How to Use Basic Math
If you're one who shuns assertions that math is an essential survival tool, you may also take for granted the many ways that you already use common math. Whether you're shopping for groceries, considering college coursework or developing a weekly budget, you're implementing math. Even if math has been difficult for you to learn or grasp, it's beneficial to understand how basic addition, subtraction, division and multiplication factor into controlling your expenses. Take a look at how basic math is used.
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Instructions
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Practical Applications
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Use math to budget. Basic math is at the heart of any type of budget plan you may choose for your lifestyle. Let's say that you plan to pay off credit card debt, for example. With simple math, you can survey your expenses and calculate how much money you spend on a monthly basis. Once you have a bottom line expense budget, you can devise a list of things that may be cut out. Using simple subtraction and addition, you'll be able to calculate updated budgets which, over time, can save you money.
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Attack taxes with care. Taxes are an unavoidable part of life, but they need not be daunting. If you have avoided preparing your own taxes for fear that you are not mathematically inclined enough to do a sufficient job, reconsider. By calling upon your basic math skills, and with a bit of organization, you can save money on accountant fees by calculating your return on your own.
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Calculate before approaching the checkout line. Do you ever stop to think about how much money can be saved if you economize while shopping? Consider that 28 oz box of granola. It's on sale for $3.99. The 16 oz box costs $2.75. You're saving by getting the bigger box. While these little checks and balances may seem tedious, in the long run, they will save you enough to buy a couple extra boxes of granola over time.
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Anticipate your monthly income. Basic math is used to determine how much money you take home each month. By simply multiplying the number of hours you work in a week, you can use your hourly rate to calculate a weekly salary. Such findings are of particular interest if you work a number of part-time jobs, each of which have separate hourly rates. Taking control of your monthly finances and expenses is the first step toward financial responsibility, and applying basic math is fundamental in that process.
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