By Chelsea Olson/reporter
Money management is a key issue in determining students’ goals and success, SE students learned Sept. 10.
Counselor Carisa Bustillos-Givens and academic advisor Jennifer Hardy led this discussion on money management skills.
They wanted students “to be able to identify your money personality, track daily spending habits and prepare personal spending plans,” Hardy said.
Many typical behaviors are driven by money, Hardy said. Students should determine if they are spending excessive money eating out rather than buying groceries, if their housing situation is the most beneficial, and if they spend money unnecessarily on clothing, vacations or technology.
“You want to make sure you are making positive, smart choices when it comes to spending your money,” she said.
Bustillos-Givens lectured on what money means to students. She said money could mean control or power or love and happiness. If students associate money to human emotions, then they can “be more creative with the money they have.”
Students also can learn to “make changes so that your attitude, your mood isn’t always based on ‘How much?’” Bustillos-Givens said.
Making changes can be a difficult process for students. They may have been raised to think spending money is irresponsible, that it has no place in public conversations or that when they have it, spend it, the speakers said. Subsequently, changing these opinions can become cumbersome.
Bustillos-Givens and Hardy offered a few tips for students who are troubled: planning, assessing needs and wants, having a disciplined routine, being aware of spending and remembering set goals. Students can do this by tracking daily expenditures, defining their income versus expenses and finding ways to decrease spending.
“Be mindful of how you’re going to be spending your money each month,” Hardy said.
Bustillos-Givens said help is available.
Various kinds of “technology, phone apps … all kinds of budgeting tools [are] out there to utilize,” she said.
