Money Matters: The Student Budget Game

This HTML is an interactive budgeting game that guides learners through the realities of managing money at university, with Leeds simply serving as an example context. It blends practical financial tools with engaging design features that encourage experimentation and reflection.

At the heart of the resource is a Budget Calculator. Users input key details such as household income, accommodation choices, additional income, one-off costs, and lifestyle decisions around food, social life, transport, and part-time work. These are presented as dropdowns, sliders, and option cards that mirror real-life decisions. The calculator generates instant summaries of monthly and termly balances, including realistic loan instalments spread across the year. The system also provides clear, student-friendly feedback: messages of reassurance for balanced budgets, encouragement for surpluses, and practical suggestions when deficits appear. This turns abstract figures into relatable financial scenarios that help learners connect decisions with outcomes.

The Detailed Analysis tab enhances this understanding by breaking costs down into clear categories such as accommodation, food, transport, social life, and part-time income. This segmented view helps learners identify which areas dominate their spending and where adjustments might be most effective, reinforcing the importance of evaluating trade-offs.

The Money Tips section builds financial awareness with practical advice on saving money, accessing discounts, and planning for emergencies. By rooting the tips in everyday student experiences, it supports the development of financial resilience and confidence in managing limited resources.

The Three-Year Plan extends the learning beyond the immediate term, showing how financial priorities evolve across the course of study. Year one focuses on learning to budget and adjusting to university life, year two encourages optimisation based on experience, and year three prepares for graduation and transition into employment. This staged perspective helps learners appreciate that budgeting is an ongoing, adaptive process rather than a one-off exercise.

The learning benefits are clear: it promotes decision-making and forward planning. By combining interactivity with personalised feedback, the activity transforms budgeting into an engaging and meaningful exercise, helping students practise managing money in a safe and supportive environment.