Shopping for Food
If you make $12.00 an hour and work 40
hours a week, how much money do you
earn????
 Now take away 31% for taxes. What is left?
 The average person should budget 15% of
their net income on groceries.
HOW MUCH CAN YOU SPEND????
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How can you save money?
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Make a list and stick to it! Avoid impulse buying. (items you
didn’t plan on purchasing and don’t need)
Shop only once a week.
Use coupons when possible
*Don’t purchase items in bulk, if you don’t plan to use them
before them expiration date.
Shop at discount stores (Meijer, Woodman, or
Wal-Mart) when possible.
Avoid overpriced convenience stores.
Learn to mix and match convenience foods with scratch
foods.
Saving money continued…
Names and Labels Matter
I.
Name Brands- Expensive (Kellogg)
II. Store Brands – Cheaper (Jewel/Chef’s
Kitchen)
III. Generic Brands –Cheapest (Usually
associated with white and yellow OR
yellow and black labels.
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What is a convenience product?
Convenience product= food that has been
commercially processed to make it more convenient
to store or use.
i.e. frozen pizza, broccoli in cheese sauce, shredded
cheese and sliced bread, slice n’ bake chocolate chip
cookies.
Advantages:
Saves time
Longer shelf life (storage time)
Easy for the inexperienced cook to prepare
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Disadvantages….
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Higher cost associated with convenience products.
(As you pay someone else to prepare it = Labor
costs)
Contains preservations used to prolong shelf life.
Some may be harmful to your health
(Can cause health-related illnesses)
More often than not, contain larger % of fat and
carbohydrates.
(Again, can cause health-related illnesses)
Flavor usually does not compare to homemade or
scratch.
Definition of a Product from Scratch..
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“right from the beginning, or with nothing
having done previously.” (Encarta Dictionary:
English)
Reference to Food: “using basic ingredients
instead of a prepared mix.” (Encarta
Dictionary: English)
i. e. I made chocolate chip cookies from
scratch, and the recipe called for 2 c. of flour
and 1c. of sugar.
Convenience or Scratch
Must you choose. No they can they easily be
mixed and matched by the consumer to meet
their individual and family needs.
Reminder: When eating healthy
balance your food choices.
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Incorporate appropriate amounts from each
food group into your diet, including: fruit,
vegetable, meat, dairy, grains and limited
fats).
Don’t overindulge in high fat, high calorie
convenience products. Learn to mix n’ match
convenience products with food made from
scratch.
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Making pizza from scratch can cost you about
38¢ a serving. Purchasing it ready to cook
from the Deli case at the grocery store can
cost you about 57¢ a serving. Depending on
the brand, you can get it even cheaper in the
freezer section for about 46¢ a serving. These
are all much cheaper options than getting it
from a fast-food place, which is about $1.23 a
serving.
As a consumer….
You must weigh the pros and cons of convenience
products….
Which is more valuable?
Time, taste, money or health.
Can you choose? Will you choose?
Wise consumers will learn to mix and match
convenience products with scratch to meet their
needs. This is a trick you will acquire with life
learned lessons.
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