PLAY, HAVE FUN, LEARN $ BASICS

"All work and no play makes for a really dull life! The best learning comes through having fun. And if you want what you learned to 'stick', teach it to someone else."

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Videos

(These links are offsite.)

Funny Money videos about spending, credit, long-term wealth, saving, and buying a car through GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca/Investor Education Fund

Ready to SAVE? fun vignettes about different types of spenders, featured on feedthepig.org

Your Life, Your Money produced by Jump$tart national partner, WNED Buffalo/Toronto, and hosted by Donald Faison, star of "Scrubs", through PBS.org.

Savingsman video produced by choosetosave.org. This site has more videos about managing your debts, creating a personal spending plan, saving for retirement, saving for....saving!

Indebted videos are produced by mtvU with the Peter G. Peterson Foundation to create a campaign for college students to raise awareness about the dangers of excessive personal and government debt, and promotes action to help stop the fiscal crisis in the US (from the site's "about us" page).

 

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Online Games

(These links are offsite.)

 

Resources for online games about money management

	About	Source
Financial Soccer Financial Football	Sports game formats; completion certificates available for printing; other games for the younger set, too.	Practical Money Skills for Life® see note
Virtual Credit Card Shopping	Simulate buying with a credit card and what to pay when the bill comes due. Quizzes on managing credit card and debt.	Credit Card Simulator Credit Card Skills Builder
The Debt Impact	Ride the Debt Ski over the waves of financial life	The Game - DebtSki
Future Life	See how careers and levels of education impact your buying power and how far your salary will go. Similar but geared toward the younger crowd	TEXAS REALITY CHECK flash version SHOW ME THE FUTURE
Second Life	Make your way to the Financial Capability Simulation at Idahonia, the Univ of Idaho Virtual Campus. Open this document and follow instructions.	IDAHONIA

 

NOTE: A few years back a law was enacted that required financial instituitions to provide consumer education. Many have created very fun games and videos to teach consumers about the basics of personal finance. The web links referenced above, with their financial institution affiliations, are presented here for student/user entertainment and learning and do not constitute an approval of nor an endorsement by UTSA and its representatives

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Board Games

Plan a fun evening with family and/or friends playing a money-related board game, such as

• Monopoly (the older game and a newer version with electronic banking)
• Game of Life
• Payday
• Moneywise Kids
• Money Bags

CBS MoneyWatch has more about games. Search on site for "games that teach about money."

 

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Play here or there (Staycations and Vacations)

Having fun doesn't have to be expensive. If you Google “money saving vacation tips” you’ll get over 250,000 references!  Consider....

• This might be an entry on your short or long-term goals part of the financial goals worksheet.  Figure out in advance where, when, how, how many, and how much.
   
• Compare online services to book flights, cars, hotel rooms at discount prices
  
  
• Visit places where your friends live and plan to stay a night or two with them (ask first, of course)
  
  
• Substitute a “staycation” – stay at home and play; camp in the backyard; visit local tourist sites; barbeque in backyard and invite the neighbors; host a street or patio dance (check homeowner and city restrictions first)
  
  
• Take a day trip to a nearby quaint or historic town; visit a vineyard; poke around in antique shops (decide how much you are going to spend before you go!)
  
  
• Go to the movies during the “matinee” times – it’s cheaper; be sure to use your student ID if theaters give a discount; rent movies and invite friends over - have them bring the popcorn!
  
  
• Invite friends over for a movie swap – bring DVDs to share or swap for a period of time

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Fun doesn't have to be expensive. I dream of going to England, but 3 hours to the beach in Corpus Christi works for me now!