Designed as a 4-9 week cumulative unit on economics for junior high school classes, this award-winning program introduces students to the economic bases of past, present, and future American lifestyles. Following introductory information on the authors, rationale, and objectives, a suggested 6-week lesson plan is presented designed to help teachers organize activities and materials. This is followed by a list of 7 enrichment activities and 16 student projects that provide opportunities for applying knowledge learned through the unit. The remainder of the material contains lessons and student activities. Examples of activities are: differentiating between luxury and necessity, acquiring vocabulary, examining how times have changed, comparing inflation in three time periods, discovering economic implications in words to songs, and exploring one's town. The focal point of the unit is a computer game, "The Budget Balance Challenge," which provides students with a simulated experience of economic living in our society. Students learn to recognize and re-evaluate wants, make economic trade-offs, and understand how personal values and habits influence the economic framework of society. Teacher answer keys are provided for all relevant activities. An appendix contains answer keys and additional activities. (LP)