Back to Needs and Wants
6-8spending-decisions

Wants are extra

Wants are nice-to-have choices that make life fun but can usually wait.

In this lesson

Wants are extra is part of Needs and Wants. This preview shows how spending-decisions connects to everyday family decisions such as earning, saving, spending choices, goals, approvals, or parent-guided money conversations inside Progress Penguin.

Today’s money mission

DeeDee sees a real money moment: You have {{currencyCode}}{{money:1000}}. Your needs this week cost {{money:700}}. A book you want costs {{money:400}}. What should you do? Before choosing an answer, slow down and find the money action in the story.

What you need to know

Wants are nice-to-have choices that make life fun but can usually wait. The key is to ask what is being traded, earned, spent, saved, trusted, or recorded. Once you find that action, the lesson becomes easier: the right choice should match the money rule, not just the loudest feeling or fastest option.

Real-life example

For example, if a child sees a price, a balance, a goal, or a task reward, they should ask: what changed, who gave something up, and what should the account record show next?

Progress Penguin connection

In Progress Penguin, this lesson connects to your balances, requests, tasks, savings goals, and approvals. The app lets you see the money rule happen instead of only reading about it.

Activity preview

Choose the best money move

Use what you just learned. Do not guess — choose the option you can explain.

Practice funding your spending account

Open Requests and make a deposit request so you can see how money gets added before spending. Parent approval can happen later.

Quiz preview

You have {{currencyCode}}{{money:1000}}. Your needs this week cost {{money:700}}. A book you want costs {{money:400}}. What should you do?

Buy the book and skip a need
Buy the book — {{money:300}} left is enough
Wait and save for the book next week when you have more
Never buy books

Which of these is a WANT?

Medicine when you are sick
School shoes
A new video game
Food for the day