Feeding A Large Family of Nine with a Small Budget

Have you ever wondered how a family larger than yours pays for their groceries? Especially when you're pretty sure they don't make as much money as your family does and they have more teenagers that eat a lot? Here is how we go about feeding a large family of nine.

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(I originally made this post in June 2018, before I had my eighth child. Now, one of my adult children is married, so we are still feeding nine when my college daughter is home.)

A question I often get asked about our large family of nine is, “How in the world do you feed them all with only one full time income?” or something similar to those words.  I often answer that God provides us with what we need.  I know that I also need to be wise and careful with what He does provide.  I do make a lot of meals by scratch, like pancakes.

Price Notebook

I keep a spiral paper notebook (I am old-fashioned – you could do this on a spreadsheet) that is alphabetized by the type of item I purchase, for example Peanut Butter.

Then I list what store it is at and how much money it costs and the weight of the product and the brand. This helps me to see where I can save money. Also, if there is a loss leader or sale, I look in my notebook to see if it really is a good deal or not. If it is, I will stock up on those items because I know it is a great price.

Staples

Our family's favorite place to buy the bulk of our food is at Aldi.  It is a small store, but they have almost everything we need for low prices.  They have a Double Guarantee: “Our unbeatable double guarantee. 100% satisfaction or we will replace the product and refund the money.”

The Extras

DollarTree.com is a great place to order food items and have them delivered to you.  I will often get snacks, spices and condiments like mayonnaise, ketchup and pancake syrup here.

Specialty Foods

Another place that I like to shop meal kits, farm crates, and specialty food boxes is at Walmart.com.  These are nice if you have special diets like: gluten-free, organic, caffeine-free, dairy-free or vegan.

Yet another great place to order food online is through Amazon Grocery. They also have gluten-free grocery items, plus many popular brands. There are even coupons to save even more money too. They have some great deals on coffee.

Local Food Pantry

We have also received food from a local food pantry when times are tight. Recently, we were able to get food from Ruby's Pantry. There may be one near you. Anyone can qualify, regardless of income for this one.

Make a List of What You Have Before Shopping

Before you shop, make a list of everything you have and think of what meals you could make to use it up. Now, you may just need to add a topping like cheese or sour cream, or you may need a side like rice or pasta. Or, you may just need some protein. This always helps me because I won't need to buy as much, just a small part of the meal that I don't have yet.

I hope you will get a chance to make your own price notebook or spreadsheet and see how your family can save the most money on each type of item.

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