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Name of Assignment: Build a life project reflection
Subject: Junior seminar
Facilitator/Teacher: Tara Lindsey
A reflection on our "Build a life" project. This project included budgeting, finding healthcare and phone plans, housing, schooling, careers, taxes, and more! This project addresses my economic and business literacy skills because I've researched housing costs, what I would make off a chosen career, how to calculate net pay, and how to budget. I'm proud that I was able to find a way to make my budget work. I developed my 21st century skills by taking advice from my teachers and peers, and learning new math skills. Finding healthcare, car insurance companies, and sticking to a realistic plan for my future. If you could start over, what would you do different? I would have chosen a different location for college/ living. This relates to past college preparations and math skills. I will use the information learned during this project in my adult life once I graduate from high school.
Build-a-Life Final Reflection
In your reflection, please answer address the following:
Build A Life:
This project challenged me, and showed me the reality of life as a college student. I have learned that there are lifelong necessities I hadn’t even known about before, and how making a small amount of money affects my day to day.
I found this project valuable because I previously had a less realistic view on my adult life. I only acknowledged about half of the monthly costs that we calculated during this project, I didn’t know that renter’s insurance was a thing! I’ve realized that every penny really does count, and that spending extra money on streaming services, a more expensive car, and forgetting to budget can totally set my life back.
I’m still wanting to know more about work during college. How will I afford to live on an even smaller budget? If I’m working two 9-5’s, can I afford to live and go to college? What options are there for better paying jobs for college students?
I was very surprised at the cost of gas and loan payments. I originally started with a $993/m loan payment, and I simply couldn’t afford it. I then switched to a 20/30 year plan for $536. I also didn’t think that cleaning supplies would really be $50, but I calculated it for myself and it was very close to that.
I don’t pay any monthly bills. I pay occasional appointment bills, like craniosacral sessions, co-pays etc. Soon I’ll be paying for car insurance.
My starting salary wasn’t quite enough. I modified some costs to come out with about $30 of “fun money” after savings costs and everything else, but that’s hardly sustainable. I even had to sacrifice health insurance. I’m hoping to decrease my school costs by applying for scholarships and finding ways to work around the college system. My goal is to obtain my masters in psychology so I can become a counselor, but to become a psychotherapist I’ll need a doctorate, which I may pursue later in life.
I applied my financial skills by calculating the costs of living, such as groceries, rent, car payments etc. I calculated interest rates, gross and net pay, and other bill factors. I applied my literacy skills by analyzing different texts about colleges, payment plans, and more! I applied my economic skills by figuring out budgeting and the reality of the cost to live as a college student.
In conclusion, I’m very grateful to have completed this project. It’s answered so many questions i was too scared/ too lazy to ask and look into. I think this will help me and my peers to be more successful throughout adulthood!
Name of Assignment: Build a life project reflection
Subject: Junior seminar
Facilitator/Teacher: Tara Lindsey
A reflection on our "Build a life" project. This project included budgeting, finding healthcare and phone plans, housing, schooling, careers, taxes, and more! This project addresses my economic and business literacy skills because I've researched housing costs, what I would make off a chosen career, how to calculate net pay, and how to budget. I'm proud that I was able to find a way to make my budget work. I developed my 21st century skills by taking advice from my teachers and peers, and learning new math skills. Finding healthcare, car insurance companies, and sticking to a realistic plan for my future. If you could start over, what would you do different? I would have chosen a different location for college/ living. This relates to past college preparations and math skills. I will use the information learned during this project in my adult life once I graduate from high school.
Build-a-Life Final Reflection
In your reflection, please answer address the following:
- Share one valuable takeaway you have from this experience.
- Did you find this overall project valuable, why or why not?
- Is there anything you didn’t learn that you would like to know more about? How can this project be improved?
- What monthly expenses surprised you the most?
- If any, what bills do you pay for now?
- Was your starting salary enough to cover your monthly expenses and allow you to save? If not, research how your chosen career path could allow you to make the kind of money you would like to be making and explain.
- Finally, reflect on how you applied your Financial, Economic, and Business Literacy Skills to completing this project.
Build A Life:
This project challenged me, and showed me the reality of life as a college student. I have learned that there are lifelong necessities I hadn’t even known about before, and how making a small amount of money affects my day to day.
I found this project valuable because I previously had a less realistic view on my adult life. I only acknowledged about half of the monthly costs that we calculated during this project, I didn’t know that renter’s insurance was a thing! I’ve realized that every penny really does count, and that spending extra money on streaming services, a more expensive car, and forgetting to budget can totally set my life back.
I’m still wanting to know more about work during college. How will I afford to live on an even smaller budget? If I’m working two 9-5’s, can I afford to live and go to college? What options are there for better paying jobs for college students?
I was very surprised at the cost of gas and loan payments. I originally started with a $993/m loan payment, and I simply couldn’t afford it. I then switched to a 20/30 year plan for $536. I also didn’t think that cleaning supplies would really be $50, but I calculated it for myself and it was very close to that.
I don’t pay any monthly bills. I pay occasional appointment bills, like craniosacral sessions, co-pays etc. Soon I’ll be paying for car insurance.
My starting salary wasn’t quite enough. I modified some costs to come out with about $30 of “fun money” after savings costs and everything else, but that’s hardly sustainable. I even had to sacrifice health insurance. I’m hoping to decrease my school costs by applying for scholarships and finding ways to work around the college system. My goal is to obtain my masters in psychology so I can become a counselor, but to become a psychotherapist I’ll need a doctorate, which I may pursue later in life.
I applied my financial skills by calculating the costs of living, such as groceries, rent, car payments etc. I calculated interest rates, gross and net pay, and other bill factors. I applied my literacy skills by analyzing different texts about colleges, payment plans, and more! I applied my economic skills by figuring out budgeting and the reality of the cost to live as a college student.
In conclusion, I’m very grateful to have completed this project. It’s answered so many questions i was too scared/ too lazy to ask and look into. I think this will help me and my peers to be more successful throughout adulthood!