Your class earned a movie celebration! You’re responsible for buying supplies for 27 students with a budget of $24.50.
Everyone needs:
- 1 bag of popcorn
- 1 juice box
- 1 paper cup
- 1 napkin
Your mission: Get enough for everyone, stay within budget, and explain why your shopping plan makes sense.
The Supply Board
These fictional prices are created for this classroom challenge. Each price buys one whole package.
| Supply | Corner Market | Party Depot | Quick Stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Popcorn | 6 bags for $2.40 | 10 bags for $3.50 | 4 bags for $1.70 |
| Juice | 8 boxes for $2.80 | 6 boxes for $2.00 | 10 boxes for $3.60 |
| Cups | 20 cups for $1.00 | 30 cups for $1.70 | 12 cups for $0.80 |
| Napkins | 40 napkins for $1.00 | 100 napkins for $1.80 | 30 napkins for $1.10 |
Before You Shop: Catch the Mistake
A student says:
“Quick Stop’s popcorn costs only $1.70. I’ll buy one package because that’s the smallest price!”
What did the student forget to check? Explain in one sentence.
Step 1: Make Sure Everyone Gets Something
You must buy whole packages. If your calculation gives part of a package, buy the next whole package.
Example: You need 27 spoons, and spoons come in packs of 10.
- Two packs provide 20 spoons—not enough.
- Three packs provide 30 spoons—enough, with 3 extra.
Now create your shopping plan:
| Supply | Store chosen | Items in one package | Packages to buy | Total items purchased | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popcorn | |||||
| Juice | |||||
| Cups | |||||
| Napkins |
Check every row: Do you have at least 27 of each item?
Use:
Total items = Packages × Items per package
Cost = Packages × Package price
Step 2: Include the Trip
Your first store visit is free. Each additional store costs $0.75 in transportation.
| Stores visited | Transportation cost |
|---|---|
| 1 | $0.00 |
| 2 | $0.75 |
| 3 | $1.50 |
Ignore taxes and coupons.
Show your calculations:
Supplies: $_____ + $_____ + $_____ + $_____ = $_____
Final cost: Supplies + Transportation = $_____
Money remaining: $24.50 − Final cost = $_____
If you exceed the budget, revise your plan.
Step 3: Is Your Plan Actually a Better Deal?
Calculate the cost of buying all four supplies at Party Depot, including enough packages for everyone.
Then compare:
Savings compared with Party Depot = Party Depot total − Your final total
Money remaining and savings are different: money remaining compares your spending with your budget; savings compares two shopping plans.
If your plan costs more, state how much more.
Step 4: Explain Your Decision
Write at least five complete sentences. Include:
- How your package quantities provide enough supplies.
- One comparison using actual prices and quantities.
- Whether an extra store visit is worth its transportation cost.
- Your final total and money remaining.
- How your plan compares with buying everything at Party Depot.
You may use:
“I chose _____ for _____ because _____ packages provide _____ items and cost $_____.”
“Visiting another store saves $_____ on supplies, but transportation adds $_____, so _____.”
Final Check
Before posting, confirm:
- Every student receives all four supplies.
- You multiplied each package price by the number of packages.
- You included transportation.
- Your final cost is within $24.50.
- Your explanation contains numbers that support your choices.
Bonus: The Guest List Changes!
Six more students join. Now you need supplies for 33 students, and your budget becomes $30.
You haven’t bought anything yet. Revise your plan and explain which package quantities or store choices need to change—and why.
A bargain only works if it buys enough for everyone!
When you’re finished, check out the rest of our blog for more tips, ideas, and activities to help you learn and grow. Be sure to follow our classroom Instagram page for behind-the-scenes moments, project highlights, and fun updates. Let’s work together to make learning fun, exciting, and something you look forward to every day!
7 Responses
I went to Party Depot for popcorn – 3 packages = 30 bags for $10.05.
For juice, I went with Party Depot. 5 packages = 30 boxes for $10.00.
Corner Market is where I went to get my cups and napkins because their packages are less expensive and they give enough for everybody.
Even if you pay $0.75 for transportation, it is worth going to another store because you can save money And my plan provides everyone with all four supplies, stays with the 24.50 budget.
I chose Party Depot for popcorn because 3 packages give me 30 bags and cost $10.50.
I chose Party Depot for juice because 5 packages give me 30 boxes and cost $10.00.
For cups and napkins, I chose Corner Market because the packages are cheaper and provide enough for everyone.
Visiting another store is worth it because it can save money even with the $0.75 transportation cost
my plan gives everyone all four supplies, stays under the $24.50 budget.
Supply Store chosen Items in one package Packages to buy Total items purchased Cost
Popcorn quick stop 4 bags 1 bag 4 bags 1.70
Juice quick stop 10 boxes 1 box 10 boxes 3.60
Cups quick stop 12 1 cup 12 + 0.80
Napkins quick stop 30 1 napkin 30 1.10
————-
7.20
I chose Quick stop for popcorn because if you buy popcorn at quick stop packages provide 4 items and cost $1.70
Visiting another store saves $9.00 on supplies, but transportation adds $0.70, so Quick stop is the cheapest store to get a more than you need for small prices and I stayed within my budget wich is $24.50 and my total for everything came out to be $7.20.
I chose Party Depot for everything item because it is the cheapest. It cost $3.50 for 10 bags of popcorn, meaning I would need to buy 3 packs of popcorn. The juice cost $2.00 for 6 boxes, so I would need to buy 5 packs in order to have enough. To get 30 cups it cost $1.70. Its better to buy a 100 pack of napkins for $1.80 so we can use the napkins for another activity. The total cost for everything is 24 dollars.
I would buy 3 packages of popcorn, 5 packages of juice, 1 package of cups and 1 package of napkins from Party Depot because they have enough for all 27 students. The popcorn is $10.50, the juice is $10.00, the cups are $1.70 and the napkins are $1.80. I would only have to go to one store and so I would not have to pay any transportation costs. My total would be $24.00 and I would be left with $0.50 from the $24.50 budget. Buying everything at Party Depot is $24.00, so my plan is the same price.
I chose Party Depot for the popcorn because three packs provide 30 units for $10.50, giving us enough food while keeping the price per bag low.
To ensure everyone has a drink, buying five juice packs at Party Depot gives us exactly 30 juice boxes.
Going to another store allows us to save $0.80 on napkins by purchasing them at Corner Market for $1.00 instead of $1.80; even though transportation adds a cost of $0.75, we still come out ahead.
The final total comes to $23.95, leaving us with $0.55 remaining from the budget.
This strategic plan is more advantageous than buying everything at Party Depot, as it allows the class to save a total of $0.05
I chose to buy three packages of popcorn, five packages of juice, and one package of cups from Party Depot because that gives me 30 popcorns, 30 juices, and and 30 cups and that’s enough for all of the 27 kids I think. And then I got one pack of napkins from the Corner Market for like 1 dollar and it comes with 40 napkins and its like way cheaper. And if I go to the Corner Market saves us like 80 cents on napkins I believe. And I think the total cost is like uhh maybe $23.95 and like I have 55 cents left.