Simple Change with Bills

You buy a book for 7 dollars and pay with a 10 dollar bill. How much change do you get?

Identify the amounts: Purchase price: 7 dollars. Amount paid: 10 dollars = 7 and 10

Subtract to find change: $10.00 - 7.00 = 3.00$ = 3 dollars

Count the bills: Three 1 dollar bills make 3 dollars = 3 one-dollar bills

Answer: You get 3 dollars in change.

Change with Coins

A juice costs 2 dollars and 75 cents. You pay with 3 dollars. What is your change?

Write the amounts: Price: 2.75 dollars. Paid: 3.00 dollars = 2.75 and 3.00

Subtract: $3.00 - 2.75 = 0.25$ = 25 cents

Find the coins: 1 quarter = 25 cents = 1 quarter

Answer: Your change is 25 cents (1 quarter).

Change with Bills and Coins

You buy a toy for 12 dollars and 35 cents and pay with a 20 dollar bill. What change do you receive?

Set up the subtraction: Price: 12.35 dollars. Paid: 20.00 dollars = 20.00 - 12.35

Subtract the cents: $100 - 35 = 65$ cents (borrow from dollars) = 65 cents

Subtract the dollars: $19 - 12 = 7$ dollars = 7 dollars

Combine: 7 dollars and 65 cents = 7.65 dollars

Answer: You receive 7 dollars and 65 cents in change.

Counting Up Method

A snack costs 3 dollars and 67 cents. You pay with 5 dollars. Use the counting up method to find the change.

Start at the price: Begin at 3.67 dollars = 3.67

Count up to the next 10 cents: 3.67 + 0.03 = 3.70 dollars (add 3 pennies) = 3 cents

Count up to the next dollar: 3.70 + 0.30 = 4.00 dollars (add 3 dimes or 1 quarter + 1 nickel) = 30 more cents

Count up to amount paid: 4.00 + 1.00 = 5.00 dollars (add 1 dollar bill) = 1 dollar

Add up the change: 0.03 + 0.30 + 1.00 = 1.33 dollars = 1 dollar and 33 cents

Answer: The change is 1 dollar and 33 cents.

Large Purchase

You buy school supplies for 47 dollars and 89 cents and pay with a 100 dollar bill. Calculate the change.

Set up the problem: $100.00 - 47.89$ = Subtraction setup

Subtract cents: $100 - 89 = 11$ cents (borrow from dollars) = 11 cents

Subtract dollars: $99 - 47 = 52$ dollars = 52 dollars

Combine the answer: 52 dollars and 11 cents = 52.11 dollars

Answer: Your change is 52 dollars and 11 cents.

Mistake: Forgetting to borrow when subtracting cents

Why: When the cents you are subtracting is larger than the cents you have, you need to borrow from the dollars.

Correct: If subtracting 75 cents from 50 cents, borrow 1 dollar (100 cents) first: 150 - 75 = 75 cents, then subtract the borrowed dollar from the dollars.

Mistake: Confusing the price and amount paid

Why: Change should always be positive! If you get a negative answer, you probably subtracted in the wrong order.

Correct: Always subtract: Amount Paid - Purchase Price. The larger number (what you gave) minus the smaller (what it costs).

Mistake: Giving wrong coin combinations

Why: There are often multiple ways to make the same amount, but some are more efficient.

Correct: Use the fewest coins possible. For 75 cents, use 3 quarters instead of 7 dimes and 1 nickel.

Working as a Cashier

Cashiers must quickly calculate change for every cash transaction to keep lines moving and customers happy.

A customer buys items totaling 23.47 dollars and pays with 30 dollars. The cashier gives back 6.53 dollars: one 5 dollar bill, one 1 dollar bill, two quarters, and 3 pennies.

Garage Sale

Running a garage sale means making change all day long for different items at various prices.

You sell a game for 4 dollars. The buyer gives you a 20 dollar bill. You need to count back 16 dollars in change.

Checking Your Change

Always count your change to make sure you received the correct amount. Mistakes happen!

You buy a drink for 2.50 dollars and pay with a 5 dollar bill. You should get 2.50 dollars back. If the cashier only gives you 2 dollars, speak up politely!

Q: What is the counting up method?

A: Instead of subtracting, you start at the purchase price and count up to the amount paid. For example, from 3.67 to 5.00 dollars: add 3 cents to get 3.70, add 30 cents to get 4.00, add 1 dollar to get 5.00. Your change is 1.33 dollars.

Q: Why do cashiers count change back to you?

A: Counting change back helps both the cashier and customer verify the correct amount. It also helps catch mistakes before the customer leaves.

Q: What if I do not have exact change?

A: Pay with a larger bill or coin combination, and the cashier will give you the difference back. For example, pay for a 3.25 dollar item with a 5 dollar bill and get 1.75 dollars back.