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A guide on how to make smart choices when using money to buy things.
Imagine you find a treasure chest with ten gold coins! If you spend three coins on a shiny sticker today, do you have more or fewer coins left for a magic wand tomorrow?
$\$10\ on a snack, you have less money than you started with. To find out how much is left, we use subtraction: 1. You have $\$5\.
3. You decide to buy it.
4. Now, you subtract the cost from your total: $\$5 - \$2 = \$3\ left in your money tank.
Quick Check
If you have $\$20\ on a book, does the amount of money you have left go up or down?
Answer
It goes down because spending reduces your total amount of money.
$\$4\, the smart choice is Store A. By choosing the lower price, you keep more money in your tank! We can compare them using math: 1. You want to buy orange juice.
2. The 'Super Juice' costs $\$5\.
4. They are the same size and taste the same.
5. By choosing 'Yummy Juice,' you save $\$2\$5 - \$3 = \.
Quick Check
If a red notebook costs $\$3\, which one helps you save more money?
Answer
The blue notebook because $\$2\.
Sometimes we see something shiny and buy it right away without thinking. Later, we might feel sad or wish we had saved our money for something better. This feeling is called buyer's remorse. It's like an 'oops' feeling in your tummy. To avoid this, ask yourself: 'Do I really need this, or am I just spending too fast?' Taking a moment to think helps you stay happy with your choices.
1. Maya has $\$10\ on a giant glitter hat she saw at the first booth.
3. Five minutes later, she sees her favorite book for $\$5\ left.
4. Maya feels sad because she can't buy the book. This is buyer's remorse.
5. Next time, Maya will walk around the whole fair before spending her money.
If you have $\$15\, how much do you have left?
What is it called when you look at two different stores to find the lowest price?
Buyer's remorse is a happy feeling you get when you save your money.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, try to remember the name of the 'oops' feeling you get when you regret buying something.
Practice Activity
Next time you go to the store with a grown-up, find two different brands of the same item (like bread or milk) and point to the one that costs less.