Family Home Evening Helps:

There’s one Monday night activity that has become a family holiday tradition. When our children still lived at home, we would go to the grocery store each December as a family and shop for food storage. We gave each person (or sometimes we organized into teams) a set amount of money to purchase food storage items.

The first year each person was asked to purchase things that began with their initials. For instance, Eric Marcus could buy items such as elbow macaroni, mustard, or egg noodles. One year we decided to purchase ingredients for our favorite meals. Some years our teams consisted of family members paired off, boys against girls, or parents against children.

We then compared our shopping receipts to see who had spent the closest amount to the allotted budget without going over. Or sometimes we rewarded the one who had the most items or the one who was the fastest shopper. Then together we put all our items away at home.

This tradition was such fun that we’ve continued it with our children’s families. Though we still offer rewards to the thriftiest shopper, our biggest reward is knowing that at least once a year we are contributing to our food storage needs—and having fun together.
Shirley Oakes, Illinois