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Margo Depression Family Group Work
Margo Depression Family Group Work
3. Assume you have lived on this budget for many years. Where would your savings be after
two years?
five years?
ten years?
4. What is your monthly food budget? (Divide annual food budget by 12)
$______________________
What is your monthly miscellaneous budget? $_____________________________
What is your monthly transportation budget? $_____________________________
Use the Price List to pick out the food, gasoline, tickets, toiletries, etc., you would need in a
month. Your total purchases for each budget must be within $1 of your budget and you may not
go over budget.
Also, you must buy a car. Every self-respecting American owns a car. Which car can you afford?
Food
Budget $________
Misc. Budget
$________
Transportation
Budget $______
Items
Total Monthly
Cost
5. Americans are still expected to work hard and make sacrifices. President Hoover believes in
rugged individualism and so, there is no help coming your way. Luckily, you still have your
job but your salary has been reduced. How much has your salary been reduced to?
$______________________________
6. Design a new monthly budget based on your reduced wages. (Divide your new annual budget
by 12)
BUT DID I FORGET TO MENTIONyour mortgage/rent is fixed and so your housing
costs are the same as 1928, regardless of your reduced salary.
Budget Item
Food
Clothing
Housing
Medical Care
Transportation
Miscellaneous
Savings
Total
Old
New
Dollar Amount
find that,
BudgetYou
% will
Budget
% since your
housing costs have not
30%
decreased, the old numbers no
15% longer work. Reduce the budget
30% percentage
FIXED
for each item until
4%
the numbers work. (Example,
10% you can no longer afford to
spend 30% of your annual
6%
budget on food unless you make
5%
100% cuts elsewhere)
100%
7. Do you still have a savings? If so, where will you keep it? If not, why did you cut it?
8. What cuts did you make to your budget? How did you decide? How will these cuts affect your
family?
9. Using your new budget and the Price List, choose your new monthly items. Make sure the
totals are within $1. (NOTE: starving your family is not an option nor is depriving them of
necessary nutrition.)
Food
Budget $________
Items
Total Monthly
Cost
Misc. Budget
$________
Transportation
Budget $______
10. What changes did you make to your monthly expenses on the new budget? What items did
you get rid of? How might this affect your family?
11. Your old refrigerator finally quit. The current market price is $99.50. Where can you take
from your budget to buy a new fridge by the end of the month? How will you need to adjust?
ORIf you decide a fridge is too expensive, how will this affect the food you are able to buy?
See Ms. Karlin when you are ready to know what 1932 holds for you.
1. Where do you and your family go with your new life & situation? Does it change?
2. What difficult decisions did you have to make over the last few years? What surprised you
about this activity?
3. How did the stock market crash affect you, even if you didnt own any stocks?
You have had your original 1930 salary reduced by half to $____________/year. (2 in 4
men)
1. How will you have to change your lifestyle based on your new salary?
2. What difficult decisions did you have to make over the last few years? What surprised you
about this activity?
3. How did the stock market crash affect you, even if you didnt own any stocks?
1. What difficult decisions did you have to make over the last few years? What surprised you
about this activity?
3. How did the stock market crash affect you, even if you didnt own any stocks?
NAME: __________________________
GREAT DEPRESSION SIMULATION REFLECTION
Complete this individually after your 1930s family has completed the simulation.
1. What sacrifices did your family need to make as a result of your income realities? What
was the hardest thing to give up?
2. What would it have been like to live on this budget?
3. What expenses does a modern American family have? How does it compare to a
depression-era family?
4. What does poverty look like in modern America?
5. Would it be more challenging to face poverty during the Great Depression or today?
Why?
6. How concerned should Americans be about poverty in modern America?
Unemployment? Why?
1932 Salary
Construction Worker
3,000
2,200
Railroad Worker
3,600
2,600
Farmer
3,200
2,400
Teacher
2,300
1,800
Construction Worker
1928 Salary: $3,000 (after taxes)
Family Members:
John, age 36
Mary, age 31
Helen, age 12
James, age 9
Dorothy, age 7
Construction Worker
1928 Salary: $3,000 (after taxes)
Family Members:
John, age 36
Mary, age 31
Helen, age 12
James, age 9
Dorothy, age 7
Railroad Worker
1928 Salary: $3,600 (after taxes)
Family Members:
William, age 39
Anna, age 36
Robert, age 16
Margaret, age 16
Joseph, age 14
Ruth, age 11
George, age 4
Railroad Worker
1928 Salary: $3,600 (after taxes)
Family Members:
William, age 39
Anna, age 36
Robert, age 16
Margaret, age 16
Joseph, age 14
Ruth, age 11
George, age 4
Farmer
1928 Salary: $3,200 (after taxes)
Family Members:
James, age 35
Margaret, age 36
Charles, age 15
Mildred, age 17
Edward, age 12
Anna, age 13
Frank, age 10
Elizabeth, age 8
Farmer
1928 Salary: $3,200 (after taxes)
Family Members:
James, age 35
Margaret, age 36
Charles, age 15
Mildred, age 17
Edward, age 12
Anna, age 13
Frank, age 10
Elizabeth, age 8
Teacher
1928 Salary: $2,300 (after taxes)
Family Members:
George, age 31
Helen, age 30
Thomas, age 8
Frances, age 10
Virginia, age 4
Teacher
1928 Salary: $2,300 (after taxes)
Family Members:
George, age 31
Helen, age 30
Thomas, age 8
Frances, age 10
Virginia, age 4
Construction Worker
1932 Salary: $2,200 (after taxes)
Family Members:
John, age 38
Mary, age 33
Helen, age 14
James, age 11
Dorothy, age 9
Construction Worker
1932 Salary: $2,200 (after taxes)
Family Members:
John, age 38
Mary, age 33
Helen, age 14
James, age 11
Dorothy, age 9
Railroad Worker
1932 Salary: $2,600 (after taxes)
Family Members:
William, age 41
Anna, age 38
Robert, age 18
Margaret, age 18
Joseph, age 16
Ruth, age 13
George, age 6
Railroad Worker
1932 Salary: $2,600 (after taxes)
Family Members:
William, age 41
Anna, age 38
Robert, age 18
Margaret, age 18
Joseph, age 16
Ruth, age 13
George, age 6
Farmer
1932 Salary: $2,400 (after taxes)
Family Members:
James, age 37
Margaret, age 38
Charles, age 17
Mildred, age 19
Edward, age 14
Anna, age 15
Frank, age 12
Elizabeth, age 10
Farmer
1932 Salary: $2,400 (after taxes)
Family Members:
James, age 37
Margaret, age 38
Charles, age 17
Mildred, age 19
Edward, age 14
Anna, age 15
Frank, age 12
Elizabeth, age 10
Teacher
1932 Salary: $1,800 (after taxes)
Family Members:
George, age 33
Helen, age 32
Thomas, age 10
Frances, age 12
Virginia, age 6
Teacher
1932 Salary: $1,800 (after taxes)
Family Members:
George, age 33
Helen, age 32
Thomas, age 10
Frances, age 12
Virginia, age 6