 lbs. of seedless grapes = 4 hours. bananas maybe an hour. Oranges last longer just because they don't like peeling them.

But at least I know they are eating good food and not junk.

That's because recommending you keeping tons cheap, healthy ACCESSIBLE snacks around is the best way to get around this. Not saying your kids eat poorly, or are under fed, just that they obviously want a larger volume of food, and the correct response here is to give it to them.

That's as close as I can come to constructive. Feel victimized by the reaction you received if you want, but many, many people here have issues directly related to parents with attitudes similar to yours. It's possible that you're just not good at expressing yourself. I hope you're more respectful and loving than you sound. If not, your attitude is truly despicable.

Mine eat constantly too. It's crazy how quickly food goes in our house:-0 Anyhow, here's a few recipe ideas (I'm kind of a pinterest addict):
Roasted Chickpeas: http://www.caramelpotatoes.com/2012/05/10/crunchy-roasted-chickpeas/
Oatmeal Squares: http://gingerbreadbagels.com/2011/03/22/peanut-butter-banana-oatmeal-squares/
Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups: http://outoftheboxfood.com/2011/09/04/foot-long-fruit-roll-up-recipe-update-frozen-berries/
31 High Protein Snacks: http://greatist.com/health/high-protein-snacks-portable/

AMEM, Sista!

Have you tried setting up snack times in between meals? Like a 10 am and 3pm snack?

Good luck with this...I posted a question similar to this and was bashed to smithereens by some people. I have three teens that are all athletes and in peak condition; we eat very healthy; however...I was not. The older kids are my step kids, but we've had them for over 7 years, and then my husband and I had two. When my little guys were babies, I got into some very bad habits (mainly drinking coffee all day and only eating at night once they were down and the pounds packed on!). So when I started MFP, I started buying fat free yogurt (along with the regular) and some other "adult" health food - and my teens went to town on it. I also grocery shop for the week, and had the same issue with my boys eating the ingredients for the meals before I could make them. I totally understand your frustration. I finally just had to lay down the law...and pretty much threaten to end their lives as they know it if they couldn't respect the food and needs of the whole family. When I get done with the shopping, I tell them what the plans are for meals, and that helps as well. They can eat the fruit that is out on the counter; I always have a ton of bread and peanut butter and jelly available; I buy eggs 5 dozen at a time (which they will consume in about a week), and we go through about a gallon of milk a day. For my boys...I think it is more of a "I'm going to eat it before he does!" mentality...(they are 14 and 16), and it drives me bonkers. There is nothing worse than going to get a meal ready for the family and finding out that someone ate your ingredients! They also know that the next time that happens, they get cereal for dinner. We live 10 miles from the nearest store, so I refuse to drop everything to run to the store.

Just talk to your kids, make it very clear to them what the plans are for the food for the family, and if that is not being respected, come up with a consequence and stick to your guns. (Don't with-hold food, though! I'm talking about something like extra dish duty, etc...). When you have a large family and need to stick to a budget - every member of the family needs to respect that so that everyone gets to eat. If they are old enough...have them help with the planning and shopping. That has seemed to help on my end, too. Good luck!