What if there was a way to slow down the decision-making process for purchases? Would it make a difference? 

Congrats to a new website, Gifting Sense, which received a Runner-Up designation from The Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards. Hat tip to Yanely for bringing this site to our attention. 

The goal of Gifting Sense is "teach students to think before they buy." Given the trend toward retailers making online and in-person transactions as frictionless as possible, this interactive will slow decision-making down and encourage reflection. 

How does it work? Students complete a DIMS (Does It Make Sense?®) Score calculator to “get what they want."

It starts with a choice:  

To personalize this project, students can upload a picture of what they are interested in purchasing. Students are then guided through a process to figure out the total cost of the item/experience. They then will answer a detailed set of questions that encourage reflection on whether that item/experience really makes sense. Once completed, students are given a DIMS (Does it Make Sense?) score.

Once they achieve a score, they have options on Next Steps including generating a PDF summary of their thinking and detailed instructions on how to write a note or send an email to parents/guardians (ELA teachers will appreciate this option): 

The site includes a useful teacher tab with a video explainer on how best to use with your students, details on what they have learned from delivering workshops in schools and a customizable handout. They recommend for grades 4-8 but high school teachers may decide to give this a shot with students too. 

After you use with your students, we'd love to hear how it goes. Enjoy! 

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Here are more interactive resources from the blog. 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.