Today, we’ve got a special treat — a guest blog post AND a teacher-generated resource — straight from NGPF Fellow Sue Suttich of Tigard High School (OR). Read on for a great activity on calculating the true cost of pet ownership!

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Each year in my Wealth Management class I have the students make a vision board. We talk about goals and what they want in life. Then they each write some short, medium and long-term goals and turn those goals into a vision board with pictures and prices that match these goals. We share them out in class and discuss how similar and different each person is in class with their “vision” of their life. One thing I noticed is a lot of students want to have a pet some day. But, the price they put down for pet ownership is really unrealistic! So I decided that it was time to make up a lesson where they could do some research on what a pet might really cost them! I shared my lesson with Jessica and she gave some advice and ideas on what else might be added or changed. The result is what looks like a fun, yet eye-opening lesson on what a pet might actually cost the average person. I hope you enjoy it and would love any suggestions you have on making it even better!

Cost to Own a Pet [activity]

Sue Suttich

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Thanks, Sue, for being an awesome Fellow and for this outstanding activity!

About the Author

Jessica Endlich

When I started working at Next Gen Personal Finance, it's as though my undergraduate degree in finance, followed by ten years as an educator in an NYC public high school, suddenly all made sense.