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Reducing Your Food Spending

Details

Tech Product/Equipment:
Computer and projector, Mobile devices for students

Activity Description

Ultimate Guide to Reducing Your Food Spending
Source: Money Management International (License: Protected by Copyright (c) [i.e. screenshot])
 Four methods are shared on Reducing Your Food Spending
  1. Stay in Tonight (examine the cost of eating out)
  2. Waste Not (take a look at food at home and reduce the amount wasted, includes My Fridge Food a great place that takes the ingredients you have on hand and offers recipes to use them)
  3. Grocery Game Theory (examine making bulk meals and freezing extra for another meal)
  4. Cutting Cost of Convenience (use unit cost to figure best value

In this activity the class is divided into four groups who examine each method, write a summary, and present what they learned to the class.

Preparation

  1. Check the website to ensure it is not blocked at your site.
  2. Read through the lesson plan.
  3. Print and make copies of any handouts.

Teacher Tips

This website is vast with many useful tools and great information. Take time to explore what is available. Check links to make sure they are current

More Ways

Money Management International has many resources including Celetrating Financial Literacy Month. Here they look at 30 Steps to get "more from your money" One way to use this information is to let class pairs select one step, read about it, write a summary and present it to the class. The 30 steps are:

  1. Commit to change
  2. Assess Your finances
  3. Clear out the financial clutter
  4. Set yourself up for success
  5. Get copies of your credit reports
  6. Clean up your credit report
  7. Make your money count
  8. Identify your starting point
  9. Review your debt situation
  10. Set your priorities
  11. Set SMART financial goals
  12. Set short-, mid-, and long-term goals
  13. Paydown your debt
  14. Expect the unexpected
  15. Secure your financial future
  16. Make a commitment
  17. Save for your goals
  18. Follow where the money goes
  19. Identify and document fixed monthly expenses
  20. Identify and plan for periodic expenses
  21. Document your spending
  22. Identify ways to reduce spending
  23. Save money on groceries
  24. Start an open dialogue
  25. Document your desired spending
  26. Protect yourself by performing financial check-ups
  27. Understand the cost of credit
  28. Assemble a financial team
  29. Appreciate the benefits
  30. Keep moving forward

Program Areas

  • ABE: Adult Basic Education
  • ESL: English as a Second Language

Levels

  • All Levels
  • Intermediate Low
  • Intermediate High
  • Advanced

Lesson Plan

Warm-up
Engagement

As pairs learners discuss the question: How can we save money on food spending?

Gather as a class and make a list of ways

Introduction
Engagement

One way we all spend money is on food. With costs going up, finding ways to reduce the money spent on food will help our budget. Money Management International is a website devoted to all things money. We will be looking at the Ultimate Guide to Reducing Your Food Spending. Lets see if our class ideas are included in their recommendations.

Presentation
Engagement

The website mentions four ideas to reducing food spending: (Show the website-scroll down through the four methods) The assignment will be that we will study and present each step to the class. We will divide into 4 groups, working together each group will write a summary and present what you learned to the class. Pay attention so you can join the group you are most interested in. (hopefully the groups will be about the same size) Each of the four groups will present four slides on the Class Presentation on Google Slides (or PowerPoint or Sway or any other presentation software) As a teacher prepare the slides and share them with each group so they can add their slides. 

Step 1: Let's Stay in Tonight (have student volunteers read this section to the class)

Step 2: Waste Not (have student volunteers read this section to the class)

Step 3: Grocery Game Theory (have student volunteers read this section to the class)

Step 4: Cutting the cost of convenience (have student volunteers read this section to the class)

Practice
Engagement Enhancement

Divide the class into four groups (hopefully the learners can choose the group they are the most interested in). As a group, read the material again, checking links if they have any. As a group discuss the idea, write a summary of the idea, and prepare to present the idea to the class. Each group will create four slides on the Class Presentation (the teacher will send a link to each group and each group adds their slides to the same presentation and then speaks to the class explaining what they learned on the slide. Slide 1 Title of Step and names of group members, Slide 2 the idea presented on the Step, Slide 3 gives more space to explain the idea Slide 4 is the conclusion or assignment, what you should do.

Evaluation
Engagement Enhancement

The class will present the four ideas using the Slide Presentation. Each group presents their four slides. Learners will take notes on the presentation with the idea that they will have to write a summary of what they learned and how they might use the information.

Application
Engagement Enhancement Extension

As pairs discuss ways to use this information in their own homes. Discuss the ideas as a class.

Subjects

  • Reading
    • Consumer Skills
    • Critical Thinking/Decision Making
    • Vocabulary
  • Writing
    • Paragraph Skills

Standards

  • Reading
    • CCR Anchor 1 - Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
    • CCR Anchor 2 - Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
  • Writing
    • CCR Anchor 2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
    • CCR Anchor 4 - Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
  • Speaking and Listening
    • CCR Anchor 1 - Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
    • CCR Anchor 2 - Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
  • Language
    • CCR Anchor 1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
    • CCR Anchor 2 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Tags

Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing, budgetting, financial literacy, financial planning, reducing food budget

Conditions

MMI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides financial education, debt management plans (“DMP”) and counseling services in debt relief, housing (e.g., foreclosures and rental eviction, homeownership, reverse mortgage), bankruptcy, student loans and disaster recovery (“Services”). Please note that MMI is not a debt consolidator. Please also note that we are not attorneys and cannot give you legal advice. Links to Third Party Sites Our Site may contain links to third-party websites and online services. Please understand that those third-party websites and online services may have different terms of use and privacy policies, and that MMI does not control and is not responsible for the content of such websites or online services or the privacy practices of such third parties. The information collected by such third-party websites or online services is not covered by the Privacy Policy.
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OTAN activities are funded by contract CN240137 from the Adult Education Office, in the Career & College Transition Division, California Department of Education, with funds provided through Federal P.L., 105-220, Section 223. However, OTAN content does not necessarily reflect the position of that department or the U.S. Department of Education.