Wait, Is Saving Good or Bad? The Paradox of Thrift

The average saving rate for the typical American household before the recession started in 2007 was 2.9 percent; since then it has risen to 5 percent. Uncertainty about the future was the primary driver for the increase. More saving is a good thing, right? Well, some economists argue it might be detrimental to the overall economy. Given the benefits to individuals, how could this be? The May 2012 issue explores this "paradox of thrift."

Material Type: Lesson, Reading

Author: Scott A. Wolla

Smart Phones and Budget Changes

Spending patterns change over time because of changes in income, education, the structure of our families, and technology. The April 2018 issue of Page One Economics: Focus on Finance addresses how phone technology has changed our lives and our budgets.

Material Type: Lesson, Reading

Author: Jeannette Bennett

Cars and Cash: What To Know Before You Go

What do you need to know before buying a car? Aside from knowing what you want in a vehicle, you’ll need to know about budgeting and credit before you start shopping. Learn some car-buying basics in the February 2019 Page One Economics: Focus on Finance essay.

Material Type: Lesson, Reading

Author: Kris Bertelsen

Accounting Basics - Cribbingo

Help students grasp accounting basics, the language of business, by playing Cribbingo.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Susan Moncada

Long Term Money Management for Adults

This lesson focuses on developing basic money management skills for adults. The specific time focus for these skills is on multiple months to years. The intended audience is for adults ages 18 and above.The lesson will include elements of reading and writing and listening, and will focus on authentic texts, videos, facts and figures cited from expert research and reports.This lesson will help learners comprehend different money management skills, and help them to understand how to apply them in a long term timeframe.These skills can be used in both a personal sense as well as for business.

Material Type: Assessment, Case Study, Interactive, Reading

Author: Michael Allen

Saving and Borrowing (Video)

This is an 8 minute video that will aid in the mastery of standard EPF. 13, 17, and 18. The video also goes over some basic facts about The Great Recession. It also shows graphs that demonstrate income potential over ones' lifetime.

Material Type: Lecture

Less Than Zero

Students learn about saving, savings goals, interest, borrowing and opportunity cost by reading Less Than Zero. Students use a number line and a line graph to track spending and borrowing in the story.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Reading

Authors: Andrew Hill, Bonnie Meszaros, Judy Austin, Mary Suiter

Money Management for Adults - Budgeting

This lesson aims at teaching adults how to budget. It is intended as part of a series regarding money management for people with high-school reading and math skills who nevertheless lack the specific knowledge and competences required to make financial plans. It includes material drawn from various sources and suggests activities combining text comprehension, numerical operations and computer use. Its content applies both to personal and professional situations.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Aspasia Loukeri

Basic Money Management for Adults - Remix

This lesson focuses on developing basic money management skills for adults. The specific time focus for these skills is on multiple months to years. The intended audience is for adults ages 18 and above.The lesson will include elements of reading and writing and listening, and will focus on authentic texts, videos, facts and figures cited from expert research and reports.This lesson will help learners comprehend different money management skills, and help them to understand how to apply them in a long term timeframe.These skills can be used in both a personal sense as well as for business.

Material Type: Assessment, Case Study, Interactive, Lesson Plan, Reading, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Pauline Muljana

Long Term Money Management for Adults - Mobile Learning Remix

This lesson focuses on developing basic money management skills for adults. The specific time focus for these skills is on multiple months to years. The intended audience is for adults ages 18 and above.The lesson will include elements of reading and writing and listening, and will focus on authentic texts, videos, facts and figures cited from expert research and reports.This lesson will help learners comprehend different money management skills, and help them to understand how to apply them in a long term timeframe.These skills can be used in both a personal sense as well as for business.

Material Type: Assessment, Case Study, Interactive, Reading

Author: Colleen Melie

Saving

Overview: This lesson goes over saving plans, different types of savings accounts, money market accounts, and certificate of deposit accounts. There is a short review at the end of the presentation along with a game. 

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson

Author: Brittney Patterson

Mutual Fund Basics

This lesson should follow discussion regarding basic methods to saving money and basic money management. This lesson will provide information about the difference of saving money and investing money. A specific emphasis on what a mutual fund is, and how this investing strategy can be used for long-term financial growth.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Lesson Plan

Author: Lois Hixson

Cars and Condos: Budgeting Income To Cover Expenses

There are two sides to a budget—income and expenses. When asked how to best balance a budget, people often respond by saying to reduce or eliminate expenses. In this lesson, students choose a car and a housing option and, using these expenses, determine if the income they earn from the occupation they’ve chosen will be sufficient when other expenses are added. If they determine it is insufficient, they seek ways they could increase the income side of the budget by improving their human capital.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan

Authors: Barbara Flowers, Mary C. Suiter

Budgeting for fun in a city

This activity from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has students practice budgeting by planning for a fun overnight trip to a city. Essential questions What types of things should be included in a budget? How can budgeting help me manage my money?

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan

Author: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Exploring Financial Management in Rural Living

Explore personal finance principles through the lens of agricultural life, work, and money management. Students begin with creating an ideal rural life vision board, then learn and discuss the financial management that would be required to work toward that lifestyle. Budgeting, tracking income and expenses, banking and investments are covered in slides and end in a project to reimagine the board game Life in an agricultural setting, with careers, properties, achievements, and events rewritten to be ag-related.

Material Type: Assessment, Homework/Assignment, Lecture, Lesson Plan

Author: Owl Nest Manager

9-12 ECON: Developing a Personal Budget

This sample instructional plan incorporates WIDA Key Language Uses to support English Language development in tandem with content instruction.  *Note: Some images may not appear in the "View Resource" format.  To see all images in this instructional plan, click "download" at the bottom of the overview.

Material Type: Lesson

Authors: Virginia Department of Education Project Team, Yung Nguyen

Budgeting 101 Online Course for Teachers and Students

Budgeting is the most basic and most important tool in anyone's financial toolbox. With this resource, students are given the hands-on opportunity to create budgets for fictional "Regan" during her sophomore year in nursing school, and, later, as a recent graduate with an apartment and a new car. Using either Microsoft® Excel or Google Docs, the students download our budgeting tool with space for their own budget, as well as the examples they created by establishing Regan's budget.

Material Type: Full Course

Choosing Between Home Appliances: Benefits to the Planet and Your Wallet

Students research various options for new appliances and make purchasing decisions based not merely on purchase price, but also on energy efficiency, which has implications for the planet AND for longer-term personal finances. Students calculate the "payback period" for the more energy efficient appliance and calculate long-term savings. (Note: this resource was added to OER Commons as part of a batch upload of over 2,200 records. If you notice an issue with the quality of the metadata, please let us know by using the 'report' button and we will flag it for consideration.)

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Corri Taylor

Creating a Household Budget

Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum module. Students track their expenses and use Excel to compare them to Seattle/Tacoma averages. Developed for adult students taking English as a Second Language.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Sara Baldwin

CashOnHand - Banking - Shawn - ASL/Spanish

Financial literacy - CashOnHand - Banking - Shawn - ASL/Spanish

Material Type: Lesson