GREAT DEPRESSION
CLASS SIMULATION
DIRECTIONS
Get into Groups of 2
You are now a married couple during the 1920s.
I’m going to give you a piece of paper. On one
side in pencil I want you to sketch your life
during the 1920's. What items did you
own? What did you do for a job? Family? House? Car?
Radio? Stock Market?
ON YOUR BUDGET SHEET…
Write your real names and your married names
down
Figure out who is the husband and who is the
wife
How many children do you have?
CAR AND FOOD
Use the pricelist attached to my website to pick
out your car and create your food budget.
Meal planning- You must have Fruit, Veggie and
Protein for each meal.
OCCUPATIONS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
OCCUPATIONS ANNUAL INCOME
1Apartment
House
Manager
1,500
5Accountant
2,100
9Constructi
on Worker
907
2- Nurse1,236
6- Factory
Worker
876
10-Public
School
teacher
997
3- Doctor2,890
4- Cook720
7- College
professor
2,111
8- Bus
Driver
1,137
11- Cook720
12-Factory
Worker
876
YOUR INCOME BREAK DOWN
Monthly Pay
⚫
- take annual pay divide by 12
Weekly Pay
-divide monthly pay by 4
MORTGAGE
To get your mortgage payment
⚫
¼ of your monthly pay
ROUND 1 - 1929
You have your monthly income right now
Every expense listed on the Budget Worksheet (except
Recreation) must be paid this round
Monthly Income
Monthly Food
Clothing
Mortgage
Taxes
Car Loan
Electric
Phone Bill
Remember it is the end of the 1920’s – you’re a young
married couple who likes to go out and have fun.
If you would like you can add recreation expenses- Bring
sheet and I will sign it.
⚫
⚫
⚫
If you go to a speakeasy make sure to pay (illegal hooch)
If you have a sweet tooth – buy some candy
Like movies? – Movie Tickets for Sale!!!
TIME TO ADD IT ALL UP
1.
2.
3.
4.
You have few options- Subtract your expenses
from your monthly budget.
If you would like to deposit money into the bank
for safekeeping. This money is the only way you
may purchase candy, hooch etc. In the future.
If you would like to sell any luxury items you
may do so now. With the person buying it
please go to the bank to make transaction.
LAST- Subtract (-) your expenses from your
monthly budget.
At the bottom of Round 1- Subtract your
expenditures and write in your remainder.
ROUND 2 - 1930
STOCK MARKET CRASH!!!
Select a chance card- record it at the top Round
2. Adjust Monthly income accordingly.
Pick a chance card
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
CHANCE CARDS ROUND 2
1-Hours
cut 75%
5- Hours
cut 75%
2- Hours
cut 50%
6- Hours
cut 50%
3- Hours
cut 75%
4- Hours
Cut 50%
7- Hours
cut 25%
8- Cut 50%
ROUND 2 CONTINUED
Banks are CLOSED – they have loaned
too much money and any money you
deposited is GONE
Good news though…. You just had a baby
⚫
Medical bills = $10
Food, Water and Clothing bills are now +1
more.
ADD IT UP
You must pay for as much over your
monthly budget as possible. Food,
clothing, mortgage, taxes, car, electric,
phone
Pay bills and add in Recreational
Activities.
Sell any luxury items if you want.
Add everything up… subtract from
monthly budget…transfer to next column.
ROUND 3 - 1932
Pick a Chance Card
1
5
2
6
3
7
4
8
CHANCE CARDS ROUND 3- 1932
1-Your car
has been
repossesse
d
5- You did not pay
your electric bill.
The candles you
were using caught
your sofa on fire.
Cross it out.
2- Hours
Cut 50%
3-You were trying to
earn money drag
racing. Your engine
caught fire. $37.50 to
repair or cross it out.
You still owe your
monthly payment.
6- Hours
cut 50%
8-A family of 4
moves in increase
food budget by 4
7- Hooverville You lose
your house and you
must live in a
shantytown. Youi
must push your desks
together and sit under
them
4- Grow a
garden for
extra food.
$5.00 back
to budget.
ROUND 3 – 1932
1.
Rules for this round:
Couples must pay all their bills – there will be
consequences if you don’t
2.
Good news though…. You just had a baby
⚫
Medical bills = $10
3.
Food, Water and Clothing bills are now
+1 more.
4.
If you cannot afford clothing… you may draw or
make clothing. In order to get $$$ back for it
you must tape it to yourself.
ROUND 3
Add up expenses
Add up sales and complete the worksheet for
Round 3
CONSEQUENCES
Consequences… if you did not pay your taxes or
ANY of your bills, then you owe the government
(me) $10 or one of you will go to jail!
ROUND 4 - 1937
Pick a Chance Card
1
4
3
2
5
6
ROUND 4- 1937
1-A family of 4
moves in increase
food budget by 4
4- You
collect golf
balls out of
the water
hazard.
$5.00
2- You send
your kids out
to beg. They
earn $10.00
5- Hooverville You lose
your house and you
must live in a
shantytown. You
must push your desks
together and sit under
them
3-Hooverville You
lose your house and
you must live in a
shantytown. You
must push your
desks together and
sit under them.
6- You are fired.
ROUND 4 - 1937
You must pay your bills
Record all expenses and total everything up on
the worksheet
You may place your children in the orphanage if
you cannot afford them. (Go talk to the
Orphanage)
How much does each couple have left?
3 Poorest families will receive food from the
bread line and not have to pay for food and water
this round.
ROUND 5 - 1941
Pick a Chance Card
1
2
3
CHANCE CARDS ROUND 5
1- ANNOUNCEMENT!!!:
Attack on Pearl Harbor!!!:
Any man willing to join the
military can have a job.
$10.00 for those who joined
2- You get a
job too.
Everyone
joined!!!!
3 - You get a
government created
job.
WWII- US starts to send troops.
Add up all expenses like the past few rounds.
FINISH UP THE BUDGETING SHEET…
Did you survive without debt??
Why do you think your family did well or didn’t
do well during the Great Depression?
What did you think of the simulation?
Suggestions?
LAST EFFECTS OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION
https://www.thebalance.com/effects-of-the-great-d
epression-4049299