I'm getting a teenager...what to stockpile?

[434Teresa]

FOOD, FOOD, FOOD, and oh did I mention FOOD???

I agree I have two of them...


You may want to ask his mom what kind of personal things he uses or cant use. I would hate to see you stock up on one kind of something then him not be able to use it from one reason or another. I know we say they will use what we have or do without but if something gives him a rash them he cant use it..

If you dont have lots of towels you may want to buy a few for they sure go threw them.

Its hard to say how much of what to food to stock up on for one day for it depends on what foods he likes to eat the most. If he is like most teen boys anything to do with Pizza have lots of it. My boys dont eat chips that much tho......and boys dont like to take lunch to school so keep that in mind, they will leave it at home, on the bus ect and go hungry then eat as soon as they get home(lol they do that anyway).

[3timesoccermom]

Try to stockpile some patience too if you can.

My advice is not so much on food but on expectations. Let him know he will need to do things around the house to help out and that there are rules that need to be followed. Don't treat him too much like a guest that you would have no expectations of.

Good luck and hope it works out great for all concerned.

Cute thread title too.

[FunnyFace]

At my house, I don't let any of my kids just eat and eat and eat; this includes my teen son.

I fix about a 1/5lb of meat for each family member and then if anyone is still hungry they are welcome to fill up on salad, vegetables or fruit. There are exceptions when I make a roast, 2lbs for family of six, or whole 4lb chicken, or sometimes extra burgers. Even then, I usually only allow a second helping.

Moderation I think is the key with junk/snack foods. Just because he's as teenager doesn't mean he needs a whole bag of chips, cans of prepared foods, or boxes of frozen foods even if he's high energy (?) and thin.

Throughout the day all my kids are allowed as much fruit and vegetables as they want.

One convenience item that I would suggest is bottled water. You can usually find a case of it equal to $.10/bottle so $2.49 case. It's not only cheaper than soda, milk or other drinks, it's obviously healthier too and surprising my family drinks more water using this method.

[FunnyFace]

Socks! ;)

[aimeebee]

Teens are a funny breed. I wouldn't stockpile too much of any one thing. I have two teens and a 7yo. I can promise you that just as soon as I find a good deal on something they like, they all of a sudden decide they don't like it as much as they used to. Pizza and pizza type snacks would be a good thing to have a couple of and so far my kids like all of the Anytizer stuff. Regular price on that is about $7 a bag and I am definitely not getting in any deeper than a bag or two of that. I guarantee they will stop eating it if I find a deal and by more. Cereal and peanut butter are good things to have around...but once I found a great deal on Skippy and next thing I know they're whining about how it doesn't taste as good as Peter Pan or Jif. My son even said he like the store brand better! So, I think the only constant around here is that they like to keep you guessing.

[fluttervale]

I went to Meijer today (like a Super Walmart with a much better produce department for those of you not in the area) and decided to not stockpile anything that I wouldn't eat myself. I did get a couple things of body wash for men, but because with my coupons they were BOGO with something I wanted for myself.

Mostly I decided to stockpile foods that he can turn into a meal without too much effort. The Hamburger Helper was $10/10 and I had coupons to get 75c/3 so they were half-price. That's good enough for me at this point. Oh, and some of those Velveta Cheesy Skillets for 99c each after q. Most of the $$ I spent was for more expensive things that I wanted for me (like my Skinny Cow cheese wedges and milk).

The guy behind me in the checkout lane gave me a funny look but I was the one laughing when my total went down $15 with the coupons! I've used almost $40 in coupons this week and have saved over $40 on things I know I will use, plus I've got $10 in Target GC and $10 in store credits/CVS bucks/etc. just from all this!

Thank You Extreme Couponing for opening my eyes--just a week ago I didn't think I'd be able to justify all this, but now with the kid coming I'm thrilled that I took the time to set all this up. I say Extreme Couponing because it was the show that got me thinking...then I found HCW...and I'm not leaving!

[~~Who,Me?~~]

You've gotten great advice here. Good luck to you & keep us posted.