Lesson 1: Using Decimals in a Shopping Context

1. Could Clare have purchased 2 pretzels, 2 drinks, and 2 bags of popcorn? Explain your reasoning.
2. Could she have bought 1 pretzel, 1 drink, and 5 bags of popcorn? Explain your reasoning.

You are planning a dinner party with a budget of \$50 and a menu that consists of 1 main dish, 2 side dishes, and 1 dessert. There will be 8 guests at your party.

Choose your menu items and decide on the quantities to buy so you stay on budget. If you choose meat, fish, or poultry for your main dish, plan to buy at least 0.5 pound per person.

Use the worksheet to record your choices and estimated costs. Then find the estimated total cost and cost per person. See examples in the first two rows.

1. The budget is \$ ___________ per guest.

   	item	quantity needed	advertised price	estimated subtotal (in dollars)	estimated cost per person (in dollars)
   row 1	ex. main dish: fish	4 pounds	\$6.69 per pound	$4\boldcdot 7=28$	$28\div 8 = 3.50$
   row 2	ex. dessert: cupcakes	8 cupcakes	\$2.99 per 6 cupcakes	$2\boldcdot 3 = 6$	$6\div 8= 0.75$
   row 3	main dish:
   row 4	side dish 1:
   row 5	side dish 2:
   row 6	dessert:
   row 7	estimated total

2. Is your estimated total close to your budget? If so, continue to the next question. If not, revise your menu choices until your estimated total is close to the budget.

3. Calculate the actual costs of the two most expensive items and add them. Show your reasoning.
4. How will you know if your total cost for all menu items will or will not exceed your budget? Is there a way to predict this without adding all the exact costs? Explain your reasoning.