Hello all,
How do you do your calculations on a day to day basis, do you use one of these......
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or maybe one of these, or an even smarter smart phone or an ipad with the calculator app
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This is my shopping book from yesterdays shopping, list on one side and adding up as I went along on the other, its a bit of a scribbled mess but it certainly worked. I could have used either of the above, but, the calculator is a bit bulky and the smart phone is touch screen which I find takes too much concentration. I know for a fact that I would loose the running total several times around the shop and have to start again, not easy when the prices are usually on the edge of the shelf! I am so much happier doing my adding up on a bit of paper, you can also see at a glance the total mounting up with every item that goes into the trolley, it also stops anything unnecessary landing in there!! As I said yesterday in my post, I did get some strange looks but when I got to the checkout I knew exactly how much it was going to be. I know its only simple maths but it does keep the old brain ticking over nicely. Its a good few years since I did this on a regular basis but I think it's something I'm going to start doing again and paying by cash means I don't have the card to fall back on if I over spend.
If you were to try this or if it's something you already do, which method suits you best, calculator, smart phone or paper and pen?
A huge warm welcome to my new follower Carol, nice to meet you Carol I hope you will pop by often and maybe say hello x
Thank you for reading my chunterings today.
I don't follow it to the penny, but as part of our homeschooling I taught both of my children to add as we went along. I round the numbers up slightly so for example $4.59 may become $5. That way I always allowed for tax as well. We also studied our division by having them work out costs per unit. We got some strange looks too, but that's okay....I never got any huge surprises at the register.
ReplyDeleteI think bringing everyday life into education is such a brilliant way of learning and having fun at the same time.
DeleteI often add up on paper as I go round, or to be honest, write down the prices and stop and add up about 3 times. I don't tend to bother at the beginning of each month as I put aside a monthly amount for food and buy bigger amounts of meat and fish in bulk that will be used over the next 1 to 3 months. So I might buy chicken and pork one week, a fortnight later salmon, then beef the next month, chicken a week later and so on. At the end of the month adding up is more necessary!
ReplyDeleteAt the moment we have lots of meat in the freezer and it is something I like to buy in larger quantities. I'm wondering how to incorporate this into the budget when the time comes. Maybe I will take a leaf from your book and buy something each week, I suppose it all works out in the end.
DeleteActually, I tend to go shopping with a particular meat and/or fish in mind, especially if I know there's a good offer on (and I often do because my husband works there!), but often, I also get what's reduced. The other week I got 2 700g packs of lean pork mince for £2.25 each (minus 10% staff discount)and made 8 portions of meatballs in tomato sauce and 2 meatloaves that gave another 8 portions. (The same recipe but cooked in two different forms.) Saving so much on the minced pork meant that there's more in the budget later in the month and more in the freezer next month so I can buy less meat then. And being well ahead I can wait for the bargains!
DeleteBrilliant! Might as well make the most of whats on offer or reduced, especially if you get the discount too! I love a good bargain, all the better if its meat. Any kind of mince is brilliant, its so versatile and easy to stretch. Love it!!
DeleteI always add up as I go along, I have had to query the total a few times, on 1 memorable day I put about 20 items through the till and the checkout girl chirped £73 please. I asked where the vintage champagne was then but it fell on stony ground. She was very annoyed with me for questioning her and called the supervisor in a major huff. The till had rung something in for £54 instead of 54p. In the ensuing Kerfuffle the checkout girl swore both at me and the supervisor and I got my shopping free, shame it was not £73 worth.
ReplyDeleteI've had that happen to me at the supermarket, the cashier had somehow carried a sub total from the previous customer and added it to my bill. Swearing at a customer is a bit naughty, she needs a course on customer care! Pity you hadn't done a months worth of shopping lol
DeleteCongratulations on being part time at work, enjoy your extra time off x
That's terrible Pam, what a shame it wasn't more. My mum had a packet of marg go through 22 times. It's funny how the error is always in their favour isn't it?
DeleteX
I was once charged $140 for an item that was $1.40. In 1985 that was a huge discrepancy.
DeleteI prefer to use my brain as much as possible.
A couple of times I have got home and then checked my receipt to find to my horror I have been charged full price for yellow stickered reductions!! I make sure I check now, even if it holds up the next customer! At least adding as I go along I will know straight away if something is amiss.
DeleteA brilliant idea to use a notebook, duh ..... why I haven't I thought of it, I used to use a calculator and like you say I kept losing the total and having to starrt from scratch so I reverted to just adding up approximately.
ReplyDeleteWhen my boys were little shopping was a family cost cutting/monitoring outing, with the younger one being sat in the trolley putting the things down behind him and the older one adding everything up on the calculator, it was a good lesson in both maths and the cost of the foods they both ate.
Hi Sue, lovely to see you back x
ReplyDeleteThe notebook I'm using has a really stiff card cover and with the ring binder makes it a brilliant book for writing on balanced on the trolley handle. I have put some plastic pockets inside to hold coupons and it just fits nicely in my bag.
What a great game to have played with the kids, I did something similar, I'm all for having fun while learning.