Lesson 6.4 · Time and Money
Dollars and cents word problems
At a store, you add prices, find out how much money is left, and get change back. You already know how to count coins and how to add and subtract. Now let's put them together to solve money stories.
Cents and dollars
Small amounts are written with the ¢ sign, like 45¢. Bigger amounts use dollars and the $ sign, like $5. Dollar bills come in $1, $5, $10 and $20.
Keep the units the same. Add cents to cents and dollars to dollars.
Solving a money story
- Read the story. What do you need to find?
- Decide: do you add (putting together) or subtract (spending, taking away, or finding how much more)?
- Solve, then write the answer with ¢ or $.
Here is a menu for a school snack stand.
| Snack | Price |
|---|---|
| 🍎 apple | 65¢ |
| 🍪 cookie | 25¢ |
| 🧃 juice | 40¢ |
| 🍌 banana | 30¢ |
Worked example: Buying two snacks
Ruby buys a cookie and a juice. How much does she spend?
Putting prices together means add: .
Ruby spends 65¢.
Worked example: How much is left?
Theo has 80¢. He buys a banana. How much money does he have left?
Spending means subtract: .
Theo has 50¢ left.
Worked example: Getting change
Ana buys an apple for 65¢. She pays with $1. How much change does she get?
$1 is 100¢. Find by counting up from 65 to 100.
The jumps are 5, 10, 10 and 10. That is . Ana gets 35¢ in change.
Worked example: A two-step story with bills
Jay has one $10 bill, one $5 bill and three $1 bills. He buys a game for $12. How much money is left?
Step 1: count his money: . Jay has $18.
Step 2: subtract the price: .
Jay has $6 left.
Common mistake
When you pay with $1, think of it as 100¢ before you subtract. $1 minus 65¢ is 35¢, not 64¢!
Tip
Check a "money left" answer by adding back. In Theo's story, . That is what he started with, so the answer is right.
Practice
A juice costs 40¢. A cookie costs 25¢. How many cents do they cost together? Write just the number.
Type a number.
Kim has 90¢. She spends 30¢ on a banana. How many cents does she have left? Write just the number.
Type a number.
Lucas has one $5 bill and four $1 bills. How many dollars does he have?
Type a number.
Ella has 2 quarters and 1 dime. She buys a marker for 45¢. How many cents does she have left? Write just the number.
Type a number.
Eli has 3 dimes and 2 nickels. Which one thing can he buy?
A book costs $14. Pedro has $8. How many more dollars does he need?
Type a number.
Grace buys a pear for 72¢. She pays with $1. How many cents of change does she get? Write just the number.
Type a number.
Nia has $20. She buys a ball for $7 and a kite for $9. How many dollars does she have left?
Type a number.