Budget Planning for Summer
- Susan Traugh
- Jul 3
- 2 min read
While we all may dream of an ocean cruise or hiking trip through some distant destination, our budget may have other plans. Helping students with special needs plan realistic vacation goals is an important adult living skill. Help students plan a summer vacation activity with this handy lesson.
According to Business Insider, the average American spends between approximately $1900 and $4000 on a summer vacation. This budget might be a push for our students living on SSI or SSDI. So, help them plan a budget for a less expensive option to summer fun.
Beginning the Lesson
Help students list vacation destinations. Go wild with dreams and desires. Then use AI to calculate the cost of a week’s vacation at one or two of those destinations.
Use the calculator on the activity page to calculate how much money they believe they could save over the year. Chances are their savings will not add up to the cost of those vacation plans.
Analyze the costs. Help students understand how lodging, days of food, and the actual ticket prices add up to make the vacation unaffordable. Help them analyze what expenses they could cut to afford a vacation, then help them find day trips in your area that might fit within their budgets.
Use the chart on the handout to calculate how they could design a daytrip that would provide adventure within their budget. If feasible, work in small groups to create several options of fun vacations within their budgets.
For More Information
And, while the lessons in this blog can stand alone, they work best when paired with the Financial Literacy course from Susan Traugh’s Transition 2 Life curriculum. This one-semester course is offered in both a special education edition and a companion text for general education students. Find it here!
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