Money Management

I’m no stranger to near negative account balances but I believe that money management is one of the most important issues facing not only Hixson students but all college students. I know I’m not the only one since there is plenty of legislation pushing financial literacy not only in college but also in high school. I’ve taken two online courses on personal finances and somehow it still hasn’t completely stuck. The things that have stuck with me have been the personal stories I’ve heard from friends, family and speakers. There is a great educational session during Destination Iowa State that I’ve seen twice since coming to ISU and the lecturer’s information has always stuck with me although I haven’t been able to find away to fully implement some of his money saving tricks. Every time I try to keep a budget something comes up whether my less than reliable car pops up with a problem or my friends convince me to see that new 3-D movie, twice. I know most Hixson students know the value of a dollar from our backgrounds growing up but I know my spending habits changed drastically when coming to college. Back home, most of my friends were on the same boat as me and I was actually the one that was better off since I had a steady job and more free spending money. When I came to college I was surrounded by people that had a little more freedom with money and I didn’t pay much attention to that fact and overspent for my first year of college. My favorite lesson plan to write has been the one on money management because I’d hate to see 100 more students having to work 20+ hours on top of school to make up for lost savings and keep up with current expenses like I have been doing lately. I don’t want to scare the students next year but money is hard to keep track of and each one needs to find their way of doing it.  All we can do is help them find the tools for being financially responsible.