Budgeting · Video Lesson

Budgeting for School Supplies

Students learn how to budget for the school year by listing what they need, sorting items into ‘must-haves’ and ‘nice-to-haves,’ comparing prices, and tracking what they actually spend. The lesson connects an everyday situation — back-to-school shopping — to the lifelong skill of personal budgeting.

Grades 5–12 Video Lesson 45–60 minutes Free Lesson

Budgeting for school supplies lesson illustration

For Teachers

Lesson at a glance

Topic: Budgeting
Grade Level: Grades 5–12
Resource Type: Video Lesson + Worksheet
Estimated Time: 45–60 minutes
Format: Class discussion + small-group activity
Materials: Video, worksheet, pencil, internet for price research

What Students Learn

Learning objectives

Explain why a budget makes spending decisions easier
List the school supplies they will need and sort them into ‘must-have,’ ‘nice-to-have,’ and ‘just for swag’
Compare prices across two or three retailers (online and in-store) for the same item
Identify ways to save: student discounts, buying second-hand, sharing or swapping with classmates
Track expenses against a planned budget and explain why tracking matters
Adapt a budget when an item costs more than expected

Video Lesson

Watch: Budgeting for School Supplies

Materials

What you’ll need

Video and printable quiz worksheet (one per student)
Pencils, notebooks, and calculators
Internet access for price-comparison research
Optional: a printed school-supply ad or store flyer

Key Terms

Vocabulary

Budget: A written plan for how you will spend (and save) the money you have.
Income: Money coming in — for a student, this might be an allowance, a part-time job, or savings.
Need: Something necessary for school or daily life — pencils, notebooks, a backpack.
Want: Something you would like but could function without — a designer binder, a third color of highlighter.
Price comparison: Checking the cost of the same item at different stores before buying.
Expense tracking: Writing down what you actually spend so you can stay on plan.
Adapt: Adjust your plan when something costs more (or less) than you expected.

For Teachers

Lesson plan

Estimated time: one 45–60 minute class period.

Lesson sequence

Warm-up (5 min). Ask: “Who shopped for school supplies this year? Did you spend more or less than you expected?” Note responses on the board.
Watch the video (5–8 min). Play straight through. Ask students to write down the one tip from the video that they would actually try.
Build your list (10 min). Each student writes out every supply they think they will need this school year. They sort each item into three columns: Must-have, Nice-to-have, and Just for swag. Share a few examples and discuss disagreements.
Price detective (15 min). Give students 10–15 minutes online (or with provided ads) to find the cheapest price for three items on their list. Compare results as a class. Highlight student discounts and second-hand options.
Total your budget (10 min). Students add up the best price for each must-have item and compare against an imagined budget (e.g., $75). Discuss what to cut, share, or wait on if they go over.
Quiz (10 min). Students complete the 10-question printable quiz.
Wrap-up (5 min). Ask: “If you had $25 extra in your budget right now, what would you spend it on, and would that be a need or a want?”

Activities

Group collaboration. In groups, students look for opportunities to bulk-buy or swap items — one student needs a calculator they could borrow, another has spare notebooks.
One-week tracking. Students take home an expense-tracking sheet and log every purchase for the next week (their own or, with permission, a family member’s). They reflect on what they learned.
Surprise expense. Mid-activity, announce: “Your school just added a $40 required field trip.” Students adapt their budget in 5 minutes and share what they cut.

Assessment

Students complete the 10-question printable quiz. Their budgeted shopping list (with prioritization and totals) also serves as a written assessment of the budgeting skill.

Extension

Family conversation. Students interview a parent or guardian about how the family budgets for school supplies and write a short reflection on what surprised them.
One-month follow-up. After a month, students bring back their expense tracking sheets. Discuss as a class what worked, what surprised them, and what they would change.

Discussion

Discussion questions

What is the difference between something you need and something you want? How do you decide when the line is unclear?
Why does comparing prices before you buy make such a difference, even on small purchases?
What are some ways students can save money on school supplies that adults might not think of?
Why is tracking what you actually spend just as important as planning what you will spend?
If your budget runs out before you have bought everything on your list, what is the smart next step?

Back to School

More resources for the first week of school

This lesson’s warm-up asks students what they spent on school supplies this year. That works well in some rooms and singles people out in others — if in doubt, ask the same question about a hypothetical student with a set budget instead. The back-to-school hub collects everything Money Instructor has for the first week, including an icebreaker pack built entirely on that substitution.

Back-to-School Resources

Printable Quiz