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Monday Q&A | Produce Packaging and Encouraging Frustrated Children

Every Monday, I answer a few of the questions that my readers send me. If you have a question you’d like me to answer in a future Q&A post, just leave me a comment here or email me (thefrugalgirl [at] gmail [dot] com) and put Q&A in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you!

I buy produce at the farmers market, but when the market is closed for the season my choices are: A) shopping at an local but expensive organic store to buy items in bulk and produce that is in not packaging, or B) shopping at Aldi, where I can get cheaper items and produce but it is always wrapped in plastics. Given the choice between spending less for prepackaged produce vs. more for un-packaged produce, which should take priority? I am torn between saving a dollar or saving the environment.

-Ashley


This is such a hard dilemma, isn’t it? Not to be unhelpful, but the right answer probably varies from situation to situation.

I would say that if you can afford to buy unpackaged produce, and it’s a high priority for you, then you should buy the unpackaged produce guilt-free. I think it’s awesome that you have access to packaging-free organic produce, as it so often comes heavily packaged in plastic.

Here’s how I typically decide what produce to buy at Aldi and what to skip.

  • If I can get it unpackaged at Aldi, I’m totally happy to buy it there. Cucumbers, melons, avocados, grapefruit, pineapple, and a number of other types of produce are packaging free (hallelujah!)
  • If Aldi packages it just the same as other grocery stores, I’ll buy it there. Things like grapes, spinach, celery, grape tomatoes, and berries come in plastic packaging in almost every grocery store, so I might as well pay less for those items by buying them at Aldi.
  • If I can get it packaging-free at a regular store, I usually don’t buy it at Aldi. I can easily get produce like asparagus, peppers, broccoli, and zucchini without packaging at almost any regular grocery store, but at Aldi, they usually come in shrink-wrapped packages (boo.)

I wish Aldi sold all of their produce without packaging, but I do understand that their business model requires efficiency, and that the packaging does sometimes prevent food waste because the food is more protected in the packaging.

And packaging notwithstanding, I appreciate that Aldi makes produce affordable for families who live on really limited budgets because I think that a person’s choice is between buying packaged produce and buying no produce at all, the packaged produce is a better choice.

I know you home school, and I admire that, and I have an education question of my own. My son is almost five, and he starts school in the fall, and we have been doing lessons through the summer. He is showing signs of LD. I myself am dyslexic, and ADD, and my husband has ADHD. My son gets frustrated so easily, and I try to encourage him, without luck. I know you must deal with frustration daily from your kids, trying to teach them something and they get frustrated or bored. How do you encourage your children? I try to make it fun, but it seems the only way to get him through something (besides the fun things) is to bribe him. Please help, I am open to any suggestion.

Thanks,
Katie

My kids definitely do get frustrated with their work, so I can sympathize (though of course, what you’re dealing with is probably more tough than what I deal with, since my kids don’t have the same learning challenges.)

When my kids start to lose it over a school subject, I’ve found that it’s often helpful to take a break. This could mean working on a different subject, or taking a little break from school altogether (go eat lunch, take a shower, play outside for a half hour, etc.) Sometimes a little time is all it takes to get them back into a decent frame of mind.

If it’s a particularly tough subject, breaking it up into two segments can help too (do half the math lesson before lunch and half afterwards.)

I also remind my kids that they’re not going to be perfect at things the first time they try them, and that imperfect efforts are ok. You just have to keep trying and practicing.

Even when they’re struggling with a subject or lesson, I try to find something to encourage them about. For instance, if they’re having a hard time forming a letter during handwriting practice, I find the best letter of the bunch they wrote on the page and point it out.

I’d also just add that sometimes, kids are flat-out not going to want to do school work, just like they’re not always going to be thrilled about taking baths or brushing their teeth or doing their chores. So, while I try to make things fun and try to remove stumbling blocks for my kids, there are times where they just have to buckle down and do the work whether they like it or not.

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Readers, how do you handle the produce packaging dilemma? And do you have any tips for encouraging frustrated children?

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Today’s 365 post: Dear Children: Next time you have this much trouble opening a tuna can…

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Jo@simplybeingmum

Tuesday 28th of August 2012

I don't homeschool, but I do support at home. I've already noticed a difference between my Daughter (1st born) and Son (2nd born) and their interest and concentration when it comes to school work. My 4-yr-old Son becomes frustrated (aka bored) easier than my Daughter did at that age and that isn't due to any specific reason that I know of- maybe because he's male or maybe it's just him? I don't know. It seems that my Son is more physical, and enjoys walking around and moving more and my Daughter will sit longer (this was demonstrated early on at meal-times). With boys maybe taking learning outdoors may keep their interest longer? Chalking on the floor out back? making marks (letters,numbers etc) in the mud, or counting whilst enjoying sand play that kind of thing... you can do Maths and English wherever it doesn't have to be writing in a book... that's what I'm trying to do more of. We'll see whether it works! :-)

Battra92

Tuesday 28th of August 2012

The problem with the public schools is that they are designed to make sure girls learn. When boys don't learn like girls they tell the parents they have ADHD and drug them up.

Lisa

Tuesday 28th of August 2012

Hi! This response is for Katie. I have a slightly radical question: Is it necessary for your son to start school this early? I am a teacher and have observed that some children are simply not ready for school and all the focusing that is required until they have matured further. Where I live, students do not have to start school until the year they are six turning seven. For a long time, my school has conducted readiness testing for students entering school, and we have sometimes recommended that students do not start until this age. While this will not change whether your son has learning diabilities, waiting for greater maturity and development might help with some of the frustration issues.

Kathy

Tuesday 28th of August 2012

I totally agree with Lisa's comment. My son has ADHD, is 13, and a couple of years ago I started wondering how much of a difference it would have made if he waited a year to start kindergarten. But he had a March birthday and is a bright camper, so no one ever suggested he might benefit from waiting a year. What a difference it would have made in terms of greater impulse control!!

Economiesofkale

Monday 27th of August 2012

I hate it when you have to buy pre-packaged fruit and veg! That is one of the things stopping me from going to Aldi (and the fact that it is quite far away). The main reason I don't like it is because they're nearly always packaged in larger sizes than I would usually buy, which means even if they're cheaper per kilo, I have to spend more money on the package. Sometimes I only need one tomato for the week, especially with prices the way they are at the moment, so I just want to buy one, not a whole kilo. I also don't like all of the extra packaging, as like someone else said, you can't tell how fresh it is.

Kristen

Monday 27th of August 2012

Yes! I've written a blog post about that before. Sometimes I buy loose mushrooms and pay more per pound just because that way I can buy exactly the number I need and no more. Extra mushrooms just end up going to waste, so it's cheaper to pay more per pound and just buy less.

Carolyn

Monday 27th of August 2012

It's not easy being dyslexic and ADD. I know from personal experience. Frustration is a constant companion for a student with these challenges. While it is important for a parent to help a child deal with frustration, the real need for such a child is to address the underlying developmental problems. There is federal law (Individuals with Disabilities Act) that requires school districts to test children for learning disabilities when a parent makes a written request for such testing. Once a child qualifies for special education - and, no it's not just for children who are mentally retarded or emotionally unstable; it's mostly for ordinary kids who have problems learning and need extra help - the school district is required to provide direct and supportive services to alleviate the child's academic problems - including occupational therapy and physical therapy. An excellent resource on this topic is Wrightslaw.com. Such services are expensive and many school districts resist obeying the law. A parent must be willing to fight for the services a child needs, but eventually they will be provided. Moreover, the sooner a child suspected of being ADD or having LD is tested, the sooner services can start and the sooner improvement will occur. And just so you know it works, this former LD/ADD student ended up graduating cum laude from college and law school and eventually became a judge.

Cheri

Monday 27th of August 2012

Hi Katie,

We home school and my oldest is almost 14, she has an LD. Our local school district wouldn't even test a child until 2nd grade even though I felt I knew in my heart she had an issue. If we hadn't home schooled She would have been in for at least 3 years of frustration and extra work like kindergarten summer school.

As it was she didn't learn to read til she was twelve. She is incredibly smart so we didn't make a big deal about it. We kept telling her about all the smart people over the course of human existence (Einstein didn't learn to read til 12.) to keep her spirits up. She wanted to learn but couldn't decipher the text. We read to her and she listened to books on tape far above her grade level.

I guess I am just saying to know what's in store and have patience. All in good time. Enjoy the journey!

Cheri

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