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Dad Field Manual · Field card 08 · MoneyIdea · not yet tested

Your kid plans a $20 family outing

Twenty dollars, a few hours and the whole family is a real budget problem, and a fun one. Your kid does the planning in about an hour; you do the driving and keep your opinions to a minimum.

Time
60 min to plan
Cost
$20
Ages
10 to 14
Where
Kitchen table

What you need

  • $20, in cash so it can be counted, or written at the top of the budget sheet
  • Paper and a pencil for the brainstorm and the budget
  • A phone or computer for looking up prices and hours, used with you nearby
  • An envelope for the cash and the receipts

Before you start

  • You keep a safety veto. No water without a grown-up who can swim, no roads to walk along, nothing after dark you haven't checked. Say it up front so it isn't a surprise.
  • No buying online on their own. They can find the price; you make any payment, and no card numbers or personal details get typed in without you.
  • Check hours and rules before you go. Parks, pools and museums change hours by season.
  • The budget is $20, not your safety money. Gas, water bottles and a first-aid kit come from the family, not their $20.

Steps

  1. Give the brief. Give the rules: $20 for everyone, this Saturday, about three hours, gas not included.
  2. Brainstorm five ideas. List at least five outing ideas in ten minutes without crossing any out.
  3. Price them out. Look up the real cost of each idea, multiply by the number of people, and cross out anything over $20.
  4. Compare and choose. Compare the finalists on cost, time, distance and fun for everyone, then let them choose.
  5. Write the budget. Write one line per cost, total it, and keep a couple of dollars for surprises.
  6. Run it and track it. On the day they pay, keep every receipt, and count what's left on the drive home.

If it stalls

  • If every idea costs more than $20, ask what the free version is: a picnic instead of a restaurant, a free museum day, a park they haven't been to.
  • If they go over budget at the snack counter, don't cover it. Let them choose what to put back. That's the lesson.
Dollars left · ideas priced
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date