Careers (A Course of Study). Unit VIII: Budgeting--What to Do With Your Paycheck.

Designed to enable special needs students to understand the basics of personal income management, normal living expenses, banking, and comparison shopping, this set of activities on budgeting is the eighth unit in a nine-unit secondary level career course intended to provide handicapped students with the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed in the world of work. Chapter 1 consists of eight exercises devoted to reading a paycheck, calculating net income, understanding the reasons for and mechanisms of constructing a budget, planning to meet fixed monthly payments, and allowing for monthly fluctuations in utility bills. Exercises on basic banking vocabulary, understanding bank depositor agreements and savings and checking forms are supplied in the second chapter. Also included in the chapter are thirteen exercises in writing and recording checks and balancing a checkbook. The four activities which constitute the final chapter on comparison shopping deal with buying hair spray, shave cream, and a new car. (The other eight course units which include activities on job search methods, job applications, job-related forms, job interviews, and changing careers are available separately--see note.) (MN)