Learning to budget

Budgeting is something that I am learning to do, and surprisingly enough, enjoying it!

I have been thinking about my Girl Guides and about what skills I would like them to take away from their time with me, and one that came out top is the ability to plan, budget and cook a meal.  I have 20 girls in my unit, all aged between 10 and 15, and I would love to make sure that each and everyone of them is able to take away some very important life skills.

I helped out with another unit's camp last year.  It was a patrol permit camp, which means that the patrol leaders  (aged 13) had to plan the whole weekend for their own group.  This included planning, budgeting, buying and cooking the food for 6 people.  The girls did amazingly well, but both said that budgeting was the hardest part of the weekend.  But that got me thinking, what an amazing thing they had both learnt - it is not often as a teenager you are expected to budget and shop for others, and then cook the meals.

So as a unit we are doing our cooks badge next term.  I am thinking of giving the girls £5 per patrol to try and cook a meal.

Do you think this will be too hard?   

Or perhaps to easy? 

 The rules will be that it has to be a cooked meal - no cheese sandwiches and crisps.  It must be healthy and everyone should agree on what it is.   I also want them to try cooking a meal from scratch and comparing it to one from a jar or a microwave version - they will have to compare the cost and do a taste comparison.

I really want them to take away from this just how much food costs and that you can make tasty, healthy meals on very little.   And hopefully, when they are out in the real world on their own, it will help them a little.