Meet Jack

Jack is 17. He is doing a modern apprenticeship and has started working with a plumber as well as spending time at college. He got an overdraft from the bank, to buy a scooter to get to work and put a deposit on a flat to rent with his girlfriend.

Out of the blue, unplanned, he found that she was pregnant. Jack has run up debts of about £2,000 buying furniture for the flat from a catalogue. He will soon be paying extra heating bills now that his girlfriend is at home a lot more and the price of electricity has almost doubled recently. They can’t afford to buy a cot or a pushchair for the baby so his girlfriend wants to buy them from the catalogue.

His girlfriend doesn’t want to carry on working for the baby’s first year as the childcare costs are almost as much as she would earn. Jack is stressed, as he does not earn enough to pay all the bills. It is putting a strain on his relationship. He doesn’t know what to do.

What should he do?

Start by printing out a blank budget form (print) and assignment sheet (print)

Then explore his income and spending, copying the figures onto your blank budget form

When you have finished, you will be ready to balance his budget