Why this activity works
A grocery budget gives decimal arithmetic immediate consequences. Students estimate before calculating, build subtotals, find change, compare combinations, and revise a plan when the exact total crosses a limit.
Free printable Thanksgiving activity
Thanksgiving Grocery Budget Decimal Activity
A printable 20-problem Thanksgiving grocery-budget worksheet with decimal operations, estimation, comparison shopping, and answers.
Grades 4–620 problemsAbout 60 minutesReference data and answers
Download the free activity PDFTeaching note
Require an estimate before each exact total. The estimate is both a planning tool and a way to catch misplaced decimal points.
Materials
- Pencil
- Scratch paper
- Optional calculator for checking
Directions
Use the grocery list to estimate, calculate exact totals, compare plans, and stay within each stated budget.
Community dinner grocery list
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Rice | $4.75 |
| Vegetables | $6.40 |
| Bread | $3.85 |
| Apples | $5.60 |
| Soup | $7.25 |
| Dessert ingredients | $8.90 |
Complete activity preview
Use the reference table above when provided. All questions and solutions also appear in the printable packet.
Estimate the cart
Round prices strategically before calculating exact totals.
- 1Round every price to the nearest dollar.
- 2Estimate the cost of one of every item using rounded prices.
- 3Is $30 enough for rice, vegetables, soup, and dessert ingredients? Estimate first.
- 4Estimate the cost of bags of rice and bags of vegetables using whole-dollar prices.
Exact totals
Add and subtract decimal money amounts.
- 5Find the exact cost of rice, vegetables, and bread.
- 6Find the cost of apples, soup, and dessert ingredients.
- 7One of every item costs how much?
- 8Find the exact cost of vegetables, apples, and two loaves of bread.
Multiple quantities
Multiply prices by whole-number quantities.
- 9Find the cost of 4 loaves of bread.
- 10Find the cost of 3 bags of apples and 2 containers of soup.
- 11Six bags of rice cost how much?
- 12Find the cost of vegetable bags, breads, and soups.
Stay on budget
Choose combinations and calculate change.
- 13You have $25. Buy vegetables, bread, apples, and soup. How much remains?
- 14Can $20 buy rice, bread, and dessert ingredients? Find the change or shortage.
- 15Choose at least four different items costing under $24. Give one valid plan.
- 16With $, buy rice, vegetables, and breads. Find the change.
Budget revision
Analyze errors and revise a multi-item plan.
- 17A student totals $4.75 + $6.40 as $10.15. Correct the error.
- 18A $40 plan includes one of every item. How much remains?
- 19The budget drops from $40 to $34. Remove exactly one item from the full cart to fit. Name any valid choice and the new total.
- 20A shopper has $ and needs one of every item plus a second dessert. Is the plan affordable?
Open the complete solutions
Equivalent forms and clearly supported open-ended responses should receive credit.
Estimate the cart
1. $5, $6, $4, $6, $7, $9
2. $37
3. Yes; the estimate is $27 and the exact total is $27.30, leaving $2.70
4. About $
Exact totals
5. $15.00
6. $21.75
7. $36.75
8. $
Multiple quantities
9. $15.40
10. $31.30
11. $28.50
12. $
Stay on budget
13. $1.90
14. Yes; $2.50 change
15. Answers vary; rice + vegetables + bread + apples = $20.60
16. $
Budget revision
17. $11.15; the ones and decimal places must align
18. $3.25
19. Remove any item costing at least $2.75; for example, remove bread for a $32.90 total
20. Yes; the total is $, leaving $