All-Family Shopping Trip

For an educational and fun family-night meal, have the family ride to the grocery store together. Give each member one dollar (or another predetermined amount) to purchase whatever he wishes to contribute to the family’s meal that evening; but before starting to shop, everyone should understand that—

1. No one can buy candy. (You might assign one or two members to buy dessert with the understanding that no one else can purchase sweets.)

2. Family members spend only the amount they are allotted.

3. The family has only fifteen minutes in which to choose purchases.

4. Items should be purchased in a quantity large enough to feed the entire family and should take only a reasonable amount of time (say fifteen or twenty minutes) to prepare.

5. Each person must prepare what he buys.

Dollar dinners are fun to prepare, have lots of variety, and give each member of the family an experience in grocery shopping. Dian Thomas, Provo, Utah

Illustrated by Phyllis Luch