Melissa Ruzicka is a debt-free, stay-at-home-mom of a 5 and 3 year old, and she’s ALSO the author of SheSavesMoney.com, a healthy-lifestyle site full of creative money saving ideas to help you keep more money in your wallet and save money for your family.

It’s summer time, and for any stay at home mom, you know that any moment to get the kids out of the house with you is a sanity-saving opportunity.

Especially this at this point in summer vacation.

So, I’ve learned that often times it’s easier for their health to bring them along.

But, as you know, getting the kids in and out of the car, driving around in the hot sun, and trying to concentrate on your deals is much easier done when flying solo, instead of with a 3 and 5 year old co-pilot.

Over the years here’s some of the different tactics I’ve used to help keep everyone happy:

1. Goodie Bags/Cookies

The single most important place we hit is either the store bakery, or certain stores that have coffee stands will have goodie bags for the kids (Yokes).

Depending on the time we’re there or my planned route through the store, it will either be the first thing we attack, or it will be a great break for them half way through a shopping trip.

If you’re one who may not like snacks or baked goods from the store, make one at home for each kid and bring it along for the excursion.

2. Show Them New/Curious Foods

One of our favorite things to do is point our weird-looking or new foods that they’ve never seen before, and try and guess what they are.

Some of our favorite places are the produce section, the deli, and the fresh seafood counters.

They love seeing new and exciting looking products or creatures that they never would have guessed would be in the store.

3. Practice Math

If you’re kids are older and are at a math age, now is a great time to show them some real life math.

For example, if I need 20 cans of soup, I’ll split them up into 5 rows of 4 cans and explain the times tables.

The same thing goes with percentages for sales, “how much off?” with coupons, and doublers.

4. What Menu Can We Make With This?

We have our two week menu plan and grocery list with us as we shop. If it’s not written down, I won’t remember it!

So, one of the things I started doing with the kids is to pretend they’re making dinner that night, and for them to decide what they’re going to make with the different ingredients in the cart.

Trust me, some of their answers are darn comical.

And others have me thinking, hmmm….that might not be too bad.

Regardless, it keeps them entertained, especially if you have two with you and they can add more to the “menu” with each others imagination. (Sadly, my 3 year old usually throws in a “poopy diaper” just for added flavor).

5. Marketing Inside of Grocery Stores

This is another time to get their brains working a little more.

I’ll ask questions like, “Why did they put these bags of chips at the front of this row?”

Or, “Why do you think they put candy and gum at the check out stands instead of in the back of the store?”

Eventually we get around to the answer, but it sure makes them think.

So, these are just some of my tactics that I use.

Feel free to use them and change them how you need. If you have any other “tactics” you use, be sure to leave a comment below.

Melissa Ruzicka