Grade 5 · Social Studies · Lesson 20

Budgets and saving

A BUDGET is just a plan for your money. It tells your dollars where to go BEFORE you spend them, instead of wondering where they went after they are gone. Even a fifth-grader can build a budget from three simple parts: money coming IN, money going OUT, and money set aside for LATER. Once you can see those three numbers on one page, you have already done what most adults call "the hardest part" — you have a plan.

What this lesson teaches

1Define budget, income, and expense in your own words
2Plan a simple monthly budget for a fifth-grader
3Match spending categories to suggested percentages
4Decide how much to save each month using pay-yourself-first

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