Concept 7 of 7
Money Word Problems: Shopping and Bills
Today's big idea
Bill = each price times its count, all added; change = money handed over minus bill.
Some questions plant a number you do not need, so underline what is asked.
How it works
👀 What's going on?
Shopping questions hide two or three sums inside one story. The numbers themselves are easy. Picking the right order is the part that trips people up.
💡 Here's the trick
Look at the bill above. Work item by item, multiplying each price by its count, then add the line totals. Change is the money handed over minus that total. Some questions plant a number you do not need.
🪄 How to do it
- 1.List each item and its cost, as the bill above does.
- 2.Multiply price by count for every line, then add the lines.
- 3.Take the total away from the money handed over.
✍️ Try it
Aarav buys 4 pencils at ₹12 each and a ruler at ₹18, paying with a ₹100 note. Then: a pack of 4 juice boxes costs ₹92, so what do 7 boxes cost?
The pencils come to ₹48, the ruler is ₹18, and 48 plus 18 is 66, so the change is ₹34. One juice box is 92 shared by 4, or ₹23, and 7 of them cost ₹161.
⚠️ Watch out
You might be thinking every number in the story belongs in the sum. It often does not. If a question tells you the shop opened at 9 AM, that fact changes nothing.
🌟 Why this matters
You check a restaurant bill, a grocery slip or your pocket money with exactly these steps. Spotting the number that does not belong saves you from a wrong total.
Exam tip: Underline what is asked for, since a total and the change look alike but are not.
Watch me solve one
Quanta solves it
“Watch how I think through one of these — then you try.”
THE PROBLEM
“Farah buys 4 folders at ₹55 and a marker for ₹30. She pays ₹300. How much change?”
- 1
Folders total
4 × 55 = 220. 🧾
- 2
Add the marker
220 + 30 = 250.
- 3
Change = paid − total
300 − 250 = 50
- 4
Answer ✓
Change = ₹50.
Now you try one — same steps, different story 👇
See it in action
⚡ Time to play!
Read carefully — some numbers are red herrings. Total only what the question needs, then finish.
BILL · ROUND 1 OF 3
4 pencils at ₹12 each and an eraser for ₹8. Paid with ₹100.
Quick check
✅ VERIFICATION
Neha buys 5 notebooks at ₹54 each and pays with a ₹500 note. What change does she get?
⚡ Finish the activity above first to answer.
Keep going!