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The Dime Oct 29 · 1 / 7

Warm-up

What will you do for Halloween this weekend?

Hands up for your answer.

Top story

Halloween spending is near a record, and shoppers expect higher prices.

  • The NRF expects about $13.5 billion in Halloween spending this year.
  • About $4.1 billion of that is candy, and 96% of shoppers plan to buy it.
  • 79% of shoppers expect higher prices, because of tariffs.

79%

of Halloween shoppers who expect higher prices because of tariffs (NRF survey)

Talk about itIf candy costs more, would you buy less, buy a cheaper kind, or pay the higher price? Why?

Your money: Compare candy by price per piece

Total price ÷ number of pieces = unit price.

Compare the price per piece, not the price on the bag.

  1. $16.96 ÷ 100 pieces = about $0.17 a piece
  2. $12 ÷ 60 pieces = $0.20 a piece
  3. Lower price per piece = better deal

TakeawayBefore you buy, divide the price by the number of pieces, then pick the lowest unit price for the amount you need.

Guess the number

A 100-piece bag of Halloween candy costs $16.96. About how much is that for each piece?

Pop quiz

Which candy deal is cheapest per piece?

  1. A$15 for 50 pieces
  2. B$20 for 80 pieces
  3. C$12 for 30 pieces
  4. DThey cost the same per piece

Discuss

When prices go up on something you buy every year, what do you cut first: how much you buy, the brand, or something else? Why?

Worksheet

Today's worksheet

The story, the money lesson and questions, with an answer key on its own page.

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Arrow keys move between slides. R reveals the answer. F goes full screen.