Students will examine current personal money management habits by answering budgeting questions. This activity can help students realize that they are “throwing away” or saving real money based on their choices and actions. You could collect the money that “costs” them and add up the total class amount “spent” on making poor budgeting decisions. Discuss as a class how much has been wasted. Ask the students to reflect on how much money they have left. Did they “spend” all their money or end up with lots of money.

Outcome: FL10.5 Examine the role of personal budgets and their importance for financial planning. Indicator: i. Create and justify a personal budget for a hypothetical scenario that includes income and expenses. Students will read Gabrielle’s story and examine her budget.  Use the table or budget sheet to set up and maintain Gabrielle’s budget. Then the students will need to re-do her budget for the next month to make it work that she doesn’t spend more than she earns. There is a final reflection and analysis for the students to learn from this budget activity and how it will help them in the future to budget unanticipated items as well. 

This lesson includes full classroom sequence including suggested intro activities, timing, formative and summative activites, and context for teaching. In this lesson, students will identify and review their expenses and income and learn to create a budget. At the end of this lesson, students will: know, understand and/or can distinguish between needs and wants and create a personal budget. According to a FCAC’s 2024 Canadian Financial Wellbeing Survey, 53% of Canadians have household budgets. 62% of respondents say their debt increased by more than $5000 in the past 12 months and only 54% had an emergency fund to cover 3 months of expenses (down from 64% in 2019) 32% of Canadian say they are short on money at the end of the month (vs. 19% in 2019), which means budgeting isn’t going as well as it should be. So, since budgeting seems to aid in your financial health, why don’t most Canadians follow their budget?

Students will work through a budgeting workbook, choosing their expenses and overcoming unexpected items each month. Step 1, the student will use a dice to determine their future job, which will be used throughout the activity. Step 2 guides the students to calculate their take home pay using step by step guide to take off deductions from the paycheck. Step 3 allows the students to make life decisions for how they want to live and determine how much those decisions will costs (tracking the happiness points that go along with each choice). Step 4 is a fun part of the budget where "stuff happens" which impact their monthly finances and happiness points. There is a summary activity to find out if students are able to fund their monthly budget, even with the unexpected. There is a final reflection and analysis for the students to learn from this budget activity. Students will need this workbook, a dice (could be virtual), and a calculator

In this activity, students will explore a job as an Uber driver. There are some clear perks of working in the gig economy, such as being your own boss and working flexible hours. But it might not be as easy as it seems. You’re a full-time Uber driver with two kids to support and a $1000 mortgage payment due in a week. Can you earn enough to pay the bill -- and make more than other players?Students will keep track of their activities in the game, their choices (to pick shifts or spend money) and how they did during the game over (able to pay bills, balance life with a job that side hustle and varying hours). 

Indigenous communities have traditionally shown skill and strength in managing resources to support their community on an ongoing basis. People have understood and practiced the concepts of budgeting and saving, managing resources by budgeting so that they last the year, and putting aside savings for future use. In today’s economy, managing money can feel stressful at times. A helpful step is to identify goals for you and your family. This booklet provides a set of  activities to help you do that. The worksheets can help you plan your money goals, track your spending, make a budget, and get ready for tax time. The land is our teacher. It teaches us about saving, sustainability and security. At creation animals, birds and fish were asked what they could teach humans. The animal world said humans can learn from our values, character and behaviour. In this booklet the animals will teach you about managing your money. Simon BrascoupéAnishinabeg/Haudenausanee Bear ClanMember of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First NationVice-President Education and Training, AFOA Canada

Mind Your Money: An Introduction to the Psychology of Spending. Nov 2023 https://youtu.be/BSulTNHwlL8?si=ZhaKcDXDi6guxeQoA one hour presentation from Mark at the Credit Counselling Society discussing mindful spending techniques and the marketing behind retailers who try to encourage you to spend your money.

English for Financial Literacy is an instructor’s resource for teaching financial literacy concepts and skills in LINC and adult ESL programs at CLB levels 1 to 8. The main objective of English for Financial Literacy is to help instructors incorporate financial literacy content into their program planning and teaching, and support them in learning about key topics and concepts related to financial matters.Full workbooks and audio files accompany this resource. 

Incorporate fun stuff into your financial literacy classroom! Here are some files that teach financial literacy with events such as: Valentines Day, Super Bowl, and Halloween. There are also some online Finance games to share with your students

This resource explores all aspects of Financial Literacy, including information, videos and a free book (use the tabs on the top right side of the site to navigate).
Topics include:
*cost of waiting
*pay yourself first (savings)
*rule of 72
*interest
*debt stacking
*owning vs borrowing/loaning
*responsibility

"This free digital course teaches students about what sustainable investing is with a focus on responsible decision-making that aligns to personal values and how to leave a lasting social impact. Through an interactive learning experience, students describe the connection between financial decisions and sustainable impact and evaluate whether financial choices are potentially sustainable and impactful."