Lesson

Categorizing Expenses Part 1

6-8th Grades

45 min

Summary

Variable expenses are the only lever you can pull when a budget gets tight—fixed costs barely budge. Explore how to sort everyday spending into fixed and variable buckets and spot the sneaky gray areas in between.

Activities

Bellringer: Shrinking the Phone Bill

Pose the $85 phone vs. $120 food savings dilemma.
Give 2 minutes to jot, then cold-call 2–3 students.

5 min

Instruction

Define fixed vs. variable across two slides.
Sort the sample expense list together on the board.
Bust the "every-month equals fixed" myth.

10 min

Discussion: The Gaming Line

Set up a physical spectrum from $0 wall to unpredictable spending wall.
Have students place themselves based on real in-game spending.
Debate why free games still drive variable chaos.

10 min

Activity: Finance Summer Camp

Resume Finance Summer Camp gameplay.
Students mentally tag each in-game expense as fixed or variable.

15 min

Wrap-Up & Assessment

Your favorite video game subscription automatically charges you $15 on the first of every single month; is this a fixed or a variable expense?
If you lose your part-time neighborhood gig, explain why variable expenses are the first things you should cut from your spending plan.

5 min

Est. Time	Activity	Description
5 min	Bellringer: Shrinking the Phone Bill	Pose the $85 phone vs. $120 food savings dilemma. Give 2 minutes to jot, then cold-call 2–3 students.
10 min	Instruction	Define fixed vs. variable across two slides. Sort the sample expense list together on the board. Bust the "every-month equals fixed" myth.
10 min	Discussion: The Gaming Line	Set up a physical spectrum from $0 wall to unpredictable spending wall. Have students place themselves based on real in-game spending. Debate why free games still drive variable chaos.
15 min	Activity: Finance Summer Camp	Resume Finance Summer Camp gameplay. Students mentally tag each in-game expense as fixed or variable.
5 min	Wrap-Up & Assessment	Your favorite video game subscription automatically charges you $15 on the first of every single month; is this a fixed or a variable expense? If you lose your part-time neighborhood gig, explain why variable expenses are the first things you should cut from your spending plan.

Lesson Prep

Finance Summer Camp

Students manage income, expenses, and savings at a simulated summer camp.

Finance Summer Camp

Students manage income, expenses, and savings at a simulated summer camp.

Game

60 min

Class Presentation

Includes a 16-slide deck with teacher notes. Present from Banzai, download a PDF, or copy it to Google Slides.

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Teacher NotesSlide-by-slide guidance, printable as one handout

Unit 4: Budget Basics

Needs vs. Wants

A budget isn't a cage that traps your spending—it's a flight plan that puts you in control. This lesson reframes budgeting as freedom and teaches students to sort survival costs from lifestyle choices using the 30-day rule.

6-8th Grades

45 Min

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