As I thought of what to do, I considered all the times my friends and I played MASH growing up. I remembered while sitting around camp fires, going on long car trips, and just trying to pass the time in class pulling out scratch paper and jotting down our "futures." With this in mind, I created a budgeting game.
This game began with the idea that most of these girls would not be living on their own until they went to college. They had the opportunity to pick a part time job, an apartment on campus, a weeks worth of groceries and entertainment for a month. The girls were all asked to bring calculators. We provided treats; while they all worked through their worksheets.
The activity ended up being a success! They were surprised at how much it would have cost them to live. They also were surprised at how expensive the lifestyles they were currently living were. We made sure to emphasize the importance of saving money now. Even though it was a budgeting activity we still managed to have a good time.
After we finished our game, I handed out another set of papers. They were asked to keep a list of expenses and earnings for a month. This goes along with their personal progress, Choice and Accountability Value Experience #7.
"Making choices is part of Heavenly Father’s plan for us. Read Moses 4:1–4;7:32; and 2 Nephi 9:51. Establish a pattern of wise money management by making a budget for saving and spending your money, including the payment of tithing. Live within your budget for at least three months. Set priorities that allow you to meet your most important needs before satisfying your wants. Record in your journal what you have learned and how following these patterns will continue to bless your life."https://www.lds.org/young-women/personal-progress/choice-and-accountability?lang=eng
I ended up making quite a few forms, feel free to use a little or as many as you like! I've been trying to include the files here, but looks like the formatting was messed up in the process! Sorry about that!
Budgeting Game Work Sheet
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19ORq9am_Tjuk_4M01rSRt2CwSkcBWXVer8UycI6-ljQ/edit?usp=sharing
Budgeting Game Price Sheet (You might consider making your own for your area.)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NjQDBacCpE2G6pQ6C2B5T_BPhLN0Xww7DS-HuyTYJ18/edit?usp=sharing
Good Works #7
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZqY8Tqm6wd3IylosTCi1MclMP2y33OrbsO8-0yRIpk4/edit?usp=sharing
