Feeding The Masses

I went grocery shopping for all of our holiday groceries--whoa! Feeding two teenagers is getting really expensive--especially during the holidays! While our grocery list is changing and there are no longer lots of kids snacks and treats on the list, there are many things replacing those outgrown items. I used to buy kids cereals, fruit snacks, kids fruit drinks, etc. Now I buy whole grain cereals, healthier (and more expensive) snacks, and drinks such as coffee and colas. I think groceries are just getting more expensive anyway--as the cost of gas goes up, so does everything else (to compensate). The trucks that bring in the milk have to spend more on fuel, so the cost gets distributed to the milk and other products. I've noticed that a lot lately--milk has definitely gone up a lot in the past year or so. Then add the more expensive items that my teens like--plus add larger quantities because they eat more now--our grocery bills are getting ridiculous! You know the saying, "They are eating us out of house and home"--well, it's kind of true with teenagers! A large part of our monthly bills goes to feeding them! And they really don't eat THAT much--they don't overeat and they are not overweight. Still, it takes a lot of groceries (and money) to satisfy their growing appetites. They seem to be getting taller by the minute! I guess feeding them through the growth spurts will eventually taper off, but right now they seem to be ravenous after school each day. I gladly do it, but I am sometimes astounded by the large quantities of groceries our family consumes each week. Maybe we can analyze our list and cut some corners here and there. But the holiday meals and special treats were wonderful and well worth it!