Toad’s Caravan Budgeting Worksheet for Age 13 Math & Life Skills

Instructions

1. Help Toad outfit a caravan for three animal friends for five days.
2. Each traveler needs one breakfast, one lunch, one dinner, one piece of fruit, one snack, and two bottles of water each day.
3. Use the price list to determine how many packages are needed. You cannot buy part of a package.
4. Add the food and supply costs.
5. The caravan has a budget allowance of $180. Determine how much money remains.
6. Show your calculations. Round money to the nearest cent when needed.

Helpful example: Three travelers need 3 × 5 = 15 servings of a meal. If a package contains 8 servings, Toad must buy 2 packages because 1 package is not enough.

Price List

Food and water

• Water: 12-bottle pack, $6 per pack
• Oats: 10-serving bag, $4 per bag
• Fruit: 6 pieces per pack, $4 per pack
• Tortillas: 8 tortillas per pack, $3 per pack
• Peanut butter: 15 servings per jar, $5 per jar
• Vegetables: 5 servings per pack, $4 per pack
• Rice: 8 servings per bag, $4 per bag
• Beans: 4 servings per can, $2 per can
• Granola bars: 10 bars per box, $5 per box

Caravan supplies

• Cooking fuel: $12 per canister
• First-aid kit: $15 each
• Lantern batteries: $8 per pack
• Warm blanket: $20 each
• Trail map: $5 each

Part 1: Calculate Food Quantities

Complete the calculations.

1. How many total breakfasts are needed?

   Calculation: 3 travelers × 5 days = __ breakfasts

2. How many total lunches are needed? __ lunches

3. How many total dinners are needed? __ dinners

4. How many pieces of fruit are needed? __ pieces

5. How many snacks are needed? __ snacks

6. How many bottles of water are needed if each traveler drinks two bottles per day?

   Calculation: 3 × 5 × 2 = __ bottles

Part 2: Build the Shopping Plan

Use the price list to decide how many packages or items Toad must buy. The first row is an example.

Part 3: Food Cost Calculations

Calculate each food category separately.

1. Breakfast: Oats are sold in 10-serving bags. How many bags are needed for 15 breakfasts? What is the cost?

   Bags needed: __

   Calculation: __

   Breakfast cost: $__

2. Lunch: Toad will serve one tortilla with peanut butter and vegetables to each traveler each day. How many packages of tortillas, jars of peanut butter, and vegetable packs are needed?

   Tortilla packs: __

   Peanut butter jars: __

   Vegetable packs: __

   Lunch cost: $__

3. Dinner: Rice comes in 8-serving bags, and beans come in 4-serving cans. How many of each are needed for 15 dinners?

   Rice bags: __

   Bean cans: __

   Dinner cost: $__

4. Fruit and snacks: How many fruit packs and granola-bar boxes are needed?

   Fruit packs: __

   Granola-bar boxes: __

   Fruit and snack cost: $__

Part 4: Supply Costs

Toad must buy all five supplies listed below. Calculate the supply subtotal.

Supply subtotal: $__

Part 5: Stay Within the Budget

1. Food subtotal: $__

2. Supply subtotal: $__

3. Total outfitting cost:

   Food subtotal + supply subtotal = $__ + $__ = $__

4. Budget allowance: $180

5. Money remaining:

   $180 − total cost = $__ − $__ = $__

6. Does Toad stay within the budget? Circle one: Yes / No

Part 6: Check Your Reasoning

Answer in complete sentences or show a calculation.

1. Why must Toad round up when deciding how many packages to buy?

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2. Toad finds a special offer: a 12-bottle water pack costs $5 instead of $6. How much money would the caravan save on water?

   Calculation: _____

   Savings: $__

3. Toad wants to spend at least $10 of the remaining money on emergency supplies. Is that possible? Explain.

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Optional Challenge: A Fourth Traveler

A fourth animal friend joins the caravan. The trip is still five days.

1. How many total servings of each meal are now needed? __

2. How many bottles of water are needed? __

3. Recalculate the number of packages needed for:

   • Oats: __
   • Fruit: __
   • Tortillas: __
   • Vegetables: __
   • Rice: __
   • Beans: __
   • Granola bars: __

4. What would the new total cost be if Toad still bought the same supplies?

   New food cost: $__

   Supplies: $__

   New total: $__

5. Would the $180 budget still be enough? Yes / No

Answer Key

Part 1

1. 15 breakfasts
2. 15 lunches
3. 15 dinners
4. 15 pieces of fruit
5. 15 snacks
6. 30 bottles of water

Part 2 and Part 3

• Breakfast: 2 bags are needed; 2 × $4 = $8.
• Lunch: 2 tortilla packs, 1 peanut butter jar, and 3 vegetable packs are needed; total cost is $23.
• Dinner: 2 rice bags and 4 bean cans are needed; total cost is $16.
• Fruit and snacks: 3 fruit packs and 2 granola-bar boxes are needed; total cost is $22.

Part 4

Supply subtotal: $60

Part 5

1. Food subtotal: $18 + $8 + $23 + $16 + $22 = $87
2. Supply subtotal: $60
3. Total outfitting cost: $87 + $60 = $147
4. Money remaining: $180 − $147 = $33
5. Toad stays within the budget: Yes

Part 6

1. Toad must round up because packages cannot be purchased in partial amounts. Buying too few packages would leave someone without enough food or water.
2. Three packs would save 3 × ($6 − $5) = $3.
3. Yes. Toad has $33 remaining, which is more than the $10 needed for emergency supplies.

Optional Challenge

With four travelers for five days:

1. Each meal requires 4 × 5 = 20 servings.
2. Water needed: 4 × 5 × 2 = 40 bottles.
3. Packages needed:
   • Oats: 2 bags
   • Fruit: 4 packs
   • Tortillas: 3 packs
   • Vegetables: 4 packs
   • Rice: 3 bags
   • Beans: 5 cans
   • Granola bars: 2 boxes
4. New food cost:
   • Water: 4 × $6 = $24
   • Oats: 2 × $4 = $8
   • Lunch: (3 × $3) + $5 + (4 × $4) = $30
   • Dinner: (3 × $4) + (5 × $2) = $22
   • Fruit and snacks: (4 × $4) + (2 × $5) = $26
   • New food total: $110
   • Supplies: $60
   • New total: $110 + $60 = $170
5. The $180 budget is still enough: Yes. Toad has $10 remaining.