Thread: Economics Problem

Alright, my econ teacher told me that this problem hasn't been answered correctly in the three years that it has been given. I've got my own answer to this question, but I thought it'd be smart to see if I was even remotely right or not. I'm prone to miscalculation. Thanks if anyone decides to help.

Help Martin choose among the alternatives. He has an upcoming dinner party for four. He would like to serve a cold drink with dinner, a meat or fish course, pasta, vegetable,
and a dessert with coffee. He is using newspaper ads to plan his shopping list. He is short of time, and can shop at only one of the two stores listed below. Both stores offer the same products at the same prices, except for the sale items in the ads.

Directions: Put together a dinner for Martin and his friends, spending no more than $9 and using only the products listed.

Food Mart
Macaroni & Cheese 4 boxes for $1.00
One for $.50
Eight-inch Apple Pie $1.99
Regularly $3.00 ea.
One-serving Prepackaged Salad $.99
33-ounce Can of Coffee $4.99
Regularly $6.00 ea.
Catfish $.99 a pound
Regularly $1.99 lb.

Grocery Store
1 Pint Mullins' Ice Cream $1.25
Regularly $2.39
Whole Beef Rib Eye $2.78 lb
Regularly $3.50 lb
Cut Green Beans 3 cans for $.99
One can for $.40 a can
11-ounce Can of Coffee 3/$5.00
One Can for $2.99
12-pack of Cola $1.49
Regularly $2.50

Shopping List at (name of grocery store):

Food Quantity Cost
Cold Drink
Meat or Fish
Pasta
Vegetable
Coffee
Dessert

Total Cost:
Money saved buying sale items:

Originally Posted by A Beautiful Mind

Alright, my econ teacher told me that this problem hasn't been answered correctly in the three years that it has been given. I've got my own answer to this question, but I thought it'd be smart to see if I was even remotely right or not. I'm prone to miscalculation. Thanks if anyone decides to help.

Help Martin choose among the alternatives. He has an upcoming dinner party for four. He would like to serve a cold drink with dinner, a meat or fish course, pasta, vegetable,
and a dessert with coffee. He is using newspaper ads to plan his shopping list. He is short of time, and can shop at only one of the two stores listed below. Both stores offer the same products at the same prices, except for the sale items in the ads.

Directions: Put together a dinner for Martin and his friends, spending no more than $9 and using only the products listed.

Food Mart
Macaroni & Cheese 4 boxes for $1.00
One for $.50
Eight-inch Apple Pie $1.99
Regularly $3.00 ea.
One-serving Prepackaged Salad $.99
33-ounce Can of Coffee $4.99
Regularly $6.00 ea.
Catfish $.99 a pound
Regularly $1.99 lb.

Grocery Store
1 Pint Mullins' Ice Cream $1.25
Regularly $2.39
Whole Beef Rib Eye $2.78 lb
Regularly $3.50 lb
Cut Green Beans 3 cans for $.99
One can for $.40 a can
11-ounce Can of Coffee 3/$5.00
One Can for $2.99
12-pack of Cola $1.49
Regularly $2.50

Shopping List at (name of grocery store):

Food Quantity Cost
Cold Drink
Meat or Fish
Pasta
Vegetable
Coffee
Dessert

Total Cost:
Money saved buying sale items:

There is no solution Food Mart does not list a cold drink, and Grocery Store does not list pasta.

The only way out world be to serve iced coffee, when the shopping will have to be done at Food Mart, you can do the costing yourself.

RonL