Life Skills Arcade Middle school Family and Consumer Sciences, grades 6 to 8

Handout 2.7

Handout 02.07: Needs vs Wants Cards and 100 Dollar Sheet

Unit
Unit 2: Me, My Goals, My Money
Handout
2.7

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Pages 1 and 2: Item cards (teacher cuts one set per pair)

Cut on the lines. One set is 30 cards. Cards marked with a star (*) are the ten to remove for the grade 6 set of 20. Each card has the item, a picture cue in words, and a price so the sort and the $100 task use the same numbers. Prices are Long Island prices for 2026 and are marked.

CardItemPicture cuePrice
1Winter coata puffy coat on a hook$60
2Second winter coat in a different color *two coats on hooks$60
3Monthly bus pass to get to schoola bus with a fare card$60
4Smartphonea phone with a cracked corner$25 a month
5Name brand sneakerssneakers with a logo$90
6Plain sneakers that fitwhite sneakers, no logo$40
7School luncha tray with a sandwich and fruit$3.50 a day
8Bubble tea after school *a cup with a wide straw$7
9Streaming subscriptiona TV screen with a play button$12 a month
10Notebook and pens for schoola notebook and two pens$8
11Glasses (you need them to read the board)a pair of glasses$150
12Video game, new releasea game case$70
13Birthday gift for a siblinga wrapped box$20
14Haircutscissors and a comb$25
15Concert ticket *a ticket stub$120
16Toothpaste and a toothbrusha toothbrush in a cup$6
17Gym or sports club membershipa basketball$30 a month
18A snack from the deli every day *a bag of chips$3 a day
19Umbrellaan open umbrella$12
20Wireless earbuds *two earbuds in a case$50
21Doctor visit copaya clipboard with a heart$30
22Ride share to a friend's house *a car with a phone icon$15
23Laptop for schoolworkan open laptop$350
24Gaming laptop upgrade *a laptop with glowing keys$1,200
25Backpacka backpack with straps$35
26Backpack in this year's style *a backpack with a logo$80
27Water bottlea reusable bottle$10
28Pizza slice with friends on Friday *a slice on a paper plate$4
29Savings for a goala jar with coinsany amount
30Phone case with a design *a phone case with a picture$20

Page 3: The 100 Dollar Sheet

Name: ______________________ Date: __________ Partner: ______________________

The test sentence (copy it from the board):


Part A: Our three hardest gray zone cards

Write the card and what would move it to NEED or to WANT.

CardIt becomes a NEED if...It becomes a WANT if...

Part B: You have $100. What do you do?

Rules: cover at least one need before any want. Do not go over $100. Anything you do not spend goes to savings. Prices are for one month where the card says "a month."

ItemPriceBuy, skip, or save?N, W, or G?Running total
Monthly bus pass to school$60
Notebook and pens$8
Toothpaste and toothbrush$6
School lunch for one week (5 days)$17.50
Streaming subscription (one month)$12
Bubble tea after school (one time)$7
Birthday gift for a sibling$20
Video game, new release$70
Haircut$25
Umbrella$12
Phone case with a design$20
Pizza slice with friends (one time)$4
Plain sneakers that fit$40
Water bottle$10

Total spent: $__________ Total saved: $__________ (spent plus saved must equal $100)

Grade 6 short list: use only the first eight rows.

Part C: Justify it (three sentences)

  1. One need I covered and why: ______________________________________________________
  2. One want I skipped and why: ______________________________________________________
  3. The value (from Lesson 2.1) that decided my hardest choice: __________________________

Exit line (3-2-1)

3 items I called needs: ________________, ________________, ________________

2 wants I skipped today: ________________, ________________

1 value that decided a hard card: ________________