This financial literacy activity for middle school students puts you in the real world for a day. Imagine you’ve just graduated high school, moved out, and started your first full-time job. You’re earning $18 an hour, which adds up to about $2,800 a month after taxes. It sounds like a lot—until you start paying rent, buying food, and covering all your other expenses. Suddenly, adulting doesn’t look so easy.
The goal of this financial literacy warm-up is to help you think critically about money, budgeting, and career choices. You’ll learn how far a paycheck can stretch and what you might need to sacrifice to stay within your budget.
Instructions
Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Post your response in the comments section below this blog, then reply to at least one classmate’s post with a thoughtful comment. Be respectful and curious—budgeting is different for everyone.
Questions
- What kind of apartment or home could you afford on $2,800 a month?
- List five bills or expenses you would have to pay every month.
- Which bill do you think would cost the most? Why?
- If you wanted to go out to the movies or eat at a restaurant, what would you have to give up that month?
- What kind of job or career could help you live more comfortably?
Why This Financial Literacy Activity Matters
This financial literacy activity for middle school helps you understand how real-world money management works. Every adult has to make choices about what to spend and what to save. Learning how to budget now gives you power later—it helps you plan for independence, avoid debt, and make smarter financial decisions.
Money might not buy happiness, but managing it wisely sure makes life easier. So take the challenge: can you really afford the lifestyle you want?
When you’re finished, check out the rest of our blog for more tips, ideas, and activities to help you learn and grow. Be sure to follow our classroom Instagram page for behind-the-scenes moments, project highlights, and fun updates. Let’s work together to make learning fun, exciting, and something you look forward to every day!
34 Responses
I would most likely afford an apartment complex, and 5 types of bills I would have to pay is Rent, Electricity, Internet, Gas, and Rental insurance. I believe Utility Cost will be the highest bill because utility costs go up when you use more energy or when energy itself becomes more expensive. If I would want to go to a movie, I would give up 40$ to go to the movies, if I were to go to a resturant I would give up 35 – 42$ in expenses. I would comfortably want to be a researcher or an entrepreneur because I love donating and making a company, and being a researcher comes with dedication and intelligence.
A small apartment and maybe a roommate so we can split the rent for the apartment. food, internet, water, electricity, and land (the apartment). water because a lot of people drink water and water bills can go higher. i would not give out for that month instead we can hang out in my apartment if my roommate let us. I would be a Youtuber and a teacher because I like teaching people and I like to play games.
I think i could be able to afford a small apartment with one room, bath room ,and living room with 2,800 dollars a month.some bills you have to pay are water, phone, electricity, garbage, and WiFi . The bills i think are more important and would cost more are water and electricity since those are the most needed. If i wanted to go out and eat somewhere i would most likely have to give up garbage bills since those are the least important. a job that would allow me to live more comfortably would be a doctor.
First I would move to a apartment then move to a house. The expenses I would pay is water food pet food health care and some to buy devices and wifi. The bill I think would cost the most is the water bill. Cause its for the hole house not just one thing. If I wanted to go the the movie theater I would have to give up food just for a day. A job that would make me feel happy and comfortable is a artist cause i love to paint and draw and it would be good to work at home.
I could afford an apartment for 1,250 a month I would have 1550 for food and for car gas and if I want to go out to the restaurant and also the movies. I would put some money aside for bills like electricity, water, Cable, Internet, Gas so I don’t get kicked out of my apartment for not paying my bills. The bill that would cost the most is the electricity bill because I love to use my electricity like playing games and watching TV and other things. If I were to go to a restaurant I would go to chill’s and get the Triple Dippers and only cost 19,00 dollars to get. A job that I would be more comfortably is a NFL player because they make a lot of money like 2.8M for a rookie player.
For a home, I would get an apartment with one bedroom and one bathroom. The rent would be around $1,500, excluding bills. I believe the water bill would cost a lot more, because we use it daily, and it is required to shower and drink. I would have to use less water or electricity if I wanted to go out or save money. The temporary job that will provide money would maybe be a fast food worker. The average pay for this job is $2,000-$4,000.
There are some middle schools that you dont need to pay for. And that saves you money for the bills, rent, etc. But if you wanna have some money for food you might have to get an apartment because now these days, bills are expensive, so is rent and also food, but it really just depends what type of job you have and how much it paids.
I would buy a studio apartment for 1,200 a month, so I would work double or overtime so I can get paid more. I would have to pay the water bill, electricity bill, phone bill, wifi bill, and monthly for the studio apartment. I think the electricity bill costs the most since I would use electricity a lot, and maybe the water bill too since I need water to stay hydrated. I would stay in my studio apartment playing games or watching TV instead of giving up anything. The best job that I would like to go for is a construction worker or a Burger King worker since they give high payments and help your teamwork.
I would most likely afford an apartment complex because it is cheater, and 5 types of bills I would have to pay is Rent, Electricity, Internet, Gas, and Rental insurance that is why I need to save money. I believe Utility Cost will be the highest bill because utility costs go up when you use more energy or when energy itself becomes more expensive and It is just me, so I need to pay all of the by myself and it is going to be expensive. If I would want to go to a movie, I would give up 40$ or more to go to the movies, if I were to go to a restaurant I would give up 35 – 42$ in expenses. I would like to do a YouTube channel because people say that they pay a lot there.
in my opinion I think he shod get a better job because he is only getting pada 18$ per hour and he needs to pay his water bill that is 60$ and he needs to pay his electricity bell that is 80$ plus that car bill that is 63$ and he needs to go to the store to get him self some food and that is like 62$ and gas is 48$. and you cant forget to phone the bill to be 35$ in total it is 2452$.
I think I would be able to afford an apartment with a paycheck of 2800 a month. An apartment that costs about 1500 a month along with paying the electric bill phone, and groceries. If I keep track of what I spend.
The first can 18$ can go food but then you need a apartment so you can so where to sleep.But the rent will cost 2,800$ but in a month will you have enough money to pay the rent. so you need a job you could go play game and show your gaming skills. The one you will enough money for is getting a job like fast food place, cut hair build stuff and became a teacher.
I will live in a pretty big apartment and it will just be me and I will have to only pay for the water,internet,and electricity. I will give out that month so I can go out with friends. I would be a barber because i like to cut people’s hair.
The start of buying a new house for only 2,800 a month. 1000$ for electricity, 100$ for water, 1000$ for for bill, 100$ for rent, and for Internet is 500$. For house insurance that would be 100$ a month so that I can get house insurance and hope it doesn’t expire. That would equal up to 2,800$ a month. Having to pay for gas is not a part of house bills so I would have to pay it separately since it not apart of the house. It doesn’t come with it. And if you think about it you would have to add to get 2,800$ a month.
I would most likely be able to afford to rent an apartment and the bills water, and electricity rent and food and Taxes if I budget my money well. My job would be as a computer tech and I would work from home to save money on gas. i would be able to go out and have fun once in awhile as well.
The type of apartment you can afford would probably be a 2 bedroom apartment. The bill expenses you would spend every month would be food,taxes.insurance, internet and water bill. The bill that would probably cost the most would be the water bill cause we use water for a lot of stuff.If I wanted to go eat or go somewhere I would probably give up like 3,000 dollars. A job that will help me live comfortably would probably be a good job that pays good?
I would get an apartment and the five expenses I would have to worry about is food and drinks but also clothing cleaning my bed in the apartment and then to stay there I would have to pay for water mostly because I mostly wash my hands and take a shower and where I would go to eat is the Closes near me.
I would probably be able to afford a small apartment with one bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a room with 2800. some important bills you would need to pay would include water, rent, electricity, Wi-Fi, garbage. Water and electricity would most likely be the most expensive because they are the most necessary bills. If I went out to go eat I would have to give up the Wi-Fi bill since its not really needed. A career that would help me live more comfortably is a vet.
The kind of apartment or home I could afford on $2,800 a month is a rental apartment because you could search for apartments that are cheaper and within your budget.
Five bills or expenses I would have to pay every month are rent, utilities witch are like the electricity, gas, water, and trash. internet and cable, and renter’s insurance.
The bill I think would cost the most is the electricity bill because if you are living in an apartment the electricity bill would cost the most but if you have a pet and it needs to go to the emergency vet then it would be the vet bill.
If I wanted to go out to the movies or eat at a restaurant, the thing I would have to give up that month would be horseback riding to keep enough money to take my friends and I out to dinner.
The kind of job or career that could help me live more comfortably would be to get a veterinary degree to become a veterinarian.
I could afford a 2 bedroom apartment for 2,190$ a month with a living room, one bathroom, and a kitchen. Some bills you will be have to pay electricity, wifi, phones. The bills are more important and one that will cost more is electricity since that is something that mostly everyone uses. If i wanted to go out and eat somewhere i would most likely have to give up on gasoline because i could walk instead of driving. A job that would allow me to live more comfortably would be a doctor.
Reply
You could afford an apartment with rent of $840 while living on $2,800 a month the only bills and worrys are PG&E, water, gas, electricity, cable or TV, Trash, heating. I would want to work as a welder I would gets lots of money but I would not want a big house since I would be living alone, it would be not lots of money if I save up. if I wanted to go to the movies I would have to worry and I wouldnt have to drop anything for it.
“I could” its about YOU not them or others dude lock it.
For a house you need to have a job at you get pay good like 2,000 is good because you have to pay for your food and taxes and the rent like 1,000 and for your food is like 500 and you well have for cash like 500 and for at you can pay water and then you can pay by what ever you want and then you can by close.
If I budget my money I think I can afford a two bedroom apartment and pay electricity, phone,cable, a truck paymentand buy groceries with a paycheck of 2800; I will have a job as a construction worker.
I could buy a small apartment that costs at least $1,300 a month. I would have to pay for rent, electricity, internet, water, and gas. I think the electricity bill would cost the most because I already do use electricity a lot. If I wanted to go to the movies, I would have to spend around $50, so I would give up that amount.
What an apartment I think I can afford is an Apartment Complex and the 5 bill’s I have to pay will be water, electricity, internet ,gas, and rent one of the expensive bill is water because you use it to shower wash you hands and to wash dishes you might even use it for food. and If I wanted to go out I would have to not pay the internet bill. I would want to be a doctor so I can help people with their health issues.
If I were to manage a paycheck that gives me $2800 a month, I think I would be able to get a small apartment. Somewhere in a city that’s small and quiet, because bigger cities tend to cost more. Maybe it could cost upward of about $1000? I would also have to worry about bills like water, gas, electricity, and entertainment. That would cost about $1000 aswell which may be a bit bad if I wanted to buy groceries. The bill that would cost the most in general would be electricity since I tend to use lots of electricity at home. If I were to eat out at a restaurant the bill that I would have to give up is entertainment, because I can find entertainment elsewhere. Finally, if I wanted to do a job to earn a bit more money a long with my $2800/month paycheck, I would work as a graphic designer that earn you up to around $5000 per month for an entry-level.
I could afford a 2 bedroom apartment for about 2,000$ a month with a living room, one bathroom also a kitchen. Some bills i will have to pay such as electricity, and also phones. The bills are more important what will cost more is electricity since its something that most people use. If i wanted to go out and eat somewhere i would most likely have to give up on gasoline because i could walk instead of driving. A job that would allow me to live more comfortably would be a Vet.
I could afford a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment with a rent of 2,000 dollers but only having 800 dollers a month. Other esscenites like water, food, and other stuff. If I wanted to save money I would stop buying junk food and stop eating out. Another thing I could use to save money is to stop buying named brands and to save money on gas I would just walk to places. I would also try to spend only 800$ on essceites in one month.
I would probably be able to afford a small apartment with one bathroom, a kitchen, living room, and a room with 2,200. Some important bills you would need to pay would include gas, water, rent, electricity, Wi-Fi, garbge, and gas for driving. I would want to work as vet because I like animals and would want to help them.
You can afford a one bed apartment in Fairfield for ~$900 a month. I’d have to worry about the electricity, water, gas, utilities, food and a car payment, since I’m not making nearly enough for a good car. The average electricity bill for a 1-person apartment is about $70. This brings our cost to about $970. The water bill for a 1-bedroom apartment in California is between 40 – 80 dollars, but this can vary. Assuming a 70 dollar water bill, we’d be paying $1040 right now. A gas bill for a 1-bedroom apartment is between 50 to 100 dollars depending on the season. Our total cost is $1140 now. The utility bill for a 1-bedroom apartment is around 150 to 300 dollars. Being optimistic, it would bring up our cost to $1340. If we were to get a down payment on a new car like a Honda Civic, it would be 250 dollars a month. Our total monthly bill is $1590 now. According to the USDA, the average food cost for a 1-bedroom apartment is 300 – 500 dollars. Being optimistic, we’d be spending 350 dollars, bringing the monthly bill to $1940. This leaves us with $860 dollars for anything else.
After graduating high school and landing your first full-time job at $18 dollars an hour, that $2,800 monthly paycheck is not enough. so I will save up and later on buy a apartment that costs 2,800 dollars and use my current leftover money for rent, groceries, transportation, and phone bills that quickly add up, leaving very little room for extras. Living on a tight budget means choosing affordable housing, cooking simple meals, using public transit, and relying on thrift stores and free community resources. With careful tracking and smart habits, you can stretch every dollar and start using money wisely.
I would get an apartment with one bedroom and one bathroom. The cost of it would be around 1,000 to 1,500, not including water bills and electricity bills.The water bills cost way more because of daily usage. You use it to stay sanitary and to drink. I need to find a job that pay better if I wanted to make more money.
If we have only have 2,800$ and we need a apartment the rent will we like 1,000 something or less then that. and u wanna bye food and go out and watch move so total amount will like 500$ something or more then that like 600$.