I have used this same budget in teaching my children and youth groups in both scouts and church to look at what the basic costs of life will be and plan accordingly. One boy decided he wanted cable, Internet and a really nice car and when he added up all the insurance costs for a race car and the bills he found that he needed to make about $57 per hour therefore he needed to plan his life so he could make that much money which also included vacations to very nice places. I encouraged that and also had him look at a more realistic budget to start with so he would understand the costs of a student,young married person etc....