Real-world money math, done by hand
10 labs on the money decisions students are about to make: a first paycheck, a budget, a checkout total, a credit card, a loan, a savings goal. Each one starts from a real document, has students do the math by hand, then puts a live calculator in their hands to test a real decision.
Decode, build, explore, decide, prove it
No drill sheets: each lab ends in a decision students have to defend with their own numbers.
- 1
Decode
Read a real document: a pay stub, a receipt, a loan quote, a credit card statement.
- 2
Build it by hand
Do the math on paper, with no calculator, and get scored on it.
- 3
Explore
Run “what-if” questions in a self-calculating spreadsheet.
- 4
Decide
Make a real decision with a surprising answer, and justify it with the numbers.
- 5
Prove it
A scored mastery check on fresh numbers, then a reality-check reflection.
10 decisions, 10 labs
Checking Accounts & Overdrafts: Don’t Bounce It
See the labCredit Cards & the Minimum-payment Trap: the Real Price
See the labSales Tax, Tip & Discount: Checkout Challenge
See the labSimple Interest & Loan Cost: Borrow or Wait?
See the labPrint-and-go or digital
- 10-page student lab (PDF + editable Word)
- Self-calculating spreadsheet (Excel / Google Sheets)
- 3-page teacher guide with full answer key + 10-point rubric
- Printed Calculator Readouts (print fallback) + Terms of Use

Consumer Math Essentials Bundle
All 9 paid labs in one purchase, with the free Reading a Paycheck: Gross Vs Net Pay lab included as a bonus.
Personal finance I Can posters
Learning targets for the high school personal finance standards of 13 states.
Money Lab questions
What grades are the Money Labs for?
Grades 7 to 10: each lab is built on a 7th grade percent, unit rate or rational-number standard and stays accessible through high school, so it fits financial literacy, consumer math, FACS, CTE and intervention.
Do students need devices?
No. Every lab runs print-and-go, and a Printed Calculator Readouts page lets a print-only class run the whole lab. With devices, assign the editable Word packet in Google Docs and the calculator in Google Sheets.
Does the calculator do the math for them?
No. Students do the math by hand first and are scored on it. The spreadsheet is for exploring what-if questions afterward, never a substitute for the calculation.
Is there a free lab?
Yes. Reading a Paycheck: Gross Vs Net Pay (Reading a Paycheck: Gross vs Net Pay) is free, and it is included in the bundle as a bonus lab.
Standard codes refer to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Math Class 678 is an independent publisher, not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by NGA Center or CCSSO. Every product is sold on Teachers Pay Teachers.