Your First Month on Your Own
A fictional €1,200 lands for the month — rent €600, food €200, transport €100, phone €40, buffer €100, leisure €160. Then an €80 repair appears.
Ready-to-print worksheets
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In the year workbook
My Money YearThis lesson has a companion in the printable year workbook: pupil pp. 53–54, teacher companion p. 43.
Learning objectives
- Add all six planned jobs and check they fit the €1,200 income
- Revise the plan to cover an €80 repair without spending above income
- Explain why a buffer is useful even in a balanced plan
Vocabulary
- Income
- Money that comes in, usually from work.
- Fixed Cost
- A bill that stays the same each month, like rent.
- Variable Cost
- A cost that changes, like food or fun.
- Buffer
- A little spare money kept for surprises.
- Trade Off
- Giving up one thing to get another when you choose.
Materials
Minute-by-minute flow
7′
Hook
Teacher does
Read the story: a fictional income is €1,200 — rent €600, food €200, transport €100, phone €40, buffer €100 and leisure €160 — invented prices, not a realistic housing claim. Ask which card facts are known and what to find out.
Students do
Name the €1,200 income and the six planned jobs.
12′
Model
Teacher does
Think aloud through task 1: add all planned jobs — €600 + €200 + €100 + €40 + €100 + €160 = €1,200 — does the plan fit?
Students do
Check the plan uses exactly €1,200.
22′
Practise
Teacher does
Set tasks 2 and 3: an €80 repair appears — revise without spending above income — then say which jobs you would protect first.
Students do
Show a revision such as leisure €80 and repair €80 (total still €1,200), or use the buffer, and name protected jobs like rent and food.
12′
Discuss
Teacher does
Surface the misconception: a balanced example is not proof that €1,200 is enough for real living costs in any location.
Students do
Explain the figures are fictional, not a real cost of living.
7′
Exit
Teacher does
Pose the reflection: why is a buffer useful even in a balanced plan?
Students do
Say it gives room for an unexpected cost without immediately losing an essential job.
Check for understanding
Can the learner confirm the six jobs total €1,200, rework the plan to fund the €80 repair, and explain the buffer’s purpose?
Exit ticket
€600 + €200 + €100 + €40 + €100 + €160 = €1,200; to cover the €80 repair I would… and I protected… first.
Support
Use a prefilled table and add only buffer plus leisure.
Stretch
Reduce income by €100 and make a new balanced plan with an explanation.
Home connection
Balance a fictional €1,200 month, then rework it for an €80 surprise — using invented figures, not a claim about real rent or living costs.