Those of you with kids!

[critter crazy]

I am getting very mad lately, and it all revolves around litterally throwing money in the garbage!

My kids have the nasty habit of throwing half eaten food in the trash, as well as half drank juices, and sometimes opening something, not eating it and throwing it away anyways! I am sick of it! i am half tempted to just lock up the fridge, and all the cupboards and throwing away the key!

I cannot stand to see food wasted, we arent exactly rich, so it realy irks me!

How the heck can i get through these kids heads, that they just cannot do this!

I know how my dad taught me, but lets just say, I aint gonna do that!
I am just beyond frustrated right now, and needed to vent!

[CathyBogart]

I dan't have kids, but I can tell you my dad would have simply charged us for all the uneaten food.

[critter crazy]

he he he! that would be a great plan, but my two are 7 and 11, kind of hard to get blood from a stone!

[Catty1]

I think locks are a great idea.

Or putting the stuff that is wasted most often out of reach so they have to ask for it.

Do you buy the juice packs? Try switcing to frozne concentrate and water in a pitcher, or buying a family-size container.

Works out cheaper, in my area anyway.

I am not sure what food they open, and don't eat - is it a pre-packaged sandwich or something?

Try buying the basic ingredients so they have to make it themselves. If they yell about the old stuff, tell them it ran out and there isn't any more.

The only last thing I can think of is having a family sit down meal, which is hard for families on the run, I know.

[critter crazy]

I think locks are a great idea.

Or putting the stuff that is wasted most often out of reach so they have to ask for it.

Do you buy the juice packs? Try switcing to frozne concentrate and water in a pitcher, or buying a family-size container.

Works out cheaper, in my area anyway.

I am not sure what food they open, and don't eat - is it a pre-packaged sandwich or something?

Try buying the basic ingredients so they have to make it themselves. If they yell about the old stuff, tell them it ran out and there isn't any more.

The only last thing I can think of is having a family sit down meal, which is hard for families on the run, I know.

The food they waste most, is snack food, which i should probably just quit buying!
Mostly chips, snack cakes crackers stuff like that. I only buy the juice packs once in a great while, and everytime i do, i am reminded why i stopped buying them in the first place! I have tried the putting stuff up higher trick, and of course caught my son surfing the counters! and of course they only do this when mommy isnt looking! I try to keep good snacks in teh house too, veggies(which they love) popcorn and stuff like that, but still they just waste it! I guess what tehy raly need to learn is to only take what you can eat!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

You could try making it a rule they can only take what will fit in the palm of their hand (I read somewhere this is about a serving size, anyway). If they are still hungry, they can always go back and get another helping.

Or you could get some good tupperware and teach them how to use it...if they took more than they could eat they could save it and eat it later.

Everyone's ideas sound good written down- the hard part is getting your kids to follow it!

[DrKym]

Around here if you dont finish it you are served it again later, if it is wasted it is deducted from extra chore money.
Understand we don't do allowances for chores, chores are a natural result of living we all have them.
However spending money is earned by doing things we would pay for i.e. cleaning and vacuuming the car. Shoveling the walkways. Washing the windows on the outside. Things that fall into the I would rather not do them and will pay you to if you want the money.

Wasted food, lost Yu-gi -ohs, breaking another siblings toy etc is deducted from the wages and the final result of wages is what is paid at the end of the week.

works for us, maybe you can tweak it a bit to make it more suitable for your family.

[critter crazy]

I would imagine all of this is my fault to begin with. Growing up, both hubby and I came from families, where you were lucky to get a good meal, and if you didnt eat it you starved. So I always said I would always have food in the house, and always let my kids eat whenever they were hungry! But it is biting me in the butt now!!

[Cataholic]

I dan't have kids, but I can tell you my dad would have simply charged us for all the uneaten food.

I am right there with you. We were charged a nickel every time we left a light on in a room. THAT hit us hard.

Wasted food is a sin, IMO.

[Blue_Frog]

It sounds like you and your husband have set out some good ideas

Could you set something up with rewards to go along with the chores etc? (but not a monetary one). Something like setting up a chart of days of the week, and each chore for each day is worth differnet numbers of stars -- like making the bed is one star, cleaning and vaccuming the room is worth 3 stars etc. and they could turn in these stars at different intervals for 'treats' (like a can of coke is 5 stars, etc.).

And this way, if things go well over several weeks you could start introducing 'Special Order' treats - things that they specially want - that they could purchase with these stars, and you could sit down together and figure out with them how many stars the treat is worth to them? This might help them to see the cause and effect that work does?

[critter crazy]

It sounds like you and your husband have set out some good ideas

Could you set something up with rewards to go along with the chores etc? (but not a monetary one). Something like setting up a chart of days of the week, and each chore for each day is worth differnet numbers of stars -- like making the bed is one star, cleaning and vaccuming the room is worth 3 stars etc. and they could turn in these stars at different intervals for 'treats' (like a can of coke is 5 stars, etc.).

And this way, if things go well over several weeks you could start introducing 'Special Order' treats - things that they specially want - that they could purchase with these stars, and you could sit down together and figure out with them how many stars the treat is worth to them? This might help them to see the cause and effect that work does?

That is an awsome Idea!!!!! Thank you!!!!! definitely gonna try that one!!!!

[Blue_Frog]

No problem-o -- I don't have any kids, but 5 years in the Educational Toy Store/Teacher Supply and I have all kinds of funny kid-related ideas