Budget Like a Boss! Finance 101 for Kids Teaches Smart Spending

💸 Budget Like a Boss! Finance 101 Gets Kids Thinking About Where Their Money Goes!

When it comes to budgeting, it’s never too early to start, and our students proved that at the second session of Finance 101 for Kids, held in partnership with Everest Lighthouse and hosted by CFI’s Ms. Ren Li.

This session was all about building smart spending habits and learning how to plan ahead, guided by the thoughtful and engaging instruction of speaker Ms. Judy.

💰 Budgeting Basics: What to Do With Your Money?

The session opened with students learning the fundamentals of budgeting: understanding the difference between needs and wants, setting aside savings, and even giving to others. With play money in hand, students sorted their funds into labeled envelopes, each representing a real-life category: essentials, fun spending, savings, and donations.

This hands-on approach gave students a real sense of how money is managed and why planning matters.

✉️ The Envelope Activity

In one of the evening’s most interactive activities, students faced real-world scenarios and had to adjust their budgets on the fly. Whether managing surprise expenses or making choices between short-term treats and long-term goals, students practiced thinking through how spending decisions can affect future plans.

🎯 Setting Goals and Building Habits

To close the session, students worked on identifying short-term and long-term goals, learning that budgeting isn’t just about managing money, but also about making thoughtful plans for the future. From saving for items they care about to building the habit of tracking spending, students came away with concrete strategies they can start using now.

🙌 A Special Thank You

We would like to extend a sincere thank-you to Ms. Judy for her wonderful lecture and continued support of this program. We also thank Mr. Kai, Mr. Huang, and Mrs. Liang for their assistance and encouragement during the event.

CFI community programs are made possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsor, Athena Design Group.

We also extend our gratitude to Everest Lighthouse for their continued partnership in creating welcoming spaces for families to learn and grow together.