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Parents say supper club reduces stress of planning dinners
WATCH ABOVE: Dan and Kerri Omand joined the supper club in their neighbourhood in September 2015. Ever since, they've ditched the stress of meal prep and hours in the kitchen each weeknight. Dan estimated he's saving approximately $200 a month on groceries because he is wasting far less food – Dec 6, 2016
Every box on the Omand’s family calendar has some kind of scribbled commitment: piano, parent teacher night, dance, sports. For a long time, the prospect of squeezing in dinner prep before activities was overwhelming for the working parents.
“What are we going to have for dinner tonight?” Kerry Omand says she remembers asking herself.
Every Wednesday night, Dan cooks for his wife and kids along with three other families – 16 people in total.
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On Thursday morning, Kerri loads the meals into her car and drops off dinner for the others. The other supper club members reciprocate the other weeknights, meaning supper is covered from Monday to Thursday every week.
“The goal of supper club is not to wow your peers with your culinary expertise,” Dan says, adding he keeps it simple with casseroles and slow-cooker meals.
“It’s to get something healthy on the table every night that’s quick and easy.”
Dan estimates he saves approximately $200 per month on groceries because he has eliminated waste.
“Instead of buying a ton of vegetables that will spoil or a ton of meat that we don’t get around to cooking, you basically buy a set amount for exactly the families we’re cooking for.”
Fellow club member Jennifer Aylward has noticed the savings too.
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“Ingredients don’t come in bundles of stuff for a family of four. They’re larger, right?” the mother of two says. “So now we can go to Costco and we don’t have leftovers that get thrown out. We can portion properly.”
The Omands joined the club in September 2015 and say it’s been life-changing. Beyond the money saved, they’re gaining time.
“When I come home at the end of the day,” Kerri Omand explains, “One-hundred per cent, I’m just with my kids.”
Watch below: A recent study found nearly one quarter of Canadians worry about how to pay for groceries. As the cost of food climbs, some families have found ways to save. Laurel Gregory reports.
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