 BUILDING BLOCKS STORY

Money Monsters Learn 

What Things Really Cost 

1

Welcome

Meet the Money Monsters! They’re a group of creatures who 

are new to our universe. 

That means they need to learn about many important things 

like school, friendship, and financial literacy. Financial literacy 

is when you have the knowledge and skills to make money 

choices that are right for you. 

The Money Monsters stories will introduce you to ideas, 

habits, and activities that you’ll need as you grow up and start 

to manage your own money. 

The Money Monsters have a lot to learn and we hope 

you’ll learn a lot from them, too!
2 BUILDING BLOCKS STORY 

It was a sunny day and the Money 

Monsters were spending it on the 

playground. Gibbins threw the blue 

rubber ball to Foozil, who threw it to 

Octa, who threw it to Moony. Moony 

tried to throw it to Oodle, but his 

throw went high. Oodle had to run, 

twist, and jump to catch it.

“YAY, OODLE!” everyone cheered.

“Foozil, you are so lucky to have a dog 

like Oodle,” said Gibbins.

“Thanks, Gibbins,” said Foozil.

“I wish I had a pet like him,” said Gibbins.

“There are a lot of cool Earth pets, 

Gibbins. Some are almost as cool 

as the ones in our universe,” 

said Foozil. “You could get 

a hamster like the one we 

have in our classroom.”

“Or a bird!” said Octa.

Oodle stepped forward and said, “Get a dog. Even though Earth 

dogs aren’t as smart as I am, they’re still pretty great.”

“I vote for a cat,” added Moony.
MONEY MONSTERS LEARN WHAT THINGS REALLY COST 3

Gibbins sat quietly, thinking. “Those are all great suggestions. 

But I had something, well, bigger in mind.”

“A Saint Bernard?” asked Foozil.

“A horse?” asked Moony.

“No ... a tiger,” said Gibbins.

Now it was everyone else’s turn to be quiet.

Foozil gulped.

Octa’s mouth hung open.

Moony and Oodle just stared.

“What’s wrong?” Gibbins asked.

“A ...TIGER??” 

asked Moony. 

“A real tiger??”

“YEAH! They’re BIG and orange, they can leap really high, and they 

have an awesome growl! We could have adventures together! I’d 

bring him to school for show and tell.”

Foozil shivered at the idea of a tiger in their classroom. “Gibbins, a 

tiger isn’t a good idea. They have big teeth and claws.”

“YEAH! Cool, huh? I WANT a tiger!”

“She’s right,” said Moony. “Tigers are dangerous!”
4 BUILDING BLOCKS STORY 

“I NEED A TIGER!” yelled Gibbins.

“Oh, Gibbins, no one needs a pet,” said Moony.

“THAT’S NOT TRUE!” said Oodle. “Foozil could not live without me.”
MONEY MONSTERS LEARN WHAT THINGS REALLY COST 5

“I mean,” continued Moony, “No one NEEDS a tiger.”

“OF COURSE, I NEED ONE!” shouted Gibbins.

“A need and a want are two different things,” said Foozil. 

“Remember what Ms. Learner said in class?”

“That’s right! She said 

a need is something you 

can’t live without, like food 

and water or air,” said Octa. 

“A pet is a want.”

“I WANT IT, THEN!” said Gibbins, folding his arms across his chest.

“If you want it, then you need to make sure you have the money and 

time to take care of it. Have you thought about that?” asked Foozil.

“Uh, no,” admitted Gibbins.

“I have an idea,” said Foozil. “Each of us could learn about one 

of these pets.”

“What kinds of things would we learn about these pets?” asked Octa.

“Things you want to think about before you buy a pet. Like how 

much money and time you need to take care of the pet,” said Foozil.

“I get it. A pet costs more than what you pay for them. You have to 

pay for food, for the pet doctor, for toys, too,” said Octa.
6 BUILDING BLOCKS STORY 

“And it takes time to walk a dog or clean a cage,” added Oodle. 

“Foozil and I spent a lot of time walking dogs when she was earning 

money to save for her Whizbang bike.”

“You should also talk to your parents and the rest of your 

family about what kind of pet they want in their house,” 

said Moony.

“Okay. Let’s study different pets,” said Gibbins, glumly. “And I’ll talk 

to my family, too.”

His friends breathed a sigh of relief.

“But I’m warning you,” added Gibbins, “I’m still going to 

end up with an orange pet that jumps and leaps and has 

sharp teeth and claws.”

The next weekend, they all met at the 

playground to talk about the pets they 

learned about. Octa went first.

“A bird costs $24. A cage can cost 

$50 or more. Food and treats cost 

about $10 a month. But you have 

to clean their cage every day, and 

you need time to play with them.”

“I’ll go next,” said Foozil. “Oodle and 

I studied dogs. It can cost about 

$500 to get a dog and what they need, 

like a leash and toys and training 

classes. Then you need to train them 

and take them on walks every day.”
MONEY MONSTERS LEARN WHAT THINGS REALLY COST 7

“And you need to buy food, too,” said Oodle. “A lot of food. We eat 

a lot.” Just then Oodle’s stomach growled. Everyone laughed.

“Cats on the other hand,” said Moony, “need attention but not as 

much as dogs. They cost less, about $150. You’ll need food, 

which is about $60 a month. You’ll also 

need a litter box and kitty litter. 

That costs about $20. AND 

you have to clean their litter 

box all the time — YUCK.”

KITTY

LITTER

They all turned to 

look at Gibbins.

When he said nothing, 

Octa asked, “What about tigers, Gibbins?”

Gibbins looked at his shoes. “My parents said I can’t 

have a tiger, but I can get a different pet. We’re getting 

together later today to talk about which type will be 

best for all of us.”

“You have a lot of other choices! Think about each pet and decide 

which one you and your family would enjoy the most,” said Foozil.

“Okay, but I still want a tiger,” complained Gibbins.

A few days later, the Money Monster friends all gathered at 

Gibbins’s house.

“Did you choose a pet?” asked Octa as soon as they got to the 

front door.

“Yes! I talked with my family about all the time and money each 

pet would need, and we chose the one that’s perfect for us,” 

said Gibbins.
8 BUILDING BLOCKS STORY 

Then, he let his friends into the house. There, rolling around in the 

middle of the living room, was a tiny orange striped kitten.

“Oh, it’s so cute!” 

said Moony.

Just then the kitten 

leaped high in the air, 

spread her claws out, 

pounced on a toy mouse, 

and growled playfully.

“Guess what I named 

her,” said Gibbins.

The Money Monsters 

friends all looked at 

each other and at the 

same time, they said, 

“TIGER!”

Meet the Money Monsters

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has created the 

Money Monsters story series to help children develop financial 

literacy skills. The stories focus on important money concepts like 

borrowing, earning, protecting, saving, and spending. The Money 

Monster stories are part of a larger set of activities and resources 

available for elementary school students.

The Money Monster books are: 

 Money Monsters Learn About Careers: Money Monsters 

explore careers they may want to have when they grow up.

 Money Monsters Learn to Become Good Borrowers: 

Money Monsters discover how to be responsible with 

other people’s things.

 Money Monsters Learn to Protect Their Things: 

Money Monsters find out why it’s important to keep 

their money and valuables safe.

 Money Monsters Learn to Save: Money Monsters practice 

saving money to buy something special. 

 Money Monsters Learn What Things Really Cost: 

Money Monsters compare the amount of work and money 

different pets need. 

To find financial literacy activities for 

elementary school students, go to: 

consumerfinance.gov/teach-activities

Consumer Financial

Protection Bureau

Fall 2020