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Feeding Kids on a Tight Budget

© Trula Breckenridge

Chances are that if you are a teen mother you aren't exactly rolling in money. Like most teens your job prospects are severely limited by your age. You may be living with your parents or out on your own, either way it can be a real struggle. Just to buy the basics, diapers and clothing, can be a real strain. If you have older children you know the frustration of not being able to purchase certain things they need. And when you can't buy enough food, that just sucks.

Whether you get food stamps/food card or pay for your own food makes no difference. When you have to buy food on a very small budget it is frustrating and often embarrassing, and can make you feel bad as a mother. I can recall an especially trying week of having only seven dollars to buy food. Seven dollars and an empty refrigerator to fill with enough food to last until the next week. A mean little voice whispered in my head: see, you can't cut it, everybody was right, you are too young to be a mother. If this ever happens to you, squash it! It's very helpful to remember that many older parents have rough times financially, too.

Here are a few tips and ideas that help to stretch your food dollars further:

Snacks/Junk food - Don't buy them, don't even look at them.Actually, refuse to go down the snack aisle. I like some junk food, too, but they are a drain on the pocketbook with very little nutritional value. You can try making snacks, some wholesome ones are peanut butter and crackers and carrot sticks with dip or salad dressing. Cheap and good for you, and you are teaching your kids healthy eating habits as well.

Breakfast food - I know they are tempting, especially when you have little ones whining for them, but forget about the processed, sugary cereals with the cartoon characters and such. They cost too much and the sugar and sodium content in some of these cereals is frightening. Buy the low-cost cereals like cornflakes and puffed rice (the plain, non-sugared kind).

Flour, Brown Sugar, Milk, and Eggs - Vary the amounts and with a few other ingredients with these you can make a variety of wholesome foods for your family with very little money. Some examples are pancakes, muffins, biscuits, and cakes.

What also helps is to sit down once or twice a month and plan your meals, weekly if neccessary until you get the hang of it. If you have time and the space, pre-cook your dinners and then freeze them for the week. Just as good and much cheaper than pre-made frozen dinners. Pack your lunches for school and/or work. It's also very helpful to go to discount food stores. If you have an open air market in your area check it out, you can buy bags and bags of fruit for what you would spend at a regular grocery store for a few bags of apples.

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