Transforming Young Lives Through Budgeting
27 November 2024
Making it personal
Heather*, one of our Youth Coaches, shares her own personal stories to make the workshop relatable. She talks about how she once thought her credit card would be for emergencies only but quickly realised how tempting it was to use for things like clothes and concerts.
She teaches young people about positive and negative interest and how lenders set repayments in a way that can trap you in debt. The course gives practical tips, like setting up automatic savings accounts for different needs, whether it’s for a car, Christmas, or a rainy day.
Heather always stresses that rent and bills should be paid first, so people don’t get into financial trouble later. Some people aren’t too keen to learn about budgeting at first, but Heather’s relaxed and supportive approach helps them open up.
“To learn, you have to listen,” she says. “Once you’ve listened, you gain knowledge, and with knowledge, you can make better decisions.” Heather encourages the young people to share what they learn with others, spreading the confidence they’ve gained.
Success and proud future planning
One young woman who completed the course years ago ran into Heather and proudly shared how she’s now debt-free, has emergency savings, and is working towards a young man was thrilled to have saved up for a boys’ weekend away, staying at a hotel and visiting the pools in Hanmer, all through careful planning and saving.
Heather also talks about money scams and warns young people about becoming “money mules,” where people use them to handle illegal funds.
“You control the money before the money controls you,” Heather says.
Through her guidance, young people not only learn how to manage their money but also gain the tools they need to think ahead, build good habits, and create a secure future.
