One of our dietitian clients asked us for a tool so she could teach her clients how to shop healthier on a budget. People often like to remark that turkey or chicken is more expensive than mac and cheese. But eating healthy on a budget is very easy when you know how to plan and shop and you don't have to give up your favorite foods. You just have to shop smarter.

We made this handy poster for her to use as a classroom and presentation tool. It can be used on any classroom wall or as a bulletin board tool. It is 18" x 24" and is laminated. 

This poster teaches valuable lessons about making the best shopping decisions for your pocket book and your health. We would suggest pairing it with lessons on MyPlate and the Nutrition Facts Label. 

1. Size: 18" x 24"
2. Laminated 
3. Language: English
4. Age group 10 to adult
5. Topic: how to control your food cost

1. Go online to your favorite store like Amazon Prime, Walmart, Whole Foods, or Peapod. Find out the prices for chips, sodas, cookies, and many of the popular empty calorie foods. Figure out how much these cost per week and per year. Since they don't have any nutrients you don't need them! 
2. Did you know that 25% of all foods brought home from the store are wasted? This is a figure from HSS. By planning meals and buying just what you need you can save money because you won't be throwing food away.
3. Show the cost savings of less processed foods. Examples include the cost of potatoes versus potato chips or oatmeal versus packaged cereals or a 2 pound bag of rice versus the boxed mix. Now people can see how buying healthy in bulk is really a cost savings!
4. Take a look at the foods in season or the specials on frozen and canned foods in a store in a week. Work as a class to figure out what to make with them. Yummy ideas come from these and you save money, too.
5. Learn to use the "cost per unit" price on the store aisle. Figure out a few examples so people can get the practice on figuring out this cost and using it for analysis.
6. Make a menu and shopping list. See how it impacts the food cost for one week!