It has been about 3 weeks since I instituted the complete ban on cold cereal and here is what I have noticed:

My teenage daughter still thinks I’m a loser for instituting the ban (but she would have found something to think I’m a loser about regardless).

My 3 year old son hasn’t asked for cereal in over a week.

There has not been one cereal bowl left out on the desk, in the living room or anywhere else (for some reason my kids believed that cereal was “portable”).

We used to go through a gallon of milk each day - sometimes more. $3 a gallon (if I buy it in the “big city” and not in town) x 31 days in a month=$93 a month in milk alone! I went to the grocery store last on May 17 for our middle of the month trip. I bought 6 gallons of milk (thinking they would last about a week). I still have a gallon and a half left to last until Friday when I will do the monthly restock.

So, not only have I saved about $80-$100 a month on my grocery bill for breakfast cereal - I’ve also more than halved my milk budget - $18 every two weeks is $36!

I’m amazed! No, really. I just took my $600 a month grocery store budget and cut $164ish out of it. And we didn’t lose anything. We still eat breakfast every morning! How cool is that?

Cereal - it’s a bad thing.

I might be able to afford the gas to get the grocery store now!