From morning coffee to paying rent, life is full of transactions! How many do we make in the average month?

Answer: 46 transactions

Questions:

• How many payment transactions do you make in a typical month? 
• What are the various ways that you pay for things? List them from most to least popular. 
• How do you keep track of your payment transactions? 
• How do you think the way you pay for things might change as you get older? 

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (Federal Reserve Financial Services):

• "Consumers made an average of 46 monthly payments in 2023, an increase of seven payments compared to 2022.
• Increased credit and debit card use between 2022 and 2023 resulted in more than 60% of payments per month being made with credit (32%) and debit cards (30%).
• Consumers made an average of seven cash payments in 2023, a number that has remained stable since 2021."

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This NGPF activity PLAY: Payment Decisions, allows students to determine which payment type to use in different scenarios.

About the Author

Kathryn Dawson

Kathryn (she/her) is excited to join the NGPF team after 9 years of experience in education as a mentor, tutor, and special education teacher. She is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in policy analysis and management and has a master's degree in education from Brooklyn College. Kathryn is looking forward to bringing her passion for accessibility and educational justice into curriculum design at NGPF. During her free time, Kathryn loves embarking on cooking projects, walking around her Seattle neighborhood with her dog, or lounging in a hammock with a book.