[PortlandCouponFinder]

I don't know about all you moms out there but it seems like whenever we take our kids with us to do our grocery shopping we end up spending WAY TOO much money on impulse buys which, in turn, blows our couponing strategy and budget.

When our kids were under 5 (they're 6 & 8 now) we could leave them in Fred Meyers' Playland and do our shopping (one of the best ideas Fred Meyers ever came up with) but now they are older that's not an option.

Usually my wife can send them over to a friend's house for a playdate so we can do the shopping.

Do y'all take your kids with you when you grocery shop, or if not, what do you do with them?

[brook6]

not sure how the kids are driving the impulse buys, but here are some ideas...

- make sure everyone has eaten before you leave home
- try not to go when store is super-busy, more distractions!
- make a list! include what Qs you use [do this at home!]
- split the list and get done faster...2 baskets parent/kid on each...make it fun
- use the kids - runners, tally the bill, find blinkies/tearpads
- start logging the savings as a family and make a plan to do something special with it...that will drive everyone towards the same goal

I shopped with 4 boys!!!

this also teaches responsibility! by the time they were teenage drivers, I was able to send them to get the groceries for the whole family for the week!

[courtne21]

I try not to ever shop with my 2 1/2 yr old. He's awesome in a store, but I can't stay focused. Plus, if he's in the cart, there's no room for my coupon binder and I'm afraid I'll miss a deal. :<} If I have to go to the store, I try to leave work about 30 mins early and knock out my shopping on the way to pick him up from my mom's house.

[FreebieMama]

I have to bring the kids everywhere with me - they are 2 and 4. But their greatest joy is pulling blinkies and tearpads, and the free cookie from the bakery. They know they don't get candy and cookies. If there is a choice in something(which flavor of yogurt, cheese or cereal, etc.), I let my 4 yr old DD choose. At CVS, we usually get a pack of sugar-free gum as our filler, and that is their treat.

No impulse buys here - I have a list and stick to it.

[carmended]

yes i have to bring my kids with me they are 4 and 3 and they are a nightmare most of the time, but I kinda like the chaos, I feel lonely when I go by myself. :-)
oh and usually my impulse buys come from my dh, who i never buy things for

[roggehdd]

I have a soon to be six and three year old. I have noticed in the last year that they have been voicing their opinions about what they want. I have tried to let them pick out one thing but it turns into saying no to ten things. I LOVE SHOPPING by myself when I can, I can sure tell the difference!

[joshmamabear]

if DH or big sis goes shopping, I'll take him. if not, we'll just stay home or do something else. I cannot concentrate on what I planned to buy and my computations get all messed up if its just me and DS. He is my greatest deterrent to frequent shopping and I'm beginning to appreciate those days

[PortlandCouponFinder]

Originally Posted by brook6

not sure how the kids are driving the impulse buys, but here are some ideas...

- make sure everyone has eaten before you leave home
- try not to go when store is super-busy, more distractions!
- make a list! include what Qs you use [do this at home!]
- split the list and get done faster...2 baskets parent/kid on each...make it fun
- use the kids - runners, tally the bill, find blinkies/tearpads
- start logging the savings as a family and make a plan to do something special with it...that will drive everyone towards the same goal

I shopped with 4 boys!!!

this also teaches responsibility! by the time they were teenage drivers, I was able to send them to get the groceries for the whole family for the week!

Great ideas, thanks!

[PortlandCouponFinder]

Originally Posted by roggehdd

I have a soon to be six and three year old. I have noticed in the last year that they have been voicing their opinions about what they want. I have tried to let them pick out one thing but it turns into saying no to ten things. I LOVE SHOPPING by myself when I can, I can sure tell the difference!

Yeah, and this isn't lost on advertisers either! It's not surprising that advertisers start marketing directly to children at a very young age.

[kimmyann123]

yes, i take my 10 yr dd and give her qs,she loves to look for the stuff,but sometimes if shes in a mood oy!!!

[bethaliz6894]

i take the kids with me dd8 ds6 ds3, i feel if they dont go they wont learn how to behaveand what is expected at the store. My kids have learned if there is no coupon then there is no getting. I usually do let them get one small treat. dd8 usually wants a can of black olives and ds3 wants a penny for the horse. ds6 the middle child wants a simple candy bar. they were never given a lot of treats so they dont expect the treats. if they ever do act like i have to get them something then they get nothing. one fight and they get nothing. if they see something later in the store they want more then we walk the first treat back to its spot. after a few times they really think hard about what they want. to bad i dont have hubby as well trained.

[jingram]

my problem is not buying extra but being distracted. My 6 yo boy talks CONSTANTLY. I can't do the math in my head (if I run across a special) with my child telling me about everything on each shelf, every person in the store, the lights, the signs...you get the picture.

[joshmamabear]

Originally Posted by jingram

my problem is not buying extra but being distracted. My 6 yo boy talks CONSTANTLY. I can't do the math in my head (if I run across a special) with my child telling me about everything on each shelf, every person in the store, the lights, the signs...you get the picture.

I could have said that myself

DS is always excited about everything he sees. if he sees someone we know...."Ma...look there's Mrs M! there's the boy who rides the bike, there's Miss pretty BA...." Come here ma, I'll show you something....and so on and so forth. I'm about ready to get out the door when he starts doing this

[jingram]

Originally Posted by joshmamabear

I could have said that myself

DS is always excited about everything he sees. if he sees someone we know...."Ma...look there's Mrs M! there's the boy who rides the bike, there's Miss pretty BA...." Come here ma, I'll show you something....and so on and so forth. I'm about ready to get out the door when he starts doing this

that's exactly right!!!! You can't think when that is going on.....sometimes you just have to laugh...it is crazy

[shanabme]

Absolutely! I have always taken my kids with me when I grocery shopped. They learned to shop, how to read labels, why to read labels, to look at price per ounce,use coupons, all that great stuff.

Each one would have a job on each aisle. The younger the kid, the less complex the job.
It started out before they could read with having them find a certain color box - we called it shopping for a purple box when we were looking for the raisin bran on the list. If they found all the colors on their list, they got to pick out that weeks ice cream. Later it was using a tiny memo book and pen to write down how much something was and then a calculator to track how much money mom spent. They got pretty good with their colors and using the calculator. Both of them learned to stick to the list and do their shopping job because that was how they acheived the goal of a treat or some other activity.

If they were misbehaved or insistent on an item, one warning, then no treat, on three we left the store. That only happened twice and one of them was when my DD was 16. They aren't/weren't the parents nor in control of what was purchased, my husband and I were. It was up to us to show them boundaries and stick to them.

I still take my daughter, today. She is the youngest at 22 and is finishing up her last year of college. A lot of the time, she does the shopping when I am out of town for work. Wild to hear her tell her Dad "that isn't on the list" or "we'll have to check for a coupon". I think it's funny when she tells her friends what totals are before and after Q's or pulls out Q's for places they are going.

[shopalgood]

My kids are 20 months and nearly 4. I try to be super organized but when something is out I have trouble coming up with the alternative plans. I am pretty good about sticking to the list, its more common that I forget something or drop a coupon and don't realize it. I do shop where the have double carts because its still hard to keep my DD with me at all times when I am trying to read labels and prices, ect, but that isn't always possible either. I feel like I spend the whole time disaplining them rather than teaching them anything....in time. Although tonight my DS learned how to touch gently after smacking his sister upside the head and pulling her hair....It takes me at least 30% longer to shop with them and adds 50% more stress! I hope I learn to be a better mom while shopping!

[coupondiva55]

Actually, I used to spend more when I took them, but now - I say, if we don't have a coupon we don't get it. My oldest help me by not getting distracted from the cashier and I can keep an eye on my purchase while she takes care of the little one. She's a big help!!

[Ms Coo P'on]

Originally Posted by courtne21

I try not to ever shop with my 2 1/2 yr old. He's awesome in a store, but I can't stay focused. Plus, if he's in the cart, there's no room for my coupon binder and I'm afraid I'll miss a deal. :<} If I have to go to the store, I try to leave work about 30 mins early and knock out my shopping on the way to pick him up from my mom's house.

If I take my 2yo with me I make him walk to make room for the binder...LOL

My husband does almost 90% of our coupon shopping since he has several days off every week. He will shop Albes early mornings or late at night {they are open from 6AM to Midnight} and I will do all the Target deals. He will generally try to get all the shopping done before the kids {2 1/2, 4 and 13} wake up or late at night while they are sleeping. I will sometimes take ONE child with me and a lot of the time my 4yo alone is fine….I give him a coupon and it’s his job to find the item, if I have the 2 little ones with me they seem to tag team me and I’m out numbered. We try to have “date” night every other weekend and one weekend we spent our time at the grocery store {LOL}

With my oldest…..she was great to shop with and we had a little deal that if she helped me find the item on my coupon I would give her the amount we saved and she would put it in her little piggy bank, it was a great little incentive for her to concentrate on helping me and not getting distracted by impulse items. Needless to say that was several years ago and it no longer works.

[PortlandCouponFinder]

Originally Posted by Ms Coo P'on

My husband does almost 90% of our coupon shopping since he has several days off every week.

It's nice to hear that I am not the only couponing dad.

[preciousgirl1120]

My girls are 15,14,12 and 6. I'd rather take the 6yr old with me than the older ones... They ask for everything. The 6yr old only ask me to get her some cinnamon pretzel sticks from Aunte Anne while we are shopping. Them older ones drive me crazy. The 12 yr old and 6 yr old always fight, so I never take them two together. Now that school is getting ready to start again, I'll enjoy going by myself and taking my time. I NEVER shop with DH ( he's worse than the kids), he wines the whole time about am I finish, how much more I got to get, flips through my binder while i'm getting things...

[PortlandCouponFinder]

Originally Posted by preciousgirl1120

My girls are 15,14,12 and 6. I'd rather take the 6yr old with me than the older ones... They ask for everything. The 6yr old only ask me to get her some cinnamon pretzel sticks from Aunte Anne while we are shopping. Them older ones drive me crazy. The 12 yr old and 6 yr old always fight, so I never take them two together. Now that school is getting ready to start again, I'll enjoy going by myself and taking my time. I NEVER shop with DH ( he's worse than the kids), he wines the whole time about am I finish, how much more I got to get, flips through my binder while i'm getting things...

LOL! Sorry I had to laugh. That was funny!

[lastocks]

I can't believe I found this thread tonight when I clicked on "New Posts"! I had the worst day with the kids (almost 4 and 1-1/2 sons). This morning we were kicked out of the vet's waiting room because they wouldn't calm down. Imagine two little boys being more raucous than yelping dogs and howling cats.

I needed to stop at CVS for a birthday card for my dad. CVS is next to Office Depot, which has a nice sale on some school supplies. DS2 was tucked safely in the stroller. DS1, however, ran throughout both stores and basically disregarded whatever I told him to do. By the time I got back to the car I was in tears.

I vow that I will not shop with them anymore unless it's an absolute necessity. And the vet (we take the cat daily for fluid injections)? We will go buckle back into carseats for the 10 minutes that we wait for the cat. Period. It was that bad.

[jenza]

I bring something for them to play with that they only get to play with when we go shopping. magna doodle for the 2 1/2 dd and dry eraser alphabet / addition activity for the 5 1/2 ds. If I have my list and coupons organized in advanced and only get what is on the list, alot of the time it goes okay. Some days though nothing works!!!

[bethaliz6894]

Originally Posted by lastocks

I can't believe I found this thread tonight when I clicked on "New Posts"! I had the worst day with the kids (almost 4 and 1-1/2 sons). This morning we were kicked out of the vet's waiting room because they wouldn't calm down. Imagine two little boys being more raucous than yelping dogs and howling cats.

I needed to stop at CVS for a birthday card for my dad. CVS is next to Office Depot, which has a nice sale on some school supplies. DS2 was tucked safely in the stroller. DS1, however, ran throughout both stores and basically disregarded whatever I told him to do. By the time I got back to the car I was in tears.

I vow that I will not shop with them anymore unless it's an absolute necessity. And the vet (we take the cat daily for fluid injections)? We will go buckle back into carseats for the 10 minutes that we wait for the cat. Period. It was that bad.

just to let you know, it is ok to give a time out in the store. i have only done it once per kid and i do if when they are young. the sooner you do it, the sooner they get the picture, mom isnt fooling around.

[junebug0720]

I leave my son AND my husband home. I need to concentrate on the deals and all my coupons. I do make them bring the groceries in the house.