Let’s make that shopping decision a little easier.
I’ve spent a lot of time listening to people ask good questions. I taught for 24 years, and after retiring I missed the chance to help somebody figure something out.
So I started making these little tools. Some are inspired by actual questions I found people asking. Others cover the everyday decisions where a calculator or a few clear choices beat a whole afternoon of reading product listings.
Pick the problem you’re trying to solve. You won’t need an account or an email address.
Shopping questions I can help you work through
Repair or replace an appliance?
Your washer, dishwasher, fridge, or dryer quit. Compare the repair estimate with a realistic replacement and the years you might get from either.
Photo: Annie Spratt / Unsplash
Air purifier room size and filter cost
Use your room’s measurements to work out a starting smoke CADR, then estimate power and replacement-filter costs.
Photo: fr0ggy5 / Unsplash
Dehumidifier running cost and drainage
Figure out what the machine might add to your electric bill and whether a bucket, gravity drain, or pump makes more sense.
Photo: Josh Lemmon / Unsplash
Which vacuum should you buy?
Choose a vacuum type that suits your floors, pets, storage, stairs, and everyday cleaning habits. Includes a substantial buyer’s guide.
Photo: Vitaly Gariev / Unsplash
Find a dish rack that fits your kitchen
A real shopper’s question about humidity and rust got me thinking. Compare space, drainage, cleaning, and looks before buying.
Photo: Thamy N. / Unsplash
Planning a move?
Our new Moving Boxes Calculator starts with published packing guide numbers, lets you adjust for a sparse or packed-full home, and helps estimate boxes and tape with your own prices. It includes a printable box-size lesson and optional affiliate links for packing supplies.
A whole set of home-project calculators
Need to buy the right amount of materials? Our Home Project Calculators hub now brings together concrete, square footage, mulch, paint, and flooring calculators, with printable illustrated how-to lessons on the new tools.
Planning a DIY room project?
Use the Flooring Boxes Calculator to estimate whole cartons with a realistic cutting allowance, or the Paint Gallons Calculator to plan wall and ceiling paint. Both have practical shopping lists and clearly labeled optional Amazon supplies.
For quick money comparisons
Try the new Cost Per Use Calculator when deciding between two items with very different prices or lifetimes. And the Stacked Discount Calculator helps you untangle coupon math before checkout.
Sometimes all you need is a little math. Unit Price Calculator tells you which package is less expensive per unit, and the Coffee Habit Cost Calculator shows what your daily coffee adds up to over time. These tools use numbers you enter.
Why I made this collection
Helping people was the part of teaching I loved. Retirement gave me more free time, but I still wanted to make something useful. This site lets me keep doing that, one small problem at a time. Some pages have optional Amazon affiliate links that might help my retirement fund; the calculators are free, and I’ll always try to be clear about what I know and what I haven’t personally tested.
See the story behind ShoppingCalculators, or go back to the homepage. If you find something confusing or have a question worth making a tool for, I’d genuinely like to hear it through the contact page.