10 Reasons the Whole Family Should Get Groceries

Maybe there are people who enjoy grocery shopping, but I think most of us consider it a chore. However, it is one of those necessary evils. We need food to feed our families and the vast majority of us get all our food from a grocery store. This can be a pretty thankless job, so why not get the rest of the family involved? Here are 10 reasons the whole family should help get the groceries.

1. Get input – When trying to decide what food to buy it’s great to get some input from the rest of the family. The primary grocery shopper can get in a rut and tend to keep getting the same stuff week after week. Other family members can help come up with new ideas.
2. Compare prices – Family members tend to complain about the choices made by the main shopper. Being in the store and comparing prices may help them realize the big price difference between name brands and store brands.
3. Personal tastes – Each family member has their own personal tastes. By having the family along groceries can be purchased to cater to each person’s tastes instead of just one. Someone who doesn’t like mushrooms is less likely to want to buy them for someone else.
4. More eyes – Getting groceries week after week can put you on automatic pilot and you may miss things. More sets of eyes will notice in-store specials or new products you would normally pass up.
5. Appreciation – Other family members don’t usually appreciate what a burden it is for one person to get groceries. Each item purchased is handled at least 6 times before it reaches the shelf at home. Get the rest of the family to do all the work and they may gain new appreciation for your previous efforts.
6. Team effort – Having the rest of the family to pitch in will make getting groceries a team effort. Get the whole family to help make the list and form a plan. Give each member a special job to do and the shopping will be a snap.
7. Share the load – More hands make for a lighter task for everyone. Each person can grab one bag and make toting groceries a breeze. Nothings worse than having to wrangle groceries all by yourself.
8. Sticker shock – Most family members don’t have any idea how much the grocery bill is. Having them along when the clerk rings up the total may come as a complete surprise. After the sticker shock wears off, get everyone to help do their part to get that bill down.
9. See what’s available – Family members who have never seen the inside of a grocery store have no idea what’s actually available. They can then help come up with new ideas for what to make for dinner.
10. Educational – Grocery shopping can be a very educational experience for kids. Use the time to help them work on their math skills. This gives children a hands-on realistic reason for learning arithmetic.

On the other hand, if you’re not careful, having the whole family along can really make the grocery bill increase. You’ll need to be sure to lay down some ground rules before you start and let them know what the limit is. This will be a great opportunity to get the whole family involved in limiting the grocery budget. The family should be happier getting the food they like and helping with the process. The next time they grab a snack or eat a meal, they’ll know how much it cost and what it takes to get it in their home. Hopefully, they’ll appreciate it.

Taken From Au Pair