Family of 5 Go Viral for $1K Grocery Hauls. Now They're Breaking Down the Reality of the Hefty Price Tag (Exclusive)
Gabby and Christian Carlin share how they involve their three kids in their grocery shopping routine, from building the list to picking the snacks
The YouTube creators break down their monthly grocery costs and why they don't stick to a strict budget
The parents of three also open up about balancing content creation with real-life parentingFor YouTube creators Gabby and Christian Carlin, grocery shopping with their kiddos is less about going viral and more about getting through the list, just like any other family.
Gabby and Christian Carlin — who go by @TheCarlins on YouTube — are parents to three children, Audrey, 5, Asher, 4, and Abbie, 2, often sharing their family adventures with a growing online audience.
Among their most popular content is peeks at their monthly grocery shopping hauls, where viewers often weigh in with their guesses on the price tag. They admit to PEOPLE that buying groceries with three little ones in tow is no easy feat.
'When we do our groceries, we always come with a big list,' Christian tells PEOPLE exclusively. 'Whenever we run out of something, we tell Amazon, 'Alexa, add this to the list,' because if not, we're going to forget.'
Naturally, with three kids, sticking to the list isn't always easy. The kids sometimes try to sneak items into the cart — 'Asher, he's like a little ninja,' Christian says of their 4-year-old son — so they make it a point to have them check in before adding anything.
'Sometimes it's something that we actually need,' Christian adds. 'They're so aware of what we need — they're so smart.'
To avoid impulse buys, the Carlins say they usually head to the store after breakfast, which helps curb cravings and keep their purchases focused and realistic.Grocery shopping may be a routine task for the Carlins, but in their household, it's something the kids actually look forward to.
'We just tell 'em, 'Hey, we're going to go do groceries,' and they get super excited because they love going with us,' Gabby says.Over time, even staple items have become a source of excitement — from frozen mangoes and peaches to a recent family favorite: Sam's Club egg bites. 'It's like we're going to Starbucks at home,' she adds. 'We make them their little meal, and they eat it.'
With a home full of activities — from dance and football to swim lessons and homeschooling — grocery trips also double as prep for the week ahead. The Carlins rely on easy, grab-and-go snacks like fruit, yogurt and veggie chips to keep their kids fueled throughout the day.Their go-to picks include easy handheld items like mandarins, veggie chips, yogurt drinks, Babybel cheese and string cheese snacks that travel well between sports, dance and days at the pool.Gabby also keeps a small bag in the car stocked with diapers, wipes and other essentials. It's a system that comes in handy not just for the baby, but also for the older kids. 'Even for the bigger kids, the wipes are always needed,' she says.The parents of three don't necessarily have a budget when it comes to groceries, and for good reason. Buying in bulk from Sam's Club allows them to stock up on essentials for the month, while weekly trips to Publix help replenish fresh produce, dairy and other household items as needed.
'Groceries are so expensive,' Gabby says. 'We just need to get what we need, because if we have everything at home, we have no reason to eat out [at a restaurant].'
'When we do go to Sam's Club, it literally lasts us a whole month,' Christian adds. 'People are like, 'Oh my gosh, between $500 and $600 at Sam's Club for a family of five,' but it lasts us a whole month.'Still, the Carlins make quick stops at Publix throughout the week — often for fresh produce, milk or other perishables — which adds to their overall grocery bill.
'So, five to seven hundred for Sam's Club, but on top of that, we go to Publix every week, so that's probably like $120 to $200 a week,' Christian says.
All in all, the Carlins spend about $1,000 a month to keep the whole family well-fed and ready for their action-packed days.
For the parents of three, what began as a fun, creative outlet while they were still in college has since evolved into a full-time career, one built on authenticity and lots of teamwork behind the scenes.
Still, quality time with their family is the priority. 'We are a complete team in this house,' Christian says. 'Family time is the most important.'
'Every day looks so different, so we balance it out,' Gabby adds.
Read the original article on People
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Buy now, return later, money back guaranteed. How America scores free stuff
When Tom Haverford goes camping with coworkers in a 2011 episode of the NBC comedy 'Parks and Recreation,' he tricks out his tent with an Xbox, fondue pot, panini press, soft-serve ice cream maker, DJ roomba, even a real bed. 'How do you afford all this stuff?' he's asked. 'I just return it the next day and claim it was defective,' replies Haverford, played by actor Aziz Ansari, while sprawled in a hammock enjoying an electric scalp massage. 'The key is crying a lot. No one likes to hear a grown man cry.' Like most sitcom material, the antic is borrowed from real life. Liberal return policies have inspired sketchy behaviors such as 'wardrobing' – when people buy expensive outfits for a special occasion and tuck the tags out of sight so they can return them the next day. Now, in a practice known as 'weekend rentals,' shoppers take home a leaf blower or a hedge trimmer only to return it when they're done with it. With high inflation and tight budgets, Paco Underhill, author of 'Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping,' says this 'rent the runway' mindset is only spreading. People are 'renting' and returning more things: Plants for open houses, outdoor tables and chairs for a party and giant televisions to watch the Super Bowl. Pressure washers and paint sprayers are discarded after home-improvement projects. Some people even bring back the ladders they used to string holiday lights from their rooflines. 'So many of the things that we buy are based on some form of immediate need and often, when that's over, it's just over,' Underhill said. 'Renting' from Costco? Retail staffers who process returns at big-box stores frequently grouse online about 'rentals through the returns desk' or the 'service desk rental program.' And they say they can predict product returns by the seasons. At Costco, where a "risk-free 100% satisfaction guarantee" gives members an unlimited grace period to bring back most purchases, snowblowers flood the returns area after the last winter storm, portable generators and chainsaws after hurricane season and air conditioning units after the summer heatwave. A Costco employee who has worked with the company in multiple states says trees, inflatables and other holiday decor get stacked seven feet high after Christmas. Some members fly Old Glory only to return the American flag after July 4, according to the staffer who also spoke on the condition of anonymity. Others 'rent' jewelry for black-tie events, including one customer who returned three $2,000-plus necklaces in one summer. And just this month, the employee processed a return for $500 worth of meat, cheese and dip left over from a wedding with fewer guests than expected. A couple of years ago at a Connecticut warehouse, a Costco member showed up at the returns desk in early November lugging an animatronic scarecrow, a 10-foot-tall witch and bags of candy from a haunted tractor ride. With no room at home to store his Halloween haul, he demanded a full refund. The store's manager explained that Costco isn't in the rentals business but processed the return anyway, an employee told USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing her job. When the same member turned up in early January with thousands of dollars worth of inflatable snowmen, reindeer yard decor and string lights from a winter wonderland-themed tractor ride, Costco turned him down. Other returns, the employee said, that have been accepted at her warehouse: massage guns after the member worked out a muscle knot and a fully assembled gingerbread house because 'it looks bad.' They returned dirty toilets and rugs. Then came the backlash. Shoppers who abuse return policies often excuse their behavior as a one-off or say they're just doing what everyone else is. After all, they say, what's the harm in swindling a megabucks corporation? 'Consumers often justify their actions by believing that the benefit to them outweighs the harm to the company,' said Ayelet Fishbach, professor of behavioral science and marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. How money-back guarantees caught on The money-back guarantee dates back at least as far as the mid-1700s when an innovative small-town English potter Josiah Wedgwood used the gimmick to lure customers and close sales in the fine china market, according to USA TODAY research. In America, businessman Potter Palmer embraced the concept a century later when he encouraged well-heeled customers of his dry goods store in Chicago to take home merchandise on approval. Marshall Field, who took over from Palmer, carried on that legacy with his namesake department store's no-questions-asked return policy. The policy soon caught on elsewhere. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Sears catalogs were printed with the slogan: 'Satisfaction guaranteed or your money cheerfully refunded.' With successive generations of merchandising legends, from James Cash Penney of JCPenney to Sam Walton of Walmart, 'the customer is always right' became an article of faith. But the returns free-for-all really took off with the advent of internet shopping as e-commerce companies jockeyed for shoppers' eyeballs and their wallets. The competitive pressure forced more brick-and-mortar establishments to loosen their return policies, too, according to Zac Rogers, an associate professor of operations and supply chain management at Colorado State University. Zappos' customer-centric return policy was so successful that eventually Amazon bought out the retailer for $1.2 billion. 'What e-commerce has done is reset consumer expectations for the ways that retailers should behave,' Rogers said. But goosing sales with lenient returns quickly turned into a logistical and costly headache for retailers. Returns were projected to reach $890 billion in 2024, according to a report by the National Retail Federation and Happy Returns, a UPS company. Retailers estimated that nearly 17% of their annual sales in 2024 would be returned. The vast majority (93%) of retailers point to retail fraud and other exploitative behaviors as a major issue for their business, citing the increased operations expenses to process returns and increased shipping costs. "They created this monster that they now have to deal with,' Rogers said. America's $890 billion bad habit With so much merchandise headed for liquidation centers or landfills, many retailers have responded by shrinking their refund windows or by charging return fees. Despite the high costs, retailers are still cautious about how much they rein in liberal return policies, worried that discouraging returns will discourage people from making the purchases in the first place. But they aren't the only ones stuck footing the bill. 'As a vendor, we are required to accept 100% of the returns of our products, no questions asked, regardless of the reason,' an executive for a vendor told USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity because he feared losing business from Costco and other big-box stores. Return rates can run as high as 20% or more depending on the product, he said. It's not just lost sales vendors have to absorb. They have to cover the cost of shipping returned products back to the warehouse and all other associated fees. A few years ago, Costco briefly considered narrowing the return window to 90 days on outdoor power equipment, but management rejected the proposal, according to the executive, and vendors have paid the price. When he worked for a company that sold lawnmowers to Costco, the lawnmowers would fly out the door in the spring, only to fly back in come October. 'We would get used lawnmowers back and they were not even our brand,' he said. 'People would go buy a new mower, put their old mower in the box and return it.' That behavior 'is not the norm,' he said. 'But it's not the exception either.' Is a returns crackdown coming? Neil Saunders, a retail analyst at the research and analytics firm GlobalData, said he expects to see more retailers crack down on bad behavior. Home Depot, sometimes referred to as "Rent a Depot" or 'Returns Depot' because of returns abuses, recently instituted a 7-day return policy on pressure washers, dehumidifiers, window and portable air conditioners and generators. A spokeswoman denied that frequent returns were behind the policy shift. 'We added the 7-day return policy for categories that our customers need in the event of a natural disaster,' Beth Marlowe said in a written statement. 'By shortening the return window, we can have more inventory on hand to quickly move to the communities where these products are needed most.' Whatever the motivation, the new policy has slowed returns in these product categories, according to store employees. A Home Depot worker in Virginia, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing his job, said he used to watch customers return window AC units typically within two to three weeks. After the new policy took effect in June, he overheard some customers saying they planned to buy an air conditioning unit to cool off during a heatwave. When they approached him, he pointed out the new policy and they left without buying one. But what about customers with legit returns? When Josh Powell, a 31-year-old organ transplant coordinator from Sherwood, Arkansas, fired up the pressure washer he bought online from Home Depot to clean the siding on his new house, it began belching black smoke. So he packed up the big box and crammed into his compact SUV for the 10-minute drive to his local store. With a full refund in hand, he bought another pressure washer on the spot, but this was before the 7-day policy went into effect. Now, Powell worries what will happen if he has a problem outside that window. Too often, he says manufacturers make it difficult to return defective goods. Will he get stuck with a $500 lemon? 'People are always looking for the best benefit for them and they will take advantage of any policy they can find, so I understand why certain retailers are cracking down,' he said. At the same time, he says he would go 'full Karen' if a retailer refused to return a faulty product. 'I don't know what the answer is,' Powell said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Buy now, return later. How lax return policies became license to cheat Solve the daily Crossword
%3Amax_bytes(150000)%3Astrip_icc()%2Ftal-comfy-running-shoes-tout-e978efd57a8b49f3b366536c49b9bd90.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Travel + Leisure
12 minutes ago
- Travel + Leisure
I Tried the $60 Nurse-approved Hoka Lookalikes That Feel Like ‘Walking on a Cloud'—and They're Worth the Hype
When it comes to picking out a pair of walking shoes, I'm a big believer that the bouncier the better. After all, I take my daily step count seriously, and I've easily worn down several pairs of workout sneakers by consistently pounding the pavement, trekking up and down trails, or strolling along beaches all over the world. Now that I'm a bit older and conscious of my aging joints, I prefer cushy, supportive styles that alleviate strain on my ankles and knees, especially since I clock a few miles per day. For the longest time, I was convinced that comfort came with a hefty price tag—that is, until now. In the past, I begrudgingly forked over well over $100 every time I wanted a new sneaker style on rotation, often gravitating towards trendy brands that promised the world. While they often delivered fairly solid results, I couldn't help but wonder if there was a more affordable alternative that provided the same level of comfort I craved. Enter the Nortiv 8 Active Float Running Shoes, a stylish option currently gaining popularity among Amazon shoppers since they look nearly identical to expensive, name-brand Hokas—but for a fraction of the price. At just $60, these lookalike sporty, comfortable sneakers are a win-win in every way. For starters, the value is downright shocking at just $60, which is more than half of what many popular running shoes tend to cost. Most importantly, the quality and comfort are (dare I say) superior to much pricier sneakers I've worn. These impressive running shoes come in seven stunning colors and feature advanced sole technology that provides exceptional shock absorption, reducing knee strain and foot fatigue with every step. They're also lightweight and breathable and look great with casual athleisure looks on airport days, but can also keep up with strenuous workouts at the gym, too. I recently paired mine with my favorite Saltwater Luxe workout sets while exploring the rocky terrain of Telluride, and never once felt an ounce of discomfort. My sister was so impressed with the unbelievable bounce in my step that she immediately ordered a pair for herself on the spot. With an average 4.5-star rating at Amazon, these budget-friendly shoes are quickly becoming must-haves for everyone from nurses to travelers. One reviewer, a nurse who suffers from foot pain, described these shoes as 'wonderful' and added that the insoles are both 'squishy' and 'actually bouncy,' which made all the difference. Another satisfied shopper said these shoes feel like 'walking on a cloud', while a third reviewer similarly said they feel like they are 'running on marshmallow clouds,' which sounds pretty heavenly, if you ask me. If you're ready to tie on a plush pair of these ultra-comfy Nortiv 8 sneakers yourself, shop this style at Amazon while they're still on sale at this low price. Or, check out other budget-friendly Amazon sneakers that are just as stylish. Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we'll send you our favorite travel products each week.
Wall Street Journal
13 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Disney's Thriving Parks Are Buying It Time to Figure Out Streaming
Disney DIS -2.66%decrease; red down pointing triangle was once a giant media company that also happened to own some theme parks. The new Disney is quickly turning into the opposite. The company's latest quarterly report Wednesday drove that point home even further. Disney's revenue and operating income were roughly in line with Wall Street's estimates despite weaker-than-expected revenue growth at its entertainment and sports divisions. The main source of strength was domestic parks, which saw revenue jump 10% from a year earlier to $6.4 billion and operating income surge 22% to nearly $1.7 billion.
