Budgeting & saving
Plan income against expenses, build a buffer, and discover why a savings habit pays off when chaos strikes.
For educators
Money Mayhem in the classroom.
A standalone, single-period activity that turns abstract financial concepts into hands-on decision-making. Built with NZ teachers, ready to drop straight into your next lesson.
1 period
Ages 9–15
2–6 per game
NZ curriculum aligned
Why it works
Financial literacy is decision-making — not theory.
Most financial literacy lessons end at definitions: budget, interest, credit, opportunity cost. Money Mayhem closes the gap. Students step into a job, earn a salary, weigh real purchases, take risks, and live with the consequences — all in one class period. By the end, they've made the kinds of decisions adults make every day, and they have the language to talk about them.
Learning outcomes
What students walk away with.
Risk & reward
Weigh probability against payoff. Practise tolerating uncertainty and recognising the cost of doing nothing.
Numeracy in context
Calculate income, expenses, and credit balances in a setting where the maths matters to the outcome.
Cause & consequence
Short-term choices, long-term outcomes. Students see how today's spending shapes tomorrow's options.
Financial vocabulary
Credit, debt, interest, insurance, opportunity cost — concepts they'll use for the rest of their lives.
Collaboration & turn-taking
Group play builds discussion, negotiation, and shared learning — financial literacy as a social skill.
In your lesson plan
Drops in clean.
No prep beyond opening the box. The game is timed for a standard NZ class period, splits naturally for group work, and packs back up in under five minutes.
45–60 min
Full game in one period
2–6
Players per game · scale to class size
9–15
Intermediate & junior secondary
5 min
Pack-down time
What's in the box
Everything you need.
The game
- Game board
- Occupation cards & matching figurines
- Expense, Save & Spend, Challenge, Loan and Pay Check card decks
- Play money
- Dice
Teacher resources
- Setup instructions for whole-class play
- In-play discussion prompts
- Post-game debrief questions
- Differentiation suggestions across ages 9–15
100% sustainable
Built from recycled materials.
Money Mayhem is made from recycled 3D-printing filament and recycled wood — a natural fit for environmental science, technology, and product-design units, and an easy story for schools committed to sustainability.
Bring it to your class.
Single games are $40 NZD. For classroom sets and bulk pricing, get in touch and we'll sort the right quantity for your roll.