Going Forward

Unfortunately this is my last blog, and I do have a little bit that I would like to say. I loved this school year, and the only bad thing about it is that it is already coming to an end. This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life when it comes to school, and I am forever grateful to have been given this amazing opportunity.

This past school year I have learned quite a lot with the Savings Challenge. I learned that sometimes it is better to invest than to save, and that if you do invest you can make more money quicker than if you just put money into a savings account.

My counselor Nikki and I really got along well, and I couldn’t imagine having anyone else to help me along. She was always telling me that I was doing so well with my saving, and gave me so much encouragement and insight that I really began to learn a whole lot more than ever before.

With the way the economy has been lately, I have learned that I should begin saving as much as possible or I might not have that much spending freedom when I want it. I wouldn’t want to end up needing or wanting something important, and not be able to get it because of irresponsible saving. I want to be able to do what I want when I want, which means paying for a new car with my mom, and also saving for college with a whole lot of scholarships. Ever since I was a little girl I would constantly save my money, because my mom told me that it would pay off in the future, and luckily it has so far.

My absolute favorite part of this experience was being able to take my friends to the lunches so that not only did I have their support, but they were also learning about important things to know when it comes to finances and saving for their future. The funny thing is that we were having so much fun learning that we didn’t completely realize we were learning as much as we did.

One of my friends from the Czech Republic said that she loved the luncheons and what was covered, and would love to be able to learn more.

I have encouraged all of my friends to try to apply for the competition next year. If anyone out there thinks that this might be boring, it is totally not. You will have a lot of fun, and will meet a lot of nice people along the way. The counselors rock and a few years from now you’ll thank yourself for doing it.

A final thanks to everyone, especially to my awesome coach Nikki who really helped me so much this year, you’re the best!!

- Lynda B.