Despite what you may have heard, children most assuredly do not come cheaper by the dozen — a fact that mother of 12/TikTok user @doughertydozen (Alicia Dougherty) knows all too well.
With 12 growing children running all over the house, suffice it to say that mealtimes can be challenging . This is why Alicia came up with a genius and delicious hack in order to make serving dinner for her family easier.
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Alicia Dougherty’s family is a lot like your own.
Every morning Alicia wakes up bright and early to get her kids ready for school. She preps their meals, makes sure they’re all wearing clean clothes, and gets them out the door ready to face the day.
There is, however, one glaring difference between Alicia’s daily regime and your own.
Alicia and her husband have a dozen kids running all over the house. Over the years, they’ve adopted and fostered 12 children from all walks of life.
It goes without saying that when you’re buying food for 12 hungry kids, strategy is vital.
Alicia doesn’t just need to be mindful of mounting grocery costs, but of her time as well. In order to help free her from an assault of dirty dishes, Alicia has come up with an ingenious idea.
She calls it a “Walking Taco” and this is how you make it.
First of all, you’re going to want to pick up a variety pack of Doritos. Alicia and her family prefer Cool Ranch, but I myself am more partial to Sweet Chilli Heat.
The next step is to cook up your ground beef (or whatever protein you prefer) as your taco filling.
More than likely, you won’t need as much filling as Alicia. Also be sure to set out your toppings of choice: lettuce, tomatoes, beans, etc.
From here, you’re going to want to reach for a bag of Doritos.
Open the bag and spoon in your meat, cheese, and whatever other toppings you choose. Once the bag is filled to your desired amount, close up the bag by rolling it down.
With the bag secured and in your hand, proceed to shake and squish the contents of your chip bag.
Be sure not to overfill the bag, as the contents will spill out of the top. Once everything is sufficiently mixed together, unroll the bag, grab yourself a fork and enjoy!
“I like the walking taco idea. Great job, mom!” fellow TikTok user @rharris3000 commented.
“Your videos gave me inspiration today ,” said @yellowbugs27. “I have 3 kiddos and somedays[sic] it’s rough so seeing you do everything gave me inspiration today thank u!”
Alicia also has plenty of other helpful videos for moms and dads looking to stretch a dime into a dollar.
Her family taking a trip to the grocery store is especially interesting. In case you were curious, Alicia spends roughly $1600 a week on groceries .
It sounds like a lot, but when you break it down it’s remarkable how economical Alicia’s spending habits are.
If you take $1600 spread over 7 days and then divide that number by 14, that’s only $16 per person, per day (or $5.44 per meal).
It’s even less when you take into consideration things like snacks and the occasional treat!
I don’t know about you, but if I can find a way to make a meal for less than $6 — that’s a big win. I might just have to try out some walking tacos myself!
