a Dealing with Dollar$ workshop Shopping for Food a Dealing with Dollar$ workshop

Facilitator speaking notes: You can buy all of these items at most any store like Dominion or Sobeys. Have a look and think about what makes one item different from the others. Give participants a few minutes and then ask for their thoughts. Only one item is a FOOD item. You might purchase any or all of these when you get ‘groceries’ however groceries include household items that you might do without. Food however is a must have, and your food bill (or food budget) can be viewed differently than your ‘grocery’ bill. 2

You can save money at the supermarket if you… Facilitator speaking notes: Ask participants to think of a tip to help save money or be a smart consumer when shopping for food and groceries. How would they finish the sentence on the slide? Make note on flip chart of suggestions. When no one has any tips left to offer (or you have dedicated enough time to this discussion) review them. Compare to the list below and see if any were missed. Plan meals before you go shopping Use Canada’s Food Guide to help you plan meals Plan your shopping around specials and sales Make a list as you run out of groceries and follow it closely when you shop Stay within the amount you have set aside for groceries—your grocery budget Read the ingredients list on the foods you buy so you know exactly what you are buying Shop by yourself, if possible Shop soon after you have eaten, not when you are hungry Buy the least amount of convenience or ready-made food you can Look at the cost per serving, rather than the total cost Look at the amount of each food item and its practical use Shop for food above or below eye level; the food is cheaper than the food that is right at eye level Shop in the middle of the week Shop at more than one store if you can 3

Supermarket Shopping Guide Facilitator speaking notes: Thinking about our last activity, we can all put those tips into practice. Take out the Supermarket Shopping Guide document and have a look. Any tips that we identified earlier but are not listed can be written in the space provided if you feel they might work for you. You can try following the guide for four weeks and make notes to see what tips work best for you. 4

The Grocery Game Facilitator speaking notes: Who’s ready to play “The Grocery Game?” There are different ways to play the game. Provide everyone with a copy of the grocery flyer Do as one group and focus on one task or Break larger group into smaller group and assign a different task to each group or Give smaller groups all the same tasks so you can compare what each group decided to do See Grocery Flyer Game Rule Book 5