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Shop smart showdown

Practise your budgeting skills in this online shopping showdown

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You’ll need

  • Pens or pencils
  • A4 paper
  • Access to the internet
  • Device with access to the internet
  • Calculator or phone

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There’s also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help.

Planning and setting up this activity 

  • Write or print out a copy of the shopping list, making sure there is one for each group.
  • This activity will require the groups to use online shopping websites. Ask everyone to use websites for well-known supermarkets, outdoor shops, and charity shops, rather than apps selling second-hand items, as these apps are often restricted to users aged 18 and over.

Aim of the activity

The goal of this activity is for everyone to work in small groups to create a shopping basket with a mix of items that falls under a £100 budget. They must consider price, availability, and where they can find the cheapest options. At the end of the challenge, they’ll also reflect on the sustainability of their choices and if they can switch for better alternatives. 

  • Bread (1 loaf, standard white or wholemeal)
  • Milk (1 litre)
  • Waterproof coat (medium size, generic)
  • Camping bag (medium, durable)
  • Toothpaste (standard tube)
  • T-shirt (plain, adult size)
  • Tinned beans (1 can)
  • Smartphone charger (universal or specific)
  • Fruit (such as pears, oranges or apples) (1 kg)
  • Notebook (small, lined)
  • Set of utensils (spatula, ladle and tongs)
  • Walking boots (size-specific, durable) 

Becoming a Critical Consumer

  • Value for Money
  • Making Financial Decisions

This activity may touch on sensitive topics, such as food, money or food banks, which some young people or their families might be affected by. 

It’s important to create a safe, positive and supportive space where everyone feels comfortable. Let everyone know it’s okay to ask questions, say if they feel unsure, or step away at any time. Always follow the Yellow Card.

You might need to make adjustments, such as:

  • Tell people about the activity in advance
  • Offer the option to leave or do an alternative activity
  • Speak with parents or carers beforehand
  • Remind everyone they can talk to a trusted adult if they’re upset or worried

You can offer trusted support services if needed, such as Childline (0800 1111), Citizen’s Advice (0808 223 1133) and Crimestoppers (0800 555 111).

The Trussell Trust is a great place to start looking for a food bank near you. You can find details of independent food banks online. The UK Government have some debt advice support too.

Make sure that all adult volunteers and young leaders keep all discussions age-appropriate and supportive.

Running this activity

  1. Ask everyone to get into pairs or small groups.
  2. Explain that each group will be given a shopping list and a budget of £100. Their task is to find the items on their list within the budget. They should write down the item name, website, and price.
  3. Ask everyone what they know about budgeting and how they might plan to manage money.
  4. Ask if anyone can think of ways to make their choices better for the environment. Explain that sustainability includes things like choosing long-lasting items, using charity shops, avoiding fast fashion, reducing plastic and packaging, buying second-hand, or supporting eco-friendly brands.
  5. Give each team a copy of the shopping list. A template is included at the bottom of this page, but you may want to create your own.
  6. Explain that they need to consider where they’re buying the items and whether their choices are eco-friendly
  7. Let the groups find the items online.
  8. Once everyone has finished, bring the whole group back together.
  9. Ask each team to review their own list. They should check whether they stayed within the £100 budget, identify any overspending, consider where they could have saved money, and reflect on how sustainable their choices were.
  10. Ask each team to either present their list to the group or swap lists with other teams.
  11. Each team should score all the team’s lists out of 10 for budgeting and out of 10 for sustainability.
  12. Once all the scoring is done, bring everyone back together.
  13. Compare the scores and have a short group discussion. Which team scored highest for budgeting? Which scored highest for sustainability? What choices helped, and what could be improved next time?

Reflection

This activity gave everyone the opportunity to learn about budgeting and to see how sustainable their purchases were. How did your budgeting go? Was it a challenge to stay within it? How could you improve them if you were to do the activity again?

It was important to decide how sustainable your choices were and decide if it was worth making that decision. Did you choose more second-hand items because of this? Was it more difficult to purchase the items second-hand?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Online safety

Supervise young people when they’re online and give them advice about staying safe. Take a look at our online safety or bullying guidance. The NSPCC offers more advice and guidance, too. If you want to know more about specific social networks and games, Childnet has information and safety tips for apps. You can also report anything that’s worried you online to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command. As always, if you’ve got concerns about a young person’s welfare, including their online experiences, follow the Yellow Card to make a report.

  • To make it easier, remove the amount of items to find on the list.
  • To make it harder, add more items to the list or specify which websites they are allowed to use.

Make it accessible

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Scouts Money Skills Activity Badge

Now you have completed this online, think about completing this in your local community shops to see if it is any easier or if its more difficult.