Basics in Building a Budget

Preinstructional Planning

Objectives

Students will:

• Understand how a budget is created and how it can support good financial decision making
  
• Understand that mastery of fractions, decimals, and percentages can help address real-world situations
• Begin to consider the role saving plays in financial planning

Materials

• Plan, Save, Succeed! Worksheet: Budget Basics printable
• Answer Key: Plan, Save, Succeed! Worksheets printable
• Plan, Save, Succeed! Classroom Poster printable
• Standards Chart: Plan, Save, Succeed! printable
• Optional: Bonus Plan, Save, Succeed! Worksheet: Cash or Credit? printable

During Instruction

Set Up

1. Make a class set of the Plan, Save, Succeed! Worksheet: Budget Basics printable.

2. Print a copy of the Answer Key: Plan, Save, Succeed! Worksheets printable.

3. Hang a copy of the Plan, Save, Succeed! Classroom Poster printable in your classroom where students can see it.

Lesson Directions

Step 1: Ask students how much money a middle school student needs to "live" each month. Record responses on the board. Ask students to identify how they spend money (answers may include clothing, entertainment, savings, etc.). Finally, ask students how they obtain the money they spend. Answers may include allowance from parents, chores, jobs, gifts, etc.

Step 2: Write the following sample student monthly expense and income information on the board (examples can be modified as appropriate for your class):

• Entertainment – $15
  (one $10 movie/month plus $5 popcorn) 
• Monthly Allowance – $40
• Music/Game Downloads – $20 
  (16/month @ $1.25)
• Pay from walking neighbor's dog – $10
  (four ten-minute walks per month)
• Snacks – $10

Step 3: Ask if this student has enough money to meet the monthly expenses. (Yes.) Ask how this can be determined. (Identify and group together income items and expense items, calculate totals, and compare the totals.) Indicate that the student has income of $50 per month and expenses of $45. Indicate that the difference of $5 can be categorized as "savings."

Step 4: Next rewrite the income and expense items in the form of a monthly budget:

Step 5: Ask students how to show the $5 difference between income and expenses. (Show as "savings" under expenses and change "total expenses" to $50, equal to income.)

Step 6: Indicate that this is called a budget. Ask students why it might be useful to keep a budget. (Answers might include: keeping track of expenses, making sure expenses don't exceed income, helping set financial goals, etc.) To demonstrate, ask the class how this student could increase monthly savings for a large purchase in the future. Answers will vary but should include increasing income and/or cutting expenses.

Step 7: Ask students what percentage of monthly expenses is savings (5/50 = 10%). Demonstrate how to calculate percentage if necessary. Ask the percentage of expenses for snacks (20%), music (40%), and entertainment (30%). Demonstrate to students that the expense categories add up to 100%.

Step 8: Ask the class whether or not the dog walking income is money the student can count on. (No, the family might go on vacation, decide to walk the dog themselves, etc.) Then ask what would happen if the family paying for the dog walking moved away and there was now no dog walking income? (Answers might include: find another family that wants its dog walked, cut expenses, etc.) What would happen if a second family wanted its dog walked and dog walking pay increased to $20? (Answers might include that the student could spend and/or save more.)

Step 9: Distribute the Plan, Save, Succeed! Worksheet: Budget Basics printable to students. After students have completed the questions, use your copy of the Answer Key: Plan, Save, Succeed! Worksheet printable to review answers with class.

Step 10: Point out the Plan, Save, Succeed! Classroom Poster printable. Discuss with students what types of decisions involving money can help a person "plan, save, and succeed."

Lesson Extensions

For additional practice, have students complete the Bonus Plan, Save, Succeed! Worksheet: Cash or Credit? printable.