The Cooperative Extension Service

Making The Most of Your Food Dollars

Submitted by: Gwyn Boutwell

Brooks County DFCS, Region XI

201 S. Barnes St., Quitman, GA 31643

Phone: 229-263-7567 E-mail: glboutwell@dhr.state.ga.us

The main objective of the TANF program is to help our clients become self-sufficient. One of the assets this CRS felt our clients would need to learn is to better manage their money. We have started this in Brooks County by contacting our local Cooperative Extension Service Agent who has been coming to our TANF Orientations and presenting a session on Making The Most of Your Food Dollars.

The session starts off with a Money for Food Checklist questionnaire and ends with this same checklist – During the interim session clients are provided a handout entitled Food Shopping on a Budget that stresses the importance of planning and the steps to take to succeed with shopping on a budget.

• Step 1: Make a food budget – determine how much money you have for food, including the value of your food stamps
• Step 2: Plans meals and snacks for your family for a week – check foods you have on hand/plan to use these foods. Check newspaper ads and store flyers for weekly specials. Plan to use leftovers for other meals
• Step 3: Make a shopping list of the foods you need to make the meals and snacks on your menu – if you use coupons, have these available with your list
• Step 4: Review your shopping list and budget – does this look like a shopping list that would fit your food budget?

The clients are also given a flyer entitled Be A Smart Shopper which talks about comparing the cost of the same food in three different forms – canned, frozen and fresh -and in comparing Store Brand vs. National Brands. There is a group activity in which all clients are encouraged to participate to see who can come up with the best buys. Another handout is Compare the Cost that teaches participants how to look at the Unit Price of a product and not just the Product Price.

Sample Recipes are given to each client along with a shopping list and tips on surviving tough times that includes 50 ways to stretch your food dollar.

If anyone would like copies of the flyers and questionnaires used in helping clients to know how to make the most of their food dollars, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will mail these to you.