at the supermarket

Objectives

1. To facilitate an understanding of the costs associated with food

2. To encourage students to devise practical money-saving techniques

Discussion

Introduce money management as it pertains to the supermarket with the following discussion points:

  • Who is responsible for the food budget in the family?
  • Do you pack your own lunch, if not who does? Or do you get money for lunch?
  • How much do you think it would cost to buy groceries for yourself for a day? How about a week?
  • What are some different ways that you could save money when grocery shopping, or buying lunch? (no name brand, bulk, coupons etc.)
  • Is there a significant difference between the cost of a “homemade lunch” versus a “cafeteria bought” lunch? Why?

Activity

Lunch in a $3.00 cash crunch

Length: 30–45 minutes
Materials: At the Supermarket Student Handout, supermarket flyers and coupons

  • In this activity, students will need to come up with a clever $3.00 (or less) lunch idea. On their own or in pairs, have students brainstorm ideas on how to make or buy a lunch for $3.00. Students will need to read and fill out the information on the At the Supermarket Student Handout. They will need to name their lunch, describe it in an appetizing way and provide a description of each item in the lunch and the cost associated with it.
  • Once complete, amalgamate the $3.00 lunch ideas into a booklet for distribution. Decide collectively on a booklet title, i.e. “Three-dollar Dining.”

Extension
Ask students to consider what they brought/bought for lunch today. With the help of a parent or perhaps online research, ask the student to estimate the following:

  • How much did this lunch cost?
  • How might this cost be improved upon on the next day’s lunch?
  • Assuming this lunch cost more than $3.00, subtract $3.00 from the cost of this lunch to determine what the savings might have been. What would this savings amount to over the course of a week? A month? A year?

Collaborative Feedback

  • Discuss how each students/groups’ $3.00 lunch ideas might be improved. Are there any recurring savings tips that arise?
Compare the results of the Extension and discuss why the costs are as they are.

Teacher Tips

  • Reward the most creative/nutritional/inexpensive lunch with a $3.00 cafeteria voucher.
  • Arrange for the Home-Ec or foods teacher to come in and speak about cost-saving meal ideas.
  • Bring a teacher lunch as an example for discussion