Simply Good Eating: Now You're Cooking

Shop and Save

The goal of this lesson is to help participants get the most from their food dollar by applying food budgeting, meal planning, and grocery shopping strategies.

Basics of Spending Food Dollars Wisely

• Budget your food dollars:
  • Compare how much you spend on different food categories.
• Plan meals before shopping, to save time and money:
  • Make a grocery-shopping list.
  • Consider where to shop (for example, items at a convenience store might be more expensive than at a grocery store).
  • Check newspapers for store circulars and coupons.
• Make grocery shopping easier at the store:
  • Follow your grocery-shopping list.
  • Get to know the layout of your store.
  • Check the cost per unit on the grocery shelf tag, if available.
  • Check cost per serving of meat to determine the cheapest meat and poultry available.

Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, participants will be able to:

1. Determine how much they spend on food and non-food items.
2. Demonstrate their ability to plan at least one meal.
3. Develop a shopping list from a weekly meal plan.
4. Describe at least one way to save money in the grocery store.
5. Become familiar with shelf unit price tags (cost per unit), where available.
6. Apply cost per serving when buying meats.

Instructional Activities

The following activities can be used with either individuals or groups. Complete descriptions are included in the activities immediately following this chapter. Facilitators are encouraged to provide handouts for the activities you do not have time to complete.

1. From Big Budget to Food Budget
2. Register Receipts to Save
3. Menu Planning in Minutes
4. Smart Shopping Saves Money
5. Comparing the Cost per Unit
6. Meat and Poultry Best Buys
7. Price Scavenger Hunt

Conclusions

See individual activities for specific topics.

Check for Understanding and Behavior Change

See individual activities for specific topics.

References and Resources

Complete references and additional resources for each activity are listed at the back of this unit.

Activity 3

Menu Planning in Minutes

Purpose:	To teach participants how to plan weekly menus and prepare grocery lists.
Materials needed:	Part 1: Handouts: “Quick Tips for Easy Meal Planning,” “Weekly Menu Plan.” Part 2: Handouts: “Grocery List,” “Knowing Your Store”; pens or pencils. Parts 1 and 2: flipchart or writing board; pens/markers or chalk.
Estimated time:	30 minutes

Note: This is a two-part activity. For Part 2, use the “Knowing Your Store” grid to draw a map of a local grocery store that participants visit. (See sample diagram to help with drawing a store map.) The purpose of the map is to show participants how a grocery list can be arranged according to the store layout.

Begin the Session

(1) Catch up from last lesson: briefly review the material covered in the previous lesson. Ask participants: What have you tried from last week’s session, or what have you done differently from the last time we met? Congratulate participants on their successes and encourage them to try new skills or behaviors. (2) Today’s lesson: briefly explain its purpose and some of the activities.

Part 1: Planning Menus

1. Tell participants that meal planning is best done in seven-day cycles, even if you shop only once or twice a month. Planning meals at home before going to the grocery store will save time and money.
2. Give participants the “Quick Tips for Easy Meal Planning” handout. Ask participants if they currently use any of the tips when grocery shopping. Ask: Which tips do you think you will try the next time you shop for groceries?
3. After reviewing the handout, tell participants that these are just a few ideas that can save time and money while adding to the nutritional value of meals.
4. Tell participants that the following activity will allow them to apply these concepts to their own meal planning. Give each participant the “Weekly Menu Plan” handout.
5. In the spaces provided, ask participants to plan a menu for one day.
6. Ask participants to continue planning menus for an entire week. Consider how they can use planned leftovers from a previous meal. Tell participants: The weekly menus may serve as the starting point for next week’s menus and grocery shopping list.
7. If participants have not finished after 15 minutes, encourage them to finish their menu plans at home using their own recipes.
8. Remind participants that after they have planned menus for several days, they can use them again and again.

Part 2: Preparing a Grocery List

1. Tell participants that after we write a menu plan, a grocery list is easy to prepare. Using a grocery list when shopping helps save time and money. Use the points below to discuss suggestions for writing a grocery list.
2. Distribute the “Grocery List” handout. Tell participants that together, you will create a grocery list using the menu plan they wrote in Part 1 of the activity. If they do not have time to finish the grocery lists, encourage them to finish their lists at home.
3. Tell participants: Before we make a grocery list, let’s discuss suggestions for developing a grocery list.
   • After you have planned your meals, prepare a shopping list by writing down the ingredients necessary for each menu item.
   • Check the kitchen to see which ingredients are on hand.
   • Cross out those items on your shopping list that you already have; what remains is your shopping list. At first, this may seem overly structured. Over time, it becomes easier to make shopping lists, and you will save time and money.
   • Next, look at the weekly shopping circulars for your favorite grocery stores and decide at which store you are going to shop. It is best to pick one store rather than trying to save by going to many stores. Larger grocery stores often provide lower prices than convenience stores or small local groceries.
   • Clip and use only those coupons for foods that are on the grocery list. Some coupons can be saved for future grocery lists.
   • Start by arranging the shopping list in groupings of similar items. For instance, list canned foods together and do the same for fresh fruits and vegetables, etc.
   • Also, arrange your shopping list according to the store’s layout. If produce is the first aisle encountered, then have fruits and vegetables at the top of the list.
4. Distribute the “Knowing Your Store” handout. Use the handout to explain how a grocery list can be arranged according to the store’s layout.
5. Now, refer participants back to the grocery list handout and ask them to create a grocery list using their written menu plan.

Conclusions

Tell participants that planning meals in advance can help us save both time and money. By planning meals, we can ensure that we have all the ingredients we need for a meal, which helps us avoid having to run to the store—or to the local restaurant—at the last minute. We also can plan tasty ways to use planned leftovers to reduce the amount of food we throw away. Using our written menu plan to create a grocery list can save in time and money at the store.

Check for Understanding and Behavior Change

Ask participants to state one idea that they learned and plan to use during the next week. Ask others if they also might plan to try that idea during the week. List the ideas on the flipchart or writing board.

Also ask participants:

1. What new meal planning tips will you try the next time you shop for groceries?
2. How will you use grocery lists to help you save money in the future?

Thank each participant for coming. Ask for final questions and discussion. Provide some information or teaser about the next session, to encourage attendance.

References and Resources

See handouts listed at the beginning of this activity.