Real-life situations where students need to use decimals while shopping include:

1. Grocery Shopping: Many items at grocery stores have prices that include decimals. For example, if a liter of milk costs $1.29 and you buy 3 liters, the total cost is:

   • $1.29 times 3 equals$3.87.

   In Sweden, about 93% of shoppers often buy things that have prices with decimals.

2. Discounts and Sales: During sales, prices often have decimal discounts. For example, if a jacket is priced at $49.99 and it has a 20% discount, you find the discount like this:

   • $49.99 times 0.20 equals about$10.00.

   So, the sale price becomes:

   • $49.99 minus$10.00 equals $39.99.

3. Tax Calculations: Sales tax is usually calculated using decimals. In Sweden, the VAT (value-added tax) is 25%. If something costs $100.00, the tax would be:

   • $100.00 times 0.25 equals$25.00.

   Therefore, the total price would be:

   • $100.00 plus$25.00 equals $125.00.

4. Budgeting: Students learn to budget by dividing their money for different things like clothes or fun activities, using decimals. For example, if a student has a monthly budget of $150.50 and spends$45.75 on food, they need to use decimals to figure out how much money they have left:

   • $150.50 minus$45.75 equals $104.75.

These examples show that knowing how to use decimals in everyday situations is really important.