The Badge Archive

Clothing Budget Challenge

Items Needed:

  • $40 in play money per scout
  • Paper
  • Pencil or pen
  • Optional: Computer, phone, or tablet to check clothing prices

Instructions (Recommended Time: 30–40 minutes):

  1. Get Ready (3–5 minutes)
    • Ask scouts if they’ve ever saved money for something they needed or wanted. Let them think and share if they want.
  2. Plan the List (5–10 minutes)
    • Scouts imagine a school day and make a list of clothes they might need.
    • Examples:
      • T-shirt
      • Jacket or sweater
      • Pants or jeans
      • Hat
      • Socks
      • Sneakers or shoes
  3. Look Up or Estimate Prices (10–15 minutes)
    • Scouts find or guess prices for the items on their list.
    • They can look online, ask an adult for help, or use estimated prices given by the leader.
    • They write down the cost of each item.
  4. Check Their Budget (5–7 minutes)
    • Scouts add up the total cost.
    • If it’s $40 or less, great!
    • If it’s more than $40, they decide what to remove or swap to stay within budget.
  5. Reflect (5 minutes)
    • Scouts write or share:
      • What they picked and why
      • What was easy or tricky
      • One smart shopping choice they made
Tia Kennard