The biggest price increase is not the highest price: compare two questions
By Erik Nilsen · Kroni2 min read
An item can rise most in percentage terms and remain cheaper than another. Your child needs its earlier and current prices to calculate the change. For the purchase itself, today's payment must fit the budget.
Calculate change from each original price
In a hypothetical example, notebook A previously cost 20 units and now costs 30. B previously cost 40 and now costs 48. These arbitrary figures describe no actual price trend.
A rose by 30 − 20 = 10 units. Relative to its original price, that is 10 / 20 = 50 per cent. B rose by 48 − 40 = 8 units, which is 8 / 40 = 20 per cent.
A therefore increased most in both money and percentage terms in this example. Yet it remains 48 − 30 = 18 units cheaper today. With a purchase budget of 35, A fits while B does not.
Choose the comparison matching the question
A practical snag is choosing B because “it only became twenty per cent more expensive”. That can describe history correctly without identifying the lowest payment. Ask your child whether they mean change or current price.
Create columns labelled “increase from its own original price” and “price now”. Do not use A's original price as the base for B's percentage. Each item has its own starting point.
Also check whether the items meet the same need. If B has a feature your child requires, the higher price may matter, but it does not disappear because its percentage increase was smaller.
An old price example predicts nothing about next month. Check today's actual total before purchasing.
Ask your family: “Are we looking for the smallest change or the lowest payment today?”
Carry the calculation into your family agreement
Kroni can keep track of your child's virtual balance. The app does not transfer money, so any actual purchase is paid for outside it. Agree on what you will record, then check the amount with your child afterwards. Do not deduct a possible cost as though the purchase had already happened. Read about allowance in Kroni.
