Making and LivingWithin a Budget

Leader Guide

Learner ObjectivesStudents will:

• Understand how to organize personal fi nances and use a budget to manage cash fl ow

Before the Program• Read through all the materials.

• Decide what you will cover. Highlight those areas. Break up into as many classes as you need to cover the core objectives.

• Make handout materials or provide the NEFE HSFPP student workbooks.

Notes on the ProgramThis is a basic introduction to understanding how budgeting can affect your fi nancial literacy. Try to pick out the portions that fi t both your time frame and your participants’ knowledge level.

Italicized comments are notes to the instructor.

May 2010

NORTH DAKOTA PERSONAL FINANCE EDUCATION

North Dakota Standards AddressedFamily and Consumer Sciences

• FCS 1.1 - Analyze strategies to manage multiple life roles and responsibilities

• FCS 1.2 - Identify transferable and employability skills

• FCS 2.1 - Demonstrate management of individual and family resources

• FCS 2.3 - Identify consumer rights and responsibilities

• FCS 2.4 - Describe interrelationships between consumer actions and the economic system

• FCS 2.5 - Demonstrate management of fi nancial resources to meet the goals of individuals and families across the lifespan

Social Studies: Economics

• E 3 - Understand economic concepts and the characteristics of various economic systems

English Language Arts

• ELA - 2 Engage in the reading process

• ELA 3 - Engage in the writing process

• ELA 4 - Engage in the speaking and listening process

• ELA 6 - Understand and use principles of language

Jump$tart CompetenciesOverall competency: Organize personal fi nances and use a budget to manage cash fl ow

Standard 1: Develop a plan for spending and saving

Standard 2: Develop a system for keeping and using fi nancial records

Standard 3: Describe how to use different payment methods

Standard 7: Examine the purpose and importance of a will

Participant MaterialsHandouts, or provide students with individual copies of the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) High School Financial Planning Program (HSFPP) student workbook, which includes most of the materials covered. Available without charge. Ordering information at http://hsfpp.nefe.org/.

Guest SpeakersBanker or credit union professional

Consumer credit counselor (The Village or other nonprofi t)

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Slide 1

Slide 2So now your fi nancial plan has given you a better idea of what you want to do with your money. And while you’re looking at what your wants and needs cost, you may have a hard time believing you can gain control of your money, but it is possible if you step up to the challenge. The best place to start is by answering the question: Where should all my money

go? Smart money managers know exactly how much money they can count on coming in and exactly how much money they need to spend on bills and day-to-day purchases. They also know how much they can set aside to save for their bigger fi nancial goals. And again, using your money wisely comes down to making a spending plan, or budget.

This unit is designed to help you get smart about the money you earn and the money you spend. You will see where all your money goes, decide if that’s how you want to continue spending it and make a plan to buy the things that are really important to you.

How can you use this in your life?

You will use what you have learned in this unit to create your own personal budget.

In the process of creating your fi nancial plan, you will:

• Examine reasons to keep track of your spending habits

• Summarize the advantages of having a spending plan

• Identify various sources of income

• Identify various types of expenses

• Explain the purpose of paying yourself fi rst (PYF)

• Explain how to build a budget

• Examine forms of recordkeeping involved with budgeting and cash management

• Summarize how a budget will change throughout your life cycle

You will know you have succeeded when:

• Your income is listed by source

• Your budget includes savings (PYF)

• Your expenses are listed in appropriate categories: fi xed, variable or periodic

• Your budget is balanced so total income equals total expenses

• Your budget contains realistic data for your current situation

• Your budget includes a label with title and date

• You indicate how the budget supports each of your personal fi nancial goals

Slide 3When you completed your spending log in the introductory unit, were you surprised by how much you spent on certain things? And how did your spending compare with the survey results revealing what guys and girls typically spend their money on? Tracking your spending showed you where your money really is going. But that information becomes even more valuable when you use it to create a spending plan, or budget.

A spending plan, or budget, is a plan for managing your money during a given period of time. It’s not about depriving yourself of favorite things. It’s about seeing all your options and making smarter choices so you can get the stuff you really want. It’ll help you fi nd more money for the important things, often just by skipping little purchases you don’t care that much about. As with your fi nancial plan, your budget will change as your income grows and your priorities change. Right now you probably spend a lot of your money on clothes and entertainment, and maybe you’re saving for a car or college.

But in 10 years, you’ll probably be making a lot more money. A big chunk of your income will be going toward renting an apartment or paying for a home mortgage. Your primary savings goal may be to start a business or fi nance your children’s education.

Fast forward another 10 years; by then, you’ll be earning even more. But you still may be paying for your mortgage and possibly for your children’s education. At that point, your primary savings goal may be to save for retirement. Throughout all this, your spending plan can evolve to help you meet your responsibilities and achieve your goals.

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Slide 4You always will know what you have to spend.

When you take the time to create a budget, you will have a clear understanding of just how much money you actually have to spend. With that information, you then know your limits.

You know where you want to spend your money and how much you want to spend in any one area.

When you take the time to analyze how you spend your money, you quickly will fi nd out where it all goes. In that process, you may fi nd yourself spending lots more on some things than you actually intended, leaving you much less money for other things you want. A budget lets you decide just how much of your available money you want to spend in each area of your life.

You have an organized way (Pay Yourself First) to save for things that cost more than what you have at any one time.

The most important part of a budget is that it gives you a structured way of saving for things that cost more than what you might ordinarily have at any one time. By saving — and by waiting until you have the money to buy something expensive — you can pay cash for what you want without borrowing and going into debt (and paying lots more in interest charges).

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Slide 5Are less likely to know what they have

People without a plan are rarely organized enough to stay focused on just how much they have to spend at any one point.

Have no plan for spending what they have, often coming up short of money before their next paycheck or allowance

Even if they know how much they are earning, people without a budget have no structured way of spending what they’re bringing in. That often leads to an empty wallet long before the next paycheck or allowance.

Are almost certain to have no plan to save for more expensive spending goals

When you don’t necessarily know what you’re making, and you have far less of an idea of where you’re spending your money, you’re also very unlikely to have any real saving plan for buying those things that cost a lot of money. Lacking any of these, the temptation to borrow money to get “big-ticket” items is great. As you’ll learn later, borrowing costs money that you will pay to whoever is loaning you the money. Bottom line? A big-ticket item that is paid for with credit (rather than saved for through time) will cost you many more hard-earned dollars, leaving fewer dollars for you to spend on things that would directly benefi t you.

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Slide 6Does creating and living within a budget when you don’t have a lot of money make sense?

Having a budget when you don’t have a lot of money makes more sense than ever. With only a few dollars in your hand, you have a much greater need to know what you have and where you want to spend it, or you could run out of money before the next allowance or paycheck comes in.

What if you fi nd that you consistently are spending more in one area than you had planned?

Could be that you need to re-evaluate your spending plan. If you consistently are overspending in the same area, and the fact you’re doing that seems to make sense, you may need to put more money into that area and take some money out of other areas to stay within what you’re making.

What if you fi nd that you can’t live within your budget?

You either need to show more self-control over your spending or identify ways of acquiring more money to include in your income.

Slide 7So now that you understand more about the income part of cash fl ow (Income Lesson), this is the time to talk about the expenses part. Expenses are what you spend money on — your needs and wants. You essentially have three types of expenses:

Fixed expenses cost the same amount every time. Your parents’ mortgage (home loan) usually is a fi xed monthly payment or fi xed expense. A car loan also usually is a fi xed monthly payment or fi xed expense. You typically know exactly how much is needed each month for a fi xed expense. For example, a person might pay $250 every month to pay off a car loan.

Variable expenses fl uctuate in amount, so you usually have more control over how much they’ll be. Food is a variable expense because eating out more or less frequently will change the amount you spend. You probably can predict that a variable expense is in an approximate range of spending. For example, groceries may cost $100 to $200 per week for a family, depending on what kinds and the amount of food purchased.

Periodic or occasional expenses are ones you don’t pay every month and can be either fi xed or variable. For example, some people pay their car insurance (a periodic expense) every six months instead of every month. But paying for auto repairs is an occasional and variable expense; you only pay for repairs when something happens to your car, and the expense will vary depending on what kind of work is needed.

However an expense is classifi ed, you should consider and plan for how you will pay for your expenses. A budget can help you plan ahead so you are able to pay your expenses and have money available for what is important to you.

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Slide 8The Most Important Expense

Saving is an all-important part of reaching your fi nancial goals. Remember the exercises you did in Unit 1 to fi gure out how much you needed to save each week or each month to realize each fi nancial goal? Saving those amounts should become another “expense” you include in your budget.

Every fi nancially savvy person knows that the secret to doing this is called PYF, or “pay yourself fi rst.” Basically, whenever you receive money, you immediately should put a certain amount into an account that you will set aside to use later to meet a long-term fi nancial goal. You even might choose to use this PYF fund to grow more money. You will learn more about this in the investing unit.

You always will have to make tough choices about how you spend your hard-earned money. But having PYF money in your budget means you are more likely to reach your short-term and long-term goals because you’re consistently saving for them. Beginning doesn’t take much, and as you’ll see, your money starts to add up quickly. When you pay yourself fi rst, you don’t even miss the money because it’s as though you never had it in the fi rst place. So why not begin today by saving just 10 percent, or one dime from every dollar you get? (PYF also is a good way to have an emergency fund. Money being saved for other things sometimes is tapped to meet a pressing need, but that’s part of the reality of budgeting.)

The easiest way to do this is to ask if your employer would deposit your paycheck electronically for you. If so, you usually can arrange for a certain percent of your check to go into your savings account automatically each time you’re paid and have the rest go into your checking account. The bonus is you never have to worry about picking up your paycheck. The money will just show up in your account on payday.

If your employer doesn’t provide automatic deposits, ask your bank or other fi nancial institution for an automatic savings deposit form. Once you fi ll this out, the bank automatically will transfer a certain amount of money from your checking account to your PYF account once a month.

Your fi nancial goals are the most important expenses you have. Treat them that way. If you don’t, you’ll be tempted to spend your money on other things, especially those variable expenses such as food, clothing and entertainment. Paying yourself fi rst helps ensure that you’re able to pay for the things that are really important to you in life.

Slide 9Do you remember the fi ve steps of the fi nancial planning process from Unit 1? They are:

1. Set SMART goals2. Analyze information3. Create a plan4. Implement the plan5. Monitor and modify the plan

Well, creating a spending plan, or budget, works the same way. You have to set SMART goals and analyze information, such as your spending log, before you create a plan. Then you have to implement the plan and monitor and modify it to make sure you stay on track.

A budget is an important part of achieving the goals you set in your fi nancial plan because you can build the amount you need to save into your planned expenses. It’s also a critical tool in managing your spending. Most people have a limited amount of money. A budget helps prioritize spending so you can maximize what you have.

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Slide 10Building a Budget

So how do you create your budget or spending plan?

1. First, decide the time frame for tracking your income and expenses. Will it be weekly or monthly?

2. List all the money you have coming in. Breaking it down into categories, such as work, allowance and “other” for gifts of money or money you make from selling your stuff, Is helpful. Then total all your income.

3. You need to make categories for each of your expenses. Don’t forget to include PYF! If you divide your expense categories into fi xed and variable, seeing which ones you can adjust will be easier if necessary.

Remember, you should have a category for everything you regularly spend money on. Then total your expenses.

4. Subtract your total expenses from your total income. If the number is negative, you need to go back and adjust some of your variable expenses until the number is a zero. If it’s a positive number, you may want to think about adding some to your PYF line so you can reach your goals a little faster.

5. Step back and look at your budget and your fi nancial plan. Do you need to tweak it to bring your spending plan more in line with your fi nancial goals?

Collect budgets from a variety of sources. Arrange students in teams of two to three to examine the sample budgets. Ask them to note similarities and any interesting features of the budgets.

Especially note the time span, categories of income and expenses, and any instances of PYF. Consider allowing time for teams to share their fi ndings with the class.

Assign students to use skills learned and practiced in this unit to create a budget for a school club or service project.

Assignment: Jessica (answer key on next slide)

Jessica is a senior in high school. She earns $8 an hour working approximately 25 hours a week at the local grocery store. About 30 percent of her pay is deducted for taxes. Jessica also earns approximately $15 each month in interest on savings. Jessica still owes money on her used car ($235 a month), but she doesn’t pay rent because she lives with her parents. She is responsible for the following expenses every month: cell phone ($35 to $45), gas ($40 to $60) and auto insurance ($50 a month). Jessica likes to play video games and listen to music, so she frequently buys games and music. Jessica typically buys her own clothes and electronic gadgets, but she also receives gifts from her family for special occasions. One of Jessica’s short-term goals is to take a trip to visit her grandparents right after graduation. She expects this to cost $1,000, and she already has saved $500. A long-term goal is to attend college the next four to fi ve years at the local state school. So far she has set aside $7,000; she also has applied for several scholarships.

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Slide 11

doesn’t match, ask your employer for a corrected W-2 form.)

• Tax documents: Keep copies of all the W-2s you receive, as well as tax documents for any checking, savings and investment accounts. A W-2, also called the Wage and Tax Statement Form W-2, is the earnings summary you should receive every January from each employer you worked for the previous year. It shows your gross income and taxes withheld during the year. You will need this form to fi le your income taxes by April 15 every year, so be sure to save it until you’re ready to fi le your return. You also should keep copies of your completed tax returns (Form 1040) for at least seven years.

• Insurance statements: We’ll talk more about insurance in a later unit, but if you’re paying for car insurance, keep a copy of the “declarations” pages. These pages contain important information about your policy, such as how much coverage you have and any deductibles you have to pay. You also should keep the premium notices sent by your insurance company (after paying them promptly) for a year.

• Loan and credit card statements: If you have a car loan, your loan statement usually will show how your loan payment was applied toward your loan balance - the amount applied to reduce your interest and the amount applied to reduce your principal. Credit card statements usually show your purchases, payments, fi nance charges and current balance. Again, if you notice an error or a charge you didn’t make, you can clear the matter up more quickly when you have good records. Keep copies of all agreements for loans and credit cards for as long as you have the account. Also, keep your monthly statements for a year and then shred those, too.

• Receipts and warranties for big-ticket items: Anytime you make a big purchase, whether it’s a computer, a bike, electronics or even car repairs, hang on to your receipts. If you get a warranty booklet or owners manual, keep that as well. This documentation can help you get an item fi xed or replaced if you ever have a problem with it.

Share tips on how you or someone you know organizes fi nancial records.

Slide 12Keeping Track

Getting organized is easy. It simply requires some fi ling folders or an accordion fi le to sort your fi nancial documents. For now, each type of document should get its own folder or slot. Later, you may want to break these categories out by employer, bank or company name. Documents you should keep and organize include:

• Checking account statements: Balance your checkbook every month when your statement arrives. This way, you can catch things you may have forgotten to record (such as ATM withdrawals or debit card transactions). File away all statements, keep them for a year and then shred them.

• Savings and investment statements: We’ll talk more about savings and investment options later. But for now, you always should check these statements when you receive them and then fi le them away.

• Pay stubs: Employers occasionally do make a mistake, so you defi nitely should check your pay stub when you receive it. Saving it until you fi le your taxes also is good. At that point, check the last pay stub of the year against the W-2 you receive from your employer. If the information matches, you can shred the previous year’s pay stubs. (If it

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Slide 13Just as a fi nancial plan makes the journey through life smoother, a budget or spending plan helps you make the most of your money. You can more easily achieve the goals you set in your fi nancial plan.

By now, you should appreciate the importance of having a spending plan and how to create one. You should have a better idea about the types of income you can earn and the taxes that you automatically have to pay. You also have a handle on the different types of expenses you have and how to adjust them to fi t your budget.

Last, but defi nitely not least, you learned about the importance of paying yourself fi rst to make your fi nancial goals a prominent part of your spending plan. Put that money away and you will be thankful.

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