24/Savvy Family and Charity

I was at a friend's house last night and watched in awe as he deftly, single-handedly, uncomplainingly changed a nasty diaper (!), got his Wee Savvy to party solo to the sweet strains of Pinocchio so he could cook (!!), and prepped a healthy, scrumptious meal from a pot of dried beans (!!!) while his wife was working overtime.

When I asked him what inspired his culinary choice he replied, "we eat a lot of dried beans—they're under a buck a pound!"  Which got me thinking: for a family on a budget, currently prepping for an expensive, cross-country move, food staples under a buck a pound can go a long way toward keeping the whole fam fed, full and fit.  Here's a list of Savvy Mr. Mom's picks of staples under a buck a pound.

Mr. Savvy and I are lucky enough to be clocking triple-digit hours this week with our favorite nephews, making it a plumb opportunity to remind ourselves just how incredibly hard it can be to fill those long, school-free days.  Oh ye parents of children not in year-round school, what a tribulation summer is!  We dug around and loaded up a menu of savvtivities—inexpensive, fun, time-consuming activities—and occupied those little scallywags darlings all day, tantrum free.