Over the past two terms, we mastered important financial skills, from quick calculations to long-term planning. We learned that being financially literate means being a detective 
We improved our ability to handle complex transactions and calculate costs and change accurately. We became Discount Detectives, learning how to apply percentages to find the sale price, and even how to work backward to find the original price!
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Precision Tip: When calculating the total cost of multiple items, I found it most helpful to add them together using an algorithm.
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Discount Strategy: If a jacket is 40% off, one way to find the sale price is to divide the total by 10 to get 10% and then multiply that number by 4.
We moved on to creating financial plans! We used spreadsheets to build budgets and learned how to convert amounts between weekly, monthly, and yearly timeframes. We also critically examined financial options like phone plans and ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ (BNPL) services.
Budgeting Check: If my expenses are consistently higher than my income, I have a Deficit. This means I must cut back on my expense and/or find a higher paying job.
BNPL Danger: The biggest financial risk of using BNPL services is that it makes it very easy to overcommit to too many payments / earn interest.
Our group project required us to plan a significant financial event Dream Trip
Project Summary
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Our Project Goal Was: To plan our dream trip to Queenstown.
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The Biggest Expense We Budgeted For Was: The hotel which cost $3,270.
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The Most Important Math Skill We Used Was: Total cost and change.
My Personal Takeaway
Before this unit, I thought money management was just about careful spending and saving.
Now, I understand that good financial literacy also involves looking for the best deals and safe spending.
I feel most confident now when calculating discounts.
Here is my groups work:
Have you ever done financial literacy?