How to Do Price Comparison Math

 

Did you ever sit in math class and wonder why you needed to know this stuff? Did you ever tell your teacher you were never going to use it? Especially when you were doing story problems….

Here’s why! (And you can use it as a reference guide too!)

Price Comparison Math

Your problem: You looking at two packages of meat in the store. One is fresh, boneless, skinless chicken breast with a price per pound of $2.79. After you have added it to your cart, you walk into the frozen section and spot a 40oz bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $5.99. Which is your better value?

You do not need to know the total price of the fresh pack to figure it out. You just need a simple conversion and some math. There is more than one way to go about this.

Option #1: You can convert the price of the frozen pack into a price per pound measure.

• First, you find out the price per ounce by dividing the total price by the number of ounces:
  5.99 / 40 = .14975
• Then you multiply the price per ounce by the number of ounces in a pound (16):
  .14975 x 16 = 2.369
• Since we already know that the fresh pack is $2.79 per pound, you just compare.
  $2.40 for frozen vs $2.79 for fresh.

Option #2: You could convert both items into a price per ounce.

• First, you find out the price per ounce of the frozen pack by dividing the total price by the number of ounces:
  $5.99 / 40 = .14975
• Then, you convert the fresh pack to ounces by dividing the price per pound by 16 (the number of ounces in a pound)
  $2.79 / 16 = .174375

If you are basing your decision just on the numbers to meet your budget, you buy the frozen.

Here are the basic formulas and conversions you will want to make note of to Do the Math.

1 pound = 16 ounces

Total price / Total number of units (pounds/ounces/quantity) = price per unit

The basics of a matchup:

Item price, regular or sale – $X.XX
– $X.XX coupon
– stacked $X.XX coupon if applicable
– $X.XX rebate deal/offer if applicable
Final Price (taking into account all coupons, rebates, and offers): $X.XX

Then if multiples are required for coupon usage, you do the extended math as you go.

Item price, regular or sale ($X.XX times the required quantity – ie: buy 2 to use a coupon properly)
– $X.XX coupon (ie: $1.00/2)
– stacked $X.XX coupon if applicable
– $X.XX rebate deal/offer if applicable
Final Price (taking into account all coupons, rebates, and offers): $X.XX

Please ask questions in the comments if you want more help/conversions! What all can you use price comparison math for?