Spending Central
Take charge of where your money goes, and when.

If you want to hang on to some of your money for when you really need it or want it, you have to organize your spending. During the summer Sue helps out at the Spendopolis Transportation Authority scheduling and routing all of the trains, subways, and buses that zip through Spendopolis. But when it comes to planning her spending, she doesn’t have to rely on computers and maps. Planning her spending is a lot easier!

With her allowance and work, Sue earns $50 a week. But, she knows that she’ll need to spend $22 of that on lunch and bus fare. Plus, she puts $15 into the bank every week to save up for college and a new skateboard to go to and from school. That leaves her with $13 ($50 - $22 - $15 = $13) for the week. After setting aside $9 for a movie and popcorn on Friday, she has $4 left over.

Sue’s careful about deciding how to spend her money. But whatever happens, she knows that her needs, her savings, and the most important of her “wants” are taken care of. And if she doesn’t spend that $4 by the end of the week, she can always put it into her savings account for later.