Thursday, July 21, 2011

A Clever Way To Organize Your Disappearing Ice Cream

There's no such thing as too much ice cream!
Happy National Ice Cream Month!

I just read a great story about Diana Hardeman, a woman in NYC who started an ice cream delivery service. What a great idea! Read the story from Real Simple here: 

Got me thinking about the problem my family had  with ice cream this summer.
We were eating w-a-y too much of it.
In like I would bring home 2 cartons from the store and they would be gone by lunch the next day.
And that includes us going out for ice cream the night before.

We had a problem.

I put on my thinking cap. Here's my solution. It might seem a odd, but it works for us. Maybe not for my friend Amy. She thought I was crazy.

Problem: Our family of 5 inhales ice cream.

Reason: My three boys would eat ice cream at every opportunity so their BROTHERS WOULDN'T EAT IT FIRST! Ah ha!

(a brief explanation: my kids are allowed 2 sweet things a day. They police themselves. They would eat ice cream twice in one day just so their brothers wouldn't eat it all first. Completely logical if you are a kid.)

Solution: We make a trip to the supermarket once a week and everyone chooses their own tub of ice cream! Brilliant - right?

The high points:

  • since everyone has their own ice cream, there is no race to eat it all first.
  • we buy what is on sale.
  • my husband & I share one.
  • I can get flavors the kids don't like.
  • they can get flavors I don't like. 
  • permission must be granted before tasting anyone else's ice cream.
  • they are in charge of how long it lasts. If they run out on day 3, too bad for them. We're not going back to the store until day 7.


The results: Works like a charm. One son even made his last 2 weeks! And it cut down on how often we go out for ice cream - so for approx. $10.00 a week we are good to go.

Works for us. Got rid of a source of competition in my home, saved money, and taught the kids delayed gratification. Can't get better then that!

Would it work in your home?

be organized.....evelyn

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