Price tags · Puzzle #36 · Wednesday, November 4

Price tags: the answers

Four questions, each with one true number. Here they are with their answers, how to reason each one out, and where the number comes from. Play today's Price tags.

1. 1. A budget grocery bill for four: What was the USDA's monthly grocery budget for a family of four on its Thrifty Food Plan in August 2026?

   

   Measured by

   USDA Thrifty Food Plan

   Family

   Two adults aged 20-50, kids aged 6-8 and 9-11

   Used to set

   Maximum SNAP benefits

   The answer: about $1,024. That's $236.30 a week, and every meal and snack is assumed to be made at home.

   1. 4people in the family
   2. ×90meals each a month
   3. ×$3a home-cooked meal

   ≈$1,080

   The answer comes to about $1,024 (USDA Food and Nutrition Service). Without looking anything up, take 4 people in the family, times 90 meals each a month, times $3 a home-cooked meal, and you get about $1,100. It's 1.1 times too high, which as a guess would still have scored 9.8 out of 10. Any guess from $510 to $2,000 scores 7.0 or better, because the game only counts how many times off you are.

   Source: USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Official USDA Thrifty Food Plan: U.S. Average, August 2026

2. 2. A day at AMC Theatres: How much did AMC Theatres take in, worldwide, on an average day in 2025?

   Screens

   About 9,600 worldwide

   Counts

   Tickets, snacks and everything else

   The answer: about $13.3 million. AMC's total revenues were $4.85 billion in 2025, up from $4.64 billion in 2024.

   1. 9,600screens worldwide
   2. ×5shows a screen each day
   3. ×15people at a show
   4. ×$20each for a ticket and snacks

   ≈$14.4M

   The answer comes to about $13.3 million (AMC Entertainment Holdings). Without looking anything up, take 9,600 screens worldwide, times 5 shows a screen each day, times 15 people at a show, times $20 each for a ticket and snacks, and you get about $14 million. That comes out 1.1 times too high, and a guess that far off still scores 9.7 out of 10. The target is wider than it looks: every guess between $6.7 million and $27 million scores at least 7.0.

   Source: AMC Entertainment Holdings (SEC Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1), AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results

3. 3. A year of child care: What was the national average price of a year of child care in the US in 2025, according to Child Care Aware of America?

   Share of a two-parent family's income

   about 10%

   The answer: about $13,184. Prices rose 23% from 2021 to 2025.

   1. 12months a year
   2. ×$1,000a month for daycare

   ≈$12k

   The real answer is about $13,184 (Child Care Aware of America). Without looking anything up, take 12 months a year, times $1,000 a month for daycare, and you get about $12,000. The estimate is 1.1 times too low, close enough to score 9.6 out of 10. Any guess from $6,600 to $26,000 scores 7.0 or better, because the game only counts how many times off you are.

   Source: Child Care Aware of America, Child Care Prices Rival Major Household Expenses; Supply Fails to Keep Pace with Demand

4. 4. A day at Dutch Bros: How much did an average Dutch Bros coffee shop sell on a typical day in 2025?

   Counts

   Company-run and franchised shops, mostly drive-thru

   The answer: about $5,800. Dutch Bros ended 2025 with 1,136 shops, up from 982 a year earlier.

   1. 800drinks a day
   2. ×$6a drink

   ≈$4,800

   The answer comes to about $5,800 (Dutch Bros Inc.). To reason it out, take 800 drinks a day, times $6 a drink, and you get about $4,800. The estimate is 1.2 times too low, close enough to score 9.2 out of 10. Any guess from $2,900 to $12,000 scores 7.0 or better, because the game only counts how many times off you are.

   Source: Dutch Bros Inc. (SEC Form 10-K), Dutch Bros Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025

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