December 27, 1995
Web posted at: 4:15 p.m. EST
From Correspondent Linda Ciampa
ROME, Georgia (CNN) -- Bob Murdock and his family go to the grocery store just about every day. It's not because they forget things each time, but because they run out of food for their family of 12.(689K QuickTime movie)
Feeding their 10 children, ages 13 and below, without going broke or sacrificing good nutrition is no easy task. But Bob Murdock, a school teacher, and his wife, Candy -- aided by a registered dietitian enlisted for the task -- are managing.
"I'm in here at least every other day," Bob said while in a grocery store. "We run out of things so fast."
On any given day, Bob can be found buying a couple of loaves of bread, a few boxes of cereal and a couple gallons of milk. "It'll be gone in a couple of days at least." he said. "About half will be gone tonight."
Shopping for and cooking enough food for a small army is tough in itself, but the Murdocks' bigger challenge is doing that day after day without going broke. While the Murdocks considered buying food in bulk and forming their own coop to save money, neither option was viable because of a lack of storage in their three-bedroom house and limited time.
Instead, the Murdocks clip coupons, grow vegetables in their garden and usually shop for sales. "The biggest thing is comparing prices," Bob said. "Sometimes when you buy a jar of peanut butter, the larger one isn't cheaper than the smaller."
Registered dietitian Barry Roberts, who worked with the Murdocks, found there were some things the family could do to further streamline spending. He suggested bringing a food budget and grocery list to the store.( 187K AIFF sound or 187K WAV sound)
Roberts also encouraged the Murdocks to use more vegetables and dried beans and less meat to boost nutrients and cut costs. "We were eating meat four to five times a week," Candy said. "We're cutting it down to three."
Although the Murdocks would probably spend less money at the store if they did not bring the kids along on shopping trips, they find they like the special time it allows for family bonding. Time, after all, like money and the words of love spoken by a young child, is a precious commodity in a family of 12.
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