The Badge Archive

• Fulfills Steps 1 and 4 of GSUSA Budget Builder badge requirements.

Items Needed:

• Grocery store flyers or print ads (with prices and coupons)
• Play money (bills and coins)
• Paper
• Pencils or crayons
• Optional: Reusable shopping bags for show-and-tell

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Instructions (Estimated Time: 20–30 minutes):

1. Create a Shopping List (5 minutes)
   • Each scout writes or draws 3–5 items they might buy at the grocery store. Examples: cereal, apples, milk, crackers, juice.
2. Look for Bargains (10–15 minutes)
   • Scouts use the ads or coupons to “shop” for the items on their list.
     They look for:
     • Sale prices
     • Store brands instead of name brands
     • Coupons or special deals
   • They write down the prices and pretend to “pay” using play money.
3. Compare and Share (5–7 minutes)
   • Scouts can pair up and talk about:
     • Which item had the best deal?
     • Did they find different prices for the same item?
     • Did anyone save by picking a store brand?
4. (Optional Discussion) Helpful Shopping Tips
   • Store brands can cost less and work just as well
   • Bigger packages sometimes have better deals
   • Coupons are great, but only if you really need the item
   • Using reusable bags helps the planet (and sometimes saves money too!)