|
Everything got more expensive when my daughter reached her teenage years. We had to sit down and hammer out a budget for clothes, shoes, makeup, movies and concerts. And, in addition to all of this, she is always hungry and it is quite a task to keep enough food in the house. I don't know anything about teenage boys, but I understand that they are even hungrier! Here are some easy ways to keep those teen tummies from growling without breaking the bank.
The cardinal rule for feeding my teen on the cheap is to keep my kitchen well stocked at all times. This helps cut down on the begging and pleading for fast food if I can point my daughter in the direction of the kitchen. I figure that if it is easy for my daughter to grab a bite at home, she is less likely to venture off to the mall or local convenience store and pick up junk food. Much to my daughter's dismay, you won't find soda and processed junk food in my pantry. But, I find it pretty easy to keep her appetite satiated on a budget without making her feel too deprived.
1. Cereal, cereal and more cereal! If you stock up on good whole grain cereal at your local warehouse store, you will always have a quick and healthy anytime snack for your teen and will get real bang for your buck. My daughter eats cereal for breakfast and usually has a bowl after school. I can't tell you how many nights that I have gotten out of bed for a glass of water and found my night owl daughter eating cereal. Not only is it quick and easy, but, it helps keep fiber, and if eaten with milk or milk alternatives, protein and calcium in your teen's diet.
2. DIY fun foods. I always have the ingredients for "healthier" nachos in the house. Baked corn chips and cheddar cheese can be heated under the broiler in no time. Add some salsa and you've got a cheap teen friendly snack. I also buy mini bagels and shredded part-skim mozzarella in bulk. I pre-slice the bagels before I freeze them. Then, whenever my daughter has a hankering for pizza, she can add some tomato sauce, throw on some cheese and pop them in the toaster oven. This is way more economical than phoning the pizza delivery joint. One last thing: Just say no to microwave popcorn. I keep an air popper on my counter and my daughter has a quick fiber filled snack without me having to worry about all the chemicals used in microwave popcorn. Plus, we all know how inexpensive a bag of pop corn kernels is.
3. Prep the fruits and veggies. I am all about my daughter being self-sufficient and comfortable in the kitchen. But, doing some of the work in places where she might be tempted to cut corners saves me money. My daughter likes those pre-packaged carrots and celery with ranch dressing or peanut butter, but they really are not good for my budget. When she has a pile of homework and wants something quick she can always grab pre prepped celery and dip it in peanut butter. She is more likely to pick up an apple if it is already washed. Oh, and I make sure we have plenty of 1 oz. string cheese sticks available (bought in bulk, of course) because they seem to disappear quickly around my house.
4. Boil a dozen eggs at a time. Every Sunday, I boil a dozen eggs. You can store hard-boiled eggs in the fridge for up to a week. They make a quick anytime snack and easy breakfast. My daughter even makes herself egg salad sandwiches after school. If there are any left the following Saturday, which there usually aren't, I throw them out.
5. Chocolate milk is a fair trade off. Yeah, I know, sugar and the little bit of caffeine in chocolate are not the healthiest for my daughter. But, chocolate milk, when made with low-fat or skim milk is a great source of protein and calcium and it appeals to my daughter's sweet tooth. Everybody needs a treat sometimes and I think this is one that is economical and that I can feel good about.
Teenagers are not cheap. But, hopefully these ideas will be helpful to you. If you have any suggestions or tried and true tricks for feeding teens on the cheap, be sure to leave them here in your comments!
Tags: budget feeding teens teen snack ideas |
Feeding by Age 
