MSU Extension 4-H Youth Money Management

Michigan State University Extension 4-H youth programs offer educational curriculum to help youth focus on being a good shopper. One of the suggested curriculums used to share and teach youth about being consumer conscious is the Consumer Savvy curriculum. This curriculum includes three levels along with a helpers guide, giving youth practice making purchasing decisions, learning critical thinking skills and becoming self-responsible.

Using this curriculum can help youth make better decisions and become “consumer savvy.” This is the fourth and last article in the consumer savvy series that shares what is covered in the Consumer Savvy curriculum.

The key point in the level three guide talks about having a “Consumer Roadmap.” To reach a destination, you need a roadmap or a guide to get you there. The destination of being on the “consumer roadmap” is that you have become a wise consumer.

In this guide, activities will share how to:

• Learn about being consumers in the global marketplace—check out where your clothes came from and who made the clothing, work conditions, who paid for their labor. Where did the banana come from you ate at breakfast?
• Learn about knowing your consumer rights—where to go if there is a complaint, what is our responsibility. Treated unfairly? You’ll learn that as consumers, we have protection and where it comes from.
• Learn what it takes to live on your own—owning a car, real-life costs like living on your own, and can you pay those bills?

In the Consumer Roadmap youth activity guide, you will practice life skills, including managing resources, self-responsibility and critical thinking when it comes to the activities learned as stated above. There are hands-on activities in each chapter where you can fill in the blanks, what and where to research answers and challenges. They can be done in small groups or individually.

Michigan 4-H Youth Programs are offered in the money management area to help youth learn needs and wants, to set goals and to help with decision-making skills when purchasing items. Become a savvy consumer and learn ways to save money, buy what is only needed and to have fun shopping, knowing that you have made good choices. For more information, please visit the Michigan 4-H Youth Money Management .

Michigan State University Extension  and Michigan 4-H Youth Development help to prepare young people for successful futures. As a result of career exploration and workforce preparation activities, thousands of Michigan youth are better equipped to make important decisions about their professional future, ready to contribute to the workforce and able to take fiscal responsibility in their personal lives.