- Fulfills Step 1 of GSUSA Budget Builder badge requirements.
Items Needed
- One printed Grocery Price List that can be shared per pair or table (See Below)
- Plain paper
- Pencils or crayons
Instructions (Estimated Time: 20–30 minutes):
- Imagine the Mission (2–3 minutes)
- Scouts imagine they’re shopping for food for someone who needs to stay strong and healthy.
- Their goal: buy 8-10 grocery items without going over a $30 budget.
- Make a Grocery List (8–10 minutes)
- Scouts look at the price list and pick items. They write or draw their five choices and the price of each one.
- They add up the prices to check if they’re under $30.
- If the total is too high, they adjust their list by:
- Swapping an item for something cheaper
- Removing something
- Choosing smaller or fewer items
- Share and Compare (5–8 minutes)
- Scouts pair up or share with the group:
- What did they “buy”?
- Did they come in under budget?
- What was their healthiest or smartest choice?
- Scouts pair up or share with the group:
- Reflect (5 minutes)
- On the back of their paper or in discussion, scouts answer:
- Which items were most important?
- Was it hard to stay under budget?
- What would they change next time?
- On the back of their paper or in discussion, scouts answer:
Grocery Price List
Scouts have $30 to buy enough food for one day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack. Pick 8 to 10 items that will help them stay full, strong, and healthy all day.
| Category | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Fruits | Apple | $2 |
| Banana (bunch) | $3 | |
| Orange (2) | $3 | |
| Raisins (snack packs) | $2 | |
| Applesauce (4 cups) | $3 | |
| Vegetables | Carrots (bag) | $4 |
| Cucumber | $2 | |
| Bell Pepper (2) | $3 | |
| Lettuce (head or bag) | $3 | |
| Grains | Loaf of Bread | $3 |
| Pasta (box) | $3 | |
| Rice (bag) | $3 | |
| Oatmeal (box) | $4 | |
| Cereal (box) | $4 | |
| Muffins (4-pack) | $4 | |
| Tortilla Wraps (pack) | $3 | |
| Protein/Dairy | Peanut Butter (jar) | $5 |
| Cheese (block or slices) | $6 | |
| Milk (carton) | $4 | |
| Yogurt (4-pack) | $5 | |
| Eggs (dozen) | $4 | |
| Chicken (small pack) | $6 | |
| Turkey slices | $5 | |
| Tofu | $4 | |
| Canned Beans | $2 | |
| Snacks/Mixed | Granola Bar (box) | $4 |
| Canned Soup | $2 | |
| Crackers | $3 | |
| Crackers with cheese | $3 |
Bonus Challenge: Add a light twist: “You must choose at least one fruit/vegetable, one protein, and one grain.”
The Badge Archive 