The rising cost of food seems to be the hot topic lately. In order to adjust our family's budget, each expense this month has gone into a spreadsheet to be clear on where the family fortune is being frittered away. Despite regularly showing savings of 30-50% on the receipt, the total 2/3 of the way into August is somewhat disturbing. There will definitely have to be another allocation adjustment. Ugh. One drain on the groceries has been identified, and hopefully a new measure will help to slow our losses.
Three times this week the boy has been found to have removed food items from the kitchen to eat in secret in his bedroom. (This explains the ants that are driving me up the wall.) While he is at least 'fessing up when directly confronted, the pilfering takes a toll on the already ugly grocery costs. My patience has long since reached its end (We've been fighting the "secret" eating habit for years.). While he has carried off $10 in groceries (that I know of anyway) so far this week, he also outgrew the waistband on all of his shorts and pants thanks to a fifteen pound gain. The disappearance of food stuffs caused me to have to run to the store for missing items in the midst of meal prep wasting gas, time, and paying more for items that are musts in whatever recipe is in the works. Grrr.
Tonight I decided that there will be payback. I charged the kid $10 for the food he has taken (outside of the three meals, assorted snacks, and beverages we provide daily). He was not pleased. I explained that we will certainly not charge for his needs and provided treats, but that all items carried off to eat in secret will result in fines equal to replacement cost. If he cannot afford the food he carries off, he will be assigned chores. Nothing else has stopped his secretive overeating, but something has got to give besides the budget and his waistbands.
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