6.01OFood Spending Plan Activity

DOES IT REALLY MATTER IF I HAVE A FOOD SPENDING PLAN?

Using the 6.01M Planning a Household Budget from Activity 6,

Give each group their handout that will have the following information:

  1. Your group must create a shopping list of nutritious foods for your assigned family for one week. (That’s 21 meals!)
  2. “Buy” the food on the list, using the prices in the store ads.
  3. Help make the families’ food dollars go as far as possible.
  4. Use the following prices for foods not found in your ads. If you find an ad price

lower, you may use that price.

Food List

Gallon of milk$3.99

Dozen Eggs$2.29

Loaf of bread$1.99

Jar of peanut butter$3.50

Pound of margarine$1.29

Jar of Spaghetti sauce$2.50

Box of spaghetti$ .99

Box of Mac n cheese$1.19

BE ABLE TO DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING:

After the shopping, groups must report back on the decision making process.

1. How were foods selected for the meals?

  1. Who was the meal manager?
  1. Were foods selected based on likes and dislikes?
  1. Was age a factor on some food selections?
  1. How much did they have to spend each week on food? Did it seem like enough

when you started? Did you have enough in the end?

  1. What strategies did you use to stretch the food dollar? Were you able to plan

healthy, nutritious, balanced, and tasty meals? What kinds of foods did your family have to leave out because they did not fit into the food budget?

DOES IT REALLY MATTER IF I HAVE A FOOD SPENDING PLAN?

  1. What kinds of foods were the most expensive to purchase (fresh produce and lean meats vs. foods like hot dogs and baked goods)? Were you able to

include at least some of the healthy, fresh foods?

  1. How has this assignment affected your understanding of food spending plans and

providing for nutritious meals?

  1. What effects would long-term lack of money for nutritious meals possibly cause

each of the families?

  1. How important is it to have a spending plan and why?
  1. What shopping strategies can be used for saving money?

WORKSHEET

21 Meals needed, plus snacks

7045 Foods I Unit B-Food Choices, Health, Resources, and Meal Preparation Summer 2010 Version 2 1