The Grocery Shopping Exercise

For many families, the grocery bill is a large monthly household expense in the budget; even more than the rent or the mortgage. Every month most bills are the same cost each month (fixed expenses); however, the grocery bill changes depending on food prices and the meals that you choose to buy. (Variable expenses)

 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Center for Nutrition Policy, for a family of four, the highest cost for this group is $1,340.00 per month. That’s a lot of money. So, when you don’t do the shopping it is hard to understand how much groceries cost.

 

A great way to understand how this works when prepping for college life or living on your own. is to give grocery shopping a practice round. 
 

Preparing for Your Shopping Trip

 

Ask a parent or guardian for their bank or credit card. You will be working within a $45 budget.

 

Plan to shop for three dinners with each one of them being a three-course meal. For example:

 

-Chicken chilli, cornbread and a salad -Porkchops, apple sauce, scalloped potatoes and a salad

 

Here are the steps that are needed:

 

-Go to the Internet, find three recipes and obtain an ingredients list
 

-Look in the pantry and the refrigerator/freezer to determine if any ingredients are available 
 

Go the Grocery Store with Your List and Begin Shopping

 

-Buy only what you need to make the meals meaning don’t your products in bulk sizes

 

-Consider within the budget: will you buy name-brand or the store brand products?

 

-Will you buy products that are on sale? Are they exactly what the ingredients call for?

 

What Did You Learn?

 

-Did you stick within the $45 budget?

 

-Were the groceries more or less expensive than you anticipated?

 

-Does this give you an appreciation for what it costs for groceries? -What would you do differently the next time that you go shopping?

 

Here's one last piece of food for thought: 40% of all food is wasted in the United States.