Becoming Independent

“A Budgeting, Apartment Finding & Career Exploration WebQuest”

Congratulations! You have purchased a cell phone and enrolled into a college. It is time to find a place to stay based on the information from the “Calculate Your Pay worksheet”. But before you find a place, we need to know what your total bills are while you finishing college and looking for the path to your forever after.

You are moving into your first apartment. You already have a job, but you don’t have a lot of money. Logically, you know to pay bills, you will need to be very careful about how you spend your money. Some things you might consider doing without are cable TV, Wi-Fi and/or a cell phone (but, good luck with that one in the 21st century as you are finishing college), expensive items for your apartment, brand name clothes, etc... Other things you will absolutely need to budget for include electricity, gas for your car, and maintenance for your car, car insurance and food. What must you absolutely have in your first apartment? What would you like in your apartment but could live without if you needed to?

IDENTIFY YOUR NEEDS: To pay your bills, you will need to be very careful you don’t spend more money than you earn. Ideally, you will even make enough money so that you can save a bit each month, so you will have money saved for an emergency, like if you lose your job or miss a few days of work due to illness. To make sure you don’t spend more than you earn, you need to decide on the things you can do without. Things you may want but don’t need. Yes, there is a difference between wants and needs.

Calculate your Identity’s monthly income; income that is consistent. This is money you will earn from your job. At this time, give your identity a $1.25 per hour raise. You may factor this into your income, as well as a $300 check you will receive monthly from your parents. / $
List how much you have in your saving’s account; money you try to build opposed to using / $

As a group, go to the Apartment Affordability Calculator and determine how much you should pay for rent. Put Identity’s first name and monthly income then click calculate. You may add 5% of what you have accumulated in your saving’s account / $
After you calculate your rent, multiply it by 2 to equal your security deposit (A one-time payment usually equivalent to first and last month’s rent paid to the landlord or building owner in the event damages to the apartment incur; usually, this is paid back to the tenant minus cost of any damages that incur) / $

ENRICHMENT: Find an apartment or room to rent in the area in which you are graduating college. Copy and paste information about your apartment here, to include a description of the apartment, monthly rent, deposit, what is included (like cable, water, garbage pick up, etc…)

The group shall use the following links to determine all the things your Identity will need in the apartment and the cost of each per month, but before you do, use the T-chart below and brainstorm your NEEDS vs. your WANTS:

My Identity’s WANTS / My Identity’s NEEDS

Family Budget Calculator

Things “My Identity” Needs
You may modify your “Needs” based on what your residence includes in the monthly rent. For example, if water and garbage pick-up is include, you can get rid of these things in your table. / Approximate Cost Per Month
Electric Bill
Water Bill
Renter’s Insurance
Food
Rent
Garbage Pick-up
Car Maintenance
Gas
*Write a check for each
Total
Read the pros and cons of each ISP / Satellite TV / Cable TV

Add anything else your “Identity” might want on a monthly basis. (movies, video game, bowling, etc.)

Things “My Identity” Wants / Approximate Cost Per Month
Cell Phone
*Write a check for each
Total

Add the “Needs” and “Wants” to get an estimated monthly cost

For a Fate today your parents gave you $1,000.00 towards your furniture purchase.

Choose one of the apartments that best resemble the one you found online and fill your apartment with 10 pieces of furniture. Afterwards, find a price for your furniture at Wayfair.com, Macys.com, Rooms to go or Iikea.com.

$

*Write a check to the furniture company if you go over 1K. Furniture total

BTW (By the way) your school has an internship opportunity. FYI: An internship is an opportunity to provide you with real experience in the occupation you are interested in pursuing as a career. Oftentimes, interns are not paid, but as an intern you receive real world experience and begin networking - forming contacts. Your “Identity” has to build a resume and cover letter for the job for which you want to intern. Collectively in your group decide upon a job based on your individual interests that would best suit your identity.

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/30847_sample.pdf

Examples Internship Resumes on Google Images

Google - Model Cover Letters for Internships

In one week you must get ready for a job interview

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/sites/default/files/asset/file/interviewquestions.qxd.pdf

Interview Dos and Don’ts

More Dos and Don’ts - a checklist

Job Interview: The All Time Classic Do's And Don'ts

Video Resources:

Teacher Tube Videos on the Interview Process - Dos and Don’ts


Leasing Lingo – Activity

Define the following terms important to know when renting a place to live and use this information for the Leasing Lingo Quiz in Skyward

LEASE
TENANT
LANDLORD
AMENITIES
SECURITY DEPOSIT
UTILITIES
RENTER’S INSURANCE
ROOMMATE
LEASE TERMINATION
TERMS OF A LEASE
(view some examples)