Budgeting: Income vs. Expenses
👀 Open the preview to see real pages from the student lab.
The lab
⭐ MAKE IT TO PAYDAY — A REAL-WORLD MONEY LAB ⭐
What students do
- Building the Budget — step into a real monthly-budget scenario with a clear “I can” target
- Decode the Monthly Budget — read an authentic budget showing income and categorized expenses
- Build the Budget by Hand — add expenses and subtract from income, including a sign watch-out for a deficit
- Your Budget Calculator — four “what-if” tasks in a self-calculating spreadsheet, including a work-backward cut
- Cut the Concert or the Habits, Make the Call — find two paths to the same $150 in savings and justify a choice
- Show What You Know — a scored mastery check that can land as a deficit, on fresh numbers
- Reality Check — reflection + the 50/30/20 guideline as a real-world connection
Real math, done right
The signed-number work (7.NS.A.3) is done BY the student — twice, by hand, and it's assessed, including a mastery check deliberately built to land on a NEGATIVE leftover so students must handle the sign, not just the arithmetic. Every dollar figure is realistic, datestamped, and verified to the cent.
Print or digital
Print-and-go, or assign the editable Word packet in Google Docs and the calculator in Google Sheets. No devices today? A Printed Calculator Readouts page lets a fully print-only class run the whole lab.
What is included
- 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
More Money Labs
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.