How to spend money and build a life...

I highly recommend this learning tool. Students realize that money does not grow on trees and how they are going to make it to their next pay check. Students are required to make a variety of spending situations with the goal of making it to the next paycheck.

I like how they see the immediate consequences of their decisions. The student sees the immediate and long term consequences of their choices. If there were resources to have them learn how to get different jobs so they can learn ways to get out of the cycle of minimum wage, that would be great. Also, resources to help students learn about different aid that is given to help families in poverty. At the end they ask for donations and most students are not able to give money. This was a turnoff. If teachers are going to use this in the classroom, maybe ask donations from the teachers but not the students. Still a good game to play to teach students what is it like to live on minimum wage and the reasons why people get stress due to money.

One of the parts that I like best is that after they make a decision it often gives them a fact that correlates with the decision, for example why so many people take up smoking when they are struggling. My students like it because it is a game. If they cannot make it through the month they keep playing because they want to see if they can do it. Afterwards I had my students complete a reflection worksheet where they recorded what job they chose, what successes and challenges they faced, and what surprised them the most.