Last summer I worked all summer. What a bizarre thing to say to a working full timer; but having worked in education for 20 years and then not worked for the next 6 years I had always been home for the summer. But last summer I worked… as a family this didn’t suit us well and was one of the drivers that prompted me to find my current job which is term time only, but that is a story for another day. So last summer as quickly as I jumped for joy realizing that I wouldn’t have to pack lunches for the next 10 weeks I realized that the girls would still need to eat and as I would be at work this would be independent eat and could easily become an eat everything that isn’t nailed down graze from the time they woke up until the time I got home from work to cook them dinner. So I needed a plan!

This took the shape of the “$20 breakfast and lunch challenge”… as we grocery shopped I gave each girl $20 and they had to use it to purchase everything but standard basics that they would need for breakfast and lunch (and snacks) for the coming week. It was a wonderful challenge; they engaged in the grocery shopping process more than they had ever done before, not one time all summer did I hear either of them say ‘there’s nothing to eat here!’. Week one was interesting, they both came in under budget, one made far more healthy choices than the other and one decided she would try to live on ‘gushers’ for the week, something I don’t normally buy. Both went off in search of cheese, but both decided it was too expensive to buy and I guess they have a point! As summer wore on the repetitive nature took its toll and they realized to eat every week they had to shop every week, what an amazing life lesson! They soon realized that an expensive outlay one week, like a box of cereal would last past one week, so would make a cheaper shop the following week. They got better at pooling resources and buying things between then, even saving cash some weeks to go out to brunch or lunch together.

A year on and I feel we’ve all forgotten some of the lessons learnt, but some still remain… they both remember that cheese is expensive for example! In hindsight $20 was too much to give them each, but I started with $20 so I felt I had to finish with $20. In reviewing the challenge in my head as it finished last year I had anticipated some issues and changes that would be needed; one daughter would be heading off to college, so won’t be eating breakfasts or lunches with us for the whole summer and I had hoped my new term time only job would make things a little easier for us all round. Little did I anticipate the other problems that we would face this year, so I am a little sad not to have been able to implement the challenge yet; living in a hotel between houses and the current supply chain issues and social distancing requirements have caused additional concerns making it a non starter for us right now.

I had intended to add a component that meant the girls had to shop for at least one evening meal too that they had to prepare for us all; always a challenge balancing food likes, intolerances with a vegetarian diet for one. I really should have added that last year since I was working and they were home all day. And maybe if I ever get to start the challenge this summer I’ll allocate myself $20 to spend on a nice bottle of wine each week, just to help me get through the summer, the move and the impending partially empty nest… 

If you decide to take up the challenge in your household I’d love to know how it goes! Tell me how you adapt my initial idea and what works and doesn’t work for you and your family. Please stay safe as a family if you are grocery shopping together, wear your masks and keep those essential store workers safe too.

Be kind, be gentle…

Denise xoxo