Worksheet to help students distinguish between needs and wants by tracking weekly family expenses.

It looks like you've uploaded a worksheet titled "Needs and Wants" from *Super Teacher Worksheets*. This is an educational activity designed to help students understand the difference between needs (essential items for survival or basic living) and wants (non-essential items that improve quality of life but aren't necessary).

🎯 Objective:

Track your family’s purchases over one week and classify each purchase as either a need or a want, including a description and amount spent.

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🔍 Understanding Needs vs. Wants:

| Needs | Wants |
|----------|-----------|
| Things essential for survival or basic living (e.g., food, clothing, shelter, healthcare) | Items that are nice to have but not essential (e.g., toys, entertainment, luxury goods) |

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✔ Example Given in Worksheet:

| Needs | Wants |
|-----------|-----------|
| Food from supermarket – $125.00 | New video game – $59.00 |
| Gas for my mom's car – $50.00 | Gift for Jeremy's birthday – $21.95 |

> 💡 Notice: "Gas" is considered a need because it’s required for transportation to work/school; “video game” and “birthday gift” are wants.

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📝 How to Complete the Worksheet:

1. Observe your family’s purchases for one week.
2. For each purchase:
- Write a description (e.g., "milk", "new sneakers").
- Write the amount spent.
- Decide if it’s a Need or a Want.
3. Fill in the appropriate column.
4. At the end, add up totals for both columns.

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🧮 Sample Completed Entries (Hypothetical):

| Needs | Wants |
|----------|-----------|
| Milk & bread – $25.00 | Movie tickets – $30.00 |
| Electricity bill – $80.00 | New phone case – $15.00 |
| Doctor visit – $100.00 | Ice cream cone – $3.50 |
| School supplies – $40.00 | Board game – $25.00 |

> Total Needs: $245.00
> Total Wants: $73.50

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✔ Tips:

- Ask yourself: Is this item necessary to live? If yes → Need. If no → Want.
- Some things can be tricky! For example:
- A new winter coat = Need (for warmth).
- A designer jacket = Want (if you already have warm clothes).
- Be honest and consistent in categorizing.

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🌟 Why This Matters:

Learning to distinguish needs from wants helps build financial literacy — understanding how to budget, save, and make smart spending choices.

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Let me know if you'd like:
- A printable version of the completed worksheet
- Help analyzing real-life purchases
- A discussion on how this applies to personal finance

You're doing great by engaging with financial education! 💰📚