Hopefully if you’re here, then you’ve been along for the first parts of the journey, but if not, you can catch up on the beginning of Feast Week, the fractions involved, the meal planning, and the way our plan was derailed before I go on.  It’s been quite a journey already, that’s for sure!

After we had figured out exactly what we would finally buy, we had to decide where to shop and then head there to get what we needed.  Part of the job after they totaled up their appetizer cost was to determine whether it was a better idea to shop at Schnucks or Dierbergs for our ingredients.  Overwhelmingly, they decided that Schnucks was a better option for us.  And so to Schunucks we went!  Yes, you heard me right: I put 20 5th graders on a bus and took them to the grocery store.  And I did it by myself (along with Mrs. Hong and her class).  And they were great. 🙂

I wonder how many people were confused by the sight of a school bus at the grocery store!

We started by having a quick grocery store overview lesson–we talked about the general area where everything was, talked about the expectations (which were the same as at school!) and made a place to meet when we were finished.  And then they set off with their shopping lists to get what they needed.

While they shopped I ran around wandered around the store to make sure everyone was doing ok (remember, this was the week before Christmas–the place was a madhouse!) and finding what they needed.  I cannot even tell you how proud I am of these kids.  Completely on their own, they maneuvered a really large store, politely made their way through crowds and even made smart shopping decisions–everything we bought was on sale!  We were all finished and back to our meeting spot in just about half an hour, which was record time, I think!

Our original budget was around $97, and we made it out of there even under by a few dollars!  We spent right around $94, and like I mentioned before, EVERYTHING they chose was on sale.  The best part to me was when a group figured out that it was more cost effective to buy bags of 4 avocados that were 2/$5 than individually at 10/$10.  That’s some savvy shopping!

Check out that receipt!  My favorite part is at the bottom: “YOU SAVED $35.97.” Nice!

Congrats on a job well done, 5th graders!  You are grocery store superstars!

Next step–Part 6: Now We Cook!