MAKING CHOICES How will you invest you resources? MAKING CHOICES How will you invest you resources?

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1 MAKING CHOICES GAME RULES Pretend you are married with 2 children One adult in the household is working full-time and the other is working two part-time jobs. Both of you make minimum wage The family has a limited budget and only 15 tokens to spend You CANNOT skip a row MAKING CHOICES GAME RULES Pretend you are married with 2 children One adult in the household is working full-time and the other is working two part-time jobs. Both of you make minimum wage The family has a limited budget and only 15 tokens to spend You CANNOT skip a row

2 MAKING CHOICES Facilitator Instructions 1. Provide game board and 15 tokens to each participant, or, in large group, allow people to work in pairs. 2. Tell each participant that the tokens are their budget and provide them the GAME RULES as follows: Pretend you are married with 2 children. One adult in the household is working full-time and the other is working two part time jobs. Both of you make minimum wage. The family has a limited budget and only 15 tokens to spend. You CANNOT skip a row. 3. Give the participants 5 minutes to place their tokens on the game board. 4. Ask the participants to share what the experience felt like. Do they have ideas about how they might make due on such a small budget? Can they empathize with the different mindset of a person struggling financially? 5. Tell the participants that just as in life, an unexpected need has come up. Hold up the game expense dentist sheet and instruct the participants to remove 2 tokens. 6. Again, ask participants to share how the experience felt. Where did they remove the tokens. Are things beginning to feel desperate? 7. Hold up the game expense fired sheet and instruct the participants to remove 4 more tokens from the game board. 8. Discuss the experience, and the fact that hardworking people make these kinds of tough decisions every day. 9. Brown County United Way (BCUW) helps families. Donations to BCUW support dental programs for children, shelter and rental assistance programs, and by calling 2-1-, they can get connected to food pantries, learn about school, summer park, or other meal programs. YOUR DONATION TO BROWN COUNTY UNITED WAY IMPACTS PEOPLE S LIVES!

3 Your spouse has just gotten laid off with no severance pay.

4 One of your children has an infected tooth and has to see the dentist. The family doesn t have dental insurance. In order to get the child the dental care, the family must give up 2 tokens.

5 If you had a 15-token budget to spend every month how would you spend it? What would your priorities be? Place the required number of tokens to indicate your spending choice. You have to make a choice for each category (you can t skip any categories). You are married; you both work and have a son, 14 and a daughter, 9. Category A (1 Token) B (2 Tokens) C (3 Tokens) Housing Healthcare Food (per person) Studio apartment (1 bedroom), 1 bath, unfurnished, no patio/deck/ yard, street parking only (no covered parking space), stove only No health insurance, you pay for all health-related costs 3 bedroom 1 bath apartment, unfurnished, covered patio, 1 covered parking space, stove and refrigerator Health insurance for you through your employer but no health insurance for your family members 2 bedroom 1 ½ bath house, unfurnished, small fenced yard, 2-car garage, stove, refrigerator and dishwasher Health insurance for you and your family through your employer 1 meal a day 2 meals a day 3 meals a day + snacks Walk or bike everywhere, no public transit available Walk, bike or take public transit Own your own car Transportation Technology Access Laundry Facilities No computer No cell phone Black and White TV- no cable Laundromat 1 grocery store within walking distance, no mall within 20 miles No computer Cell Phone TV- No cable Shared laundry room in apartment complex Grocery store across the street from your home and a mini-mall within a mile Home computer TV with cable Cell phone Own washer/ dryer, in your home 2 grocery stores nearby and a large mall within walking distance Shopping Spending Money After the bills/food are paid no extra money left $20 left over each week after all bills are paid $50 left over each week after all bills are paid