VIDEO: HS Students Learn Importance of Budgeting Finances

AMORY, Miss. (WCBI)- The average U.S. household has over $130,000 in total debt.

Schools are trying to get a jump-start on teaching money management and life skills starting as early as the 8th grade.

Amory High School hosted a Reality Fair for its freshman class and it was both fun and truly educational.

Let’s just say that the tools these teens were applying today are skills I wish I was taught when I was in high school.

From writing a check, to balancing their checkbook, paying the electric bill and even purchasing a car… These high school freshman did it all.

Students spent an hour of their day on Monday, learning and applying the fundamentals of a budget.

And their income directly reflected their grades.

“The higher the grades the more options and better paying jobs you have because we wanted them to see that, not just wait until maybe their senior year to start looking at their future now while they have the opportunity to start looking at more opportunities they may have later on, go ahead and make changes now if they need to, continue doing what they’ve been doing if their grades are going well,” says Kemi Ford.

School counselor, Kemi Ford says starting these lessons early on can prevent future money issues.

She’s seen firsthand students realize the fragility of money…

“They’re some things they didn’t realize that their parents take care of and they’re learning or hearing them say you know, you just need to be careful and not spend all your money you know you need to have something left over,” says Ford.

Freshman, Victor Vazquez was one of them.

“I mean, I thought you just got money and spend it on whatever was needed or that you wanted but now that you think of all the stuff that you actually need, you have to think a little bit more on it,” says Vazquez.

Senior, Kelby Howell volunteered at one of the tables at the fair.

Because this is the first year for the Reality Fair, Howell never was taught these financial lessons when she was a freshman.

“I really would have liked to have done something like this because it would’ve given some people in my class a wake up call, like ‘hey’,” says Howell.

She says that even though she came only to volunteer, she will be taking what she learned with her to apply in the future.

“I’m learning now to see like how to budget more efficiently because I go and buy groceries sometimes, and they’re expensive. So I really think that I’ll take the skills that they’re learning with me too,” says Howell.

Which is exactly what Ford wanted all along.

“I hope that they see the connection between what I’m doing now, the grades I’m making and where that’s going to lead me later on,” says Ford.