Teaching · Consumer Math

Find the Best Deal. Stay on Budget.

Give students a budget, two stores, and a shopping list — and watch them turn into smart shoppers. They compare unit prices to find the best value (and spot the traps), then build a shopping list that stays on budget. Real consumer math, on paper, ready to print — no computers required.

Grades 3–8 Printable · no tech Free sample Full packet for members
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How It Works

Three steps to shopping smart

Students shop two make-believe stores — Corner Market and Big Save Grocery — that sell the same foods in different sizes. The only way to know the real best deal is to compare the price of one unit.

1

Find the best value

Divide each price by its size to get the price per ounce, pound, or item — then circle the better buy. One formula: unit price = price ÷ size.

2

Shop your list & budget

Buy everything on the shopping list, pick a store for each item, total the cost, stay under the budget, and figure the change.

3

Check your work

Compare with a classmate. Disagree about the best buy? The unit price settles it — and the answer key has every number.

What’s Inside

Everything you need to run the Challenge

  • How the Challenge Works — the rules and the three steps, in student-friendly language
  • Two store flyers — Corner Market and Big Save Grocery, same foods at different sizes
  • Three unit-price worksheets — Level 1 (3–4), Level 2 (5–6), Level 3 (7–8)
  • Shopping List & Budget worksheet — total it, stay under budget, make change
  • The “size trap” — a built-in lesson that bigger is not always cheaper
  • Reflection + Take It Home — discussion questions and a real-store unit-price hunt
  • Full answer key — every unit price and a worked budget basket
  • Unit-Price Calculator spreadsheet — Excel + Google Sheets (paid)

Get It

Try the free sample, or get the full packet

Free with a free account

Free sample

A real, runnable preview — how the Challenge works, one store flyer, a Level 2 unit-price worksheet, and the Shopping List & Budget worksheet. Enough to teach a lesson today. Create a free Money Instructor account to download — already a member? Just log in.

Download the free sample

Included with paid membership

Full packet

The complete 15-page packet — both store flyers, all three worksheet levels, reflection and take-home pages, the full answer key, the Smart Shopper certificate, and the teacher guide — plus the Unit-Price Calculator spreadsheet. Free and logged-out visitors are prompted to create an account or upgrade.

Get the full packet (PDF) Unit-Price Calculator (Excel)

Who It’s For

One packet, a whole range of learners

Elementary & middle teachers

A no-prep consumer-math lesson with three built-in levels for grades 3–8.

Homeschool families

Teach unit price and budgeting with a hands-on shopping game at the kitchen table.

Life-skills & math class

Real ratios, decimals, and money practice students will actually use at the store.

Need a sub plan?

Print it and go — clear directions, an answer key, and zero devices required.

No Devices Required

Print it and go — or go digital

The whole Challenge works on paper: print the flyers and worksheets, and students are shopping in minutes. Want a digital version too? Money Instructor’s free interactive lessons Grocery Budget and Compare Prices teach the same ideas on a screen — a perfect companion or follow-up.

Try the free interactive lessons →

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What grades is this for?
Grades 3–8, and adaptable for grades 2–9. Three difficulty levels are built into the worksheets — per-item comparisons for the youngest, price per unit (per ounce, pound, or quart) for the middle, and percent savings plus the “size trap” for grades 7–8 — so one packet serves a whole range.
Do students need computers?
No. The whole Challenge is print-and-do. The optional Unit-Price Calculator spreadsheet is a bonus for classrooms that want a digital self-check.
What math does it teach?
Unit price (division and decimals), comparison shopping, ratios and unit rates, percent savings, and budgeting — totaling a purchase, staying under a budget, and making change.
What is the “size trap”?
A built-in lesson that the biggest package is not always the cheapest per unit. One item (the orange juice) actually costs more per ounce in the bigger jug — so students learn to always check the unit price.
What’s the difference between the free sample and the full packet?
The free sample includes how the Challenge works, one store flyer, a Level 2 worksheet, and the budget worksheet — enough to run a lesson. The full packet adds the second store flyer, all three levels, reflection and take-home pages, the full answer key, the certificate, the teacher guide, and the Unit-Price Calculator spreadsheet.
How do I get each one?
The free sample is included with a free Money Instructor account. The full packet and the calculator are included with paid Money Instructor membership.

Ready to Shop Smart?

Turn your students into smart shoppers

Try the free sample, or get the full packet and run the Grocery Budget & Unit Price Challenge this week.

Try the free sample Get the full packet