It’s time to decide which foods to stock in your General Store. Choose a scribe to record answers and counsel together as a family. Have each person indicate what their two favorite dinners are. What are their two favorite lunches and breakfast? What are their two favorite desserts? If you are a couple you may need to list four or five favorite meals each. If single just have fun listing favorite meals you don't want to be without. You are now ready to begin a shopping list for stocking your store. Did you notice there were more meals with pasta than rice? If so, you need more pasta than rice in your store. More peanut butter than tuna? Your family will store differently than mine. Remember you are the expert for your family, not someone with a list on the internet.
Involve your family in the adventure and begin changing their thinking about preparing. Ask family members to watch and search for bargains. My sister-in-law called last spring to let me know a local chain store was closing out their canning lids. In May? Why would you close out canning lids at the beginning of canning season? I ran down and stocked up. I can now preserve 156 bottles of food for less than $10.00 in lids.
Every family member can become detectives in the same way when they know the plan and what is needed to stock your family’s General Store. Each year we wait for binders, pencils, crayons, and notebooks to go on sale at the beginning of the school year. When they get to bargain prices it is time to stock up for the next year. After all, the bargains come a week or two after the first week of school when most people have already purchased supplies to meet the teacher's requirements.
Teach your children to watch for those yellow stickers on the aisles at the grocery and pharmacy type stores. These indicate sale prices. You can make a game of having children spy these and together decide if the sale is a good one and if the items are needed on your store shelves at home.