Students work with a partner to "shop" for a house and a car in your community while staying within a budget. Students have fun being creative with the backstory of their grown-up selves. This project is perfect for teaching a bit about finance, making a budget, money management, or financial literacy.

Comments from students who have done this project:

• "Awesome project very relevant, really appreciate the idea in prep for future."
• "I thought the project was great and straight forward!"
• "It was a really cool and pretty easy project."
• "I think this project is pretty good, and pretty balanced."
• "This project was very useful/helpful. The most useful project that any of my teachers have given me."

How does this project work?

• Students will work with a partner (preferred: groups of 2. Allow one group of 3 for a odd-number of students).
• Each student will draw a profession and salary out of a hat. Most students will also receive a monthly payment toward student loan debt.
• The students set up a spreadsheet (guided by the teacher - sample Excel file included) to create a budget for a house to share with his/her partner and a car.
• Then students shop online on real estate and car dealership websites to find a house and car they like.
• Next, they visit "the bank" (that's you the teacher!) to ask for a (fake) loan.
• Finally, the students summarize their findings in a Google Slides Presentation

This resource is suitable for distance learning. It was used successfully with students during the Spring 2020 coronavirus pandemic, and the adapted student instructions provided at that time are included with the purchase.

Is every part of the resource editable?

• No. The parts of the resource that are editable are the Student Instructions, the Profession and Salary choices, and the spreadsheet.
• The Student Instructions were created in Microsoft Word, but can also be opened in Google Docs. The spreadsheet was created in Microsoft Excel, but can be opened in Google Sheets.
• This means that you can customize this project for your town or city.
• Other parts of the resource (teacher notes, Terms of Use, profession/salary choices, and rubric) are NOT editable.

What teachers have said about this resource:

✍ "LOVED using this resource with my students."

✍ "I was able to easily edit for differentiation with my students. Engaging and good way to wrap up topics touched upon during the year!"

✍ "My students and I loved this project. It was the perfect culmination to my first semester class. It was great for kids to see real-world applications of math. And it gave them a window into the adult expenses that they'll soon be facing."

Who is this project for?

• For high school, middle school, or college students
• For 12th grade students on the brink of graduation
• For AP students *after* the AP exam
• For students in a financial literacy class
• For students in a project-based learning class

How much time do I need for this project?

This project can be completed in three 60-minute periods. You can easily extend it to five or six periods if you require each group to present their final report to the class.

What is included in the purchase?

1. Notes for the teacher and the Terms of Use
2. Editable student instructions (as .docx)
3. Spreadsheet information
4. Editable spreadsheet (as .xlsx)
5. Editable profession and salary choices
6. Bank brochure
7. Bank sign
8. Peer and Self Evaluation (includes a link to a google form if you prefer it to be digital)
9. Rubric

*Note: I am in the United States, and this project uses U.S. dollars, real estate, and auto dealership websites that are for U.S. buyers.

If you like this product, leave a review (you can get tpt credits for every review you leave - and then use those credits on future tpt purchases). Also, follow my store to get notifications about new products I add to my store.

LICENSING TERMS: All rights reserved. Purchase of this unit entitles the purchaser the right to reproduce the pages in limited quantities for single classroom use only. Duplication for a colleague, an entire school, an entire school system, or for commercial purposes (including websites such as Outschool) is strictly forbidden without written permission from the publisher. Licenses are non-transferrable; this means they cannot be passed from one teacher to another. You may purchase additional licenses at a discount here on Teachers Pay Teachers.

COPYRIGHT TERMS: Copying any part of this product and placing it on the Internet in any form (even a personal/classroom website – unless it is password protected and can only be accessed by students) is strictly forbidden and is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). These items can be picked up in a google search and then shared worldwide for free.

Questions or concerns? email me at rebecca@hoffmath.com