💰 Money Skills for Kids & Teens · Lesson 4 of 7
Saving for a goal
How many weeks until I can buy it, with a full example.
A clear goal
“Save money” is hard. “Save $90 for a bike helmet and lights by summer” is easier. A good goal is specific (what), has a price (how much) and a date (by when).
The calculation
- Price of the goal: $90
- How much I already have: $18
- What is missing: $90 − $18 = $72
- How much I save each week: $4
- Weeks: $72 ÷ $4 = 18 weeks, about four months
How to get there faster
Save a bit more each week, earn extra (yard work, a lemonade stand, selling old toys with a parent’s help), or save birthday money. With $6 a week, the 18 weeks shrink to 12.
Tip
💡 Draw a thermometer on paper with lines for every $10, and color it in as you save. Seeing progress keeps you going.
✏️ Practice: your turn
- Choose a goal and write it down: what, how much, by when
- Work out how many weeks it will take
- Draw a savings thermometer and hang it on the fridge
- Think of one honest way to earn a few extra dollars
🧠 Quick quiz
Answer all 4 questions correctly to mark this lesson as done.
0 of 4 correct
All lessons in Money Skills for Kids & Teens
- 🪙 1. What money is and where it comes fromBartering, dollars and cents, and how people earn money
- ⚖️ 2. Needs or wants?What you must have, what is nice to have, and how to decide
- 🫙 3. Allowance and a budgetThree jars: spend, save, give
- 🎯 4. Saving for a goalHow many weeks until I can buy it, with a full example
- 🛒 5. Smart shoppingComparing prices, unit price, and the tricks of sales and ads
- 🏦 6. Banks and interestAccounts, debit cards, interest and compound interest in dollars
- 🔐 7. Money online, safely — and a final projectIn-game purchases, scams, card details and a family budget