Tuesday, April 13, 2010

MAM Day 13: Sales and deals

Today's post is how to get the best deals when you see sales, discounts, reduced price items, etc. This is where math really comes in handy!


Some of the best shoppers have a good eye for quality clothes and quality deals. I discovered this when I was preparing my gala look in the week or so before our Gala. I got to shop with several different co-workers and got a feel for how people think when they're shopping. For example: how do you know if a buy one get one free deal is a better deal than 40% off a similar priced item?


Do some simple math! This type of math requires that you understand addition, subtraction, have an understanding of percentages and decimals, and finally to really understand the what the question is asking, or the math language that relates to the math problem. (If you need a refresher on percents and decimals)

Other sales and discount math practice



Other tips for mixing math with younger children. It might help keep your kids distracted and not continually asking "Can I buy this candy?" (which is what I ask all the time). Plus it'll help them later on in life when they have to do their own grocery shopping (scary but it's true, children grow up and have to buy their own groceries).


This cost me over 4 dollars?! I'm gonna buy off brand next time.

Finally, my mom used to emphasize the price per units when we went grocery shopping. She would make us divide the total price by the total units. For example, a 10 oz. box of cereal might run for 3 or 4 dollars. In comparison to a 20 oz. bag of off-brand cereal for $2.99, you're getting a much better deal. How do you know if you're getting the best deal? If there's a 16 oz. bag of cereal for $2.50 or the 20 oz. bag for $2.99 which one would you buy? Which one is the better deal?

Luckily for us, grocery stores now list the unit price on most of their items. If you look closely, they have a price per pound, or price per package and you can compare just by looking. I will say that my mom prepared us well when we had to figure these things out by ourselves. Check the grocery store tags to compare different brands, you could save a lot of money!



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