Balancing on a Budget Challenge

Each month has a theme relating to financial wellness, the challenges for each month will be released on the date listed below.

CHALLENGE RELEASE DATES:

► September 9

► October 7

► November 11

► December 2

► January 17

► February 10

► March 9

► April 6

JANUARY CHALLENGE

Saving itself isn’t difficult, but it can be hard to get started. Fortunately, there’s lots of apps to help make saving a little easier. For this month’s challenge, you will need to:

  • Research 3 different savings apps of your choosing.
  • Complete the chart found on the worksheet.

You must turn in the following worksheet to get credit for this month.

Savings app research

GET CREDIT

To get credit for completing the month's challenge, either email or drop off your items in person.

  • Email Brian Long
  • Drop off items in person at the Simmons Hall Information Desk clearly labeled - Attn: Brian Long

PREVIOUS CHALLENGES

December

Textbooks can be expensive, so it’s important to shop around and get the best deal! For this month’s challenge, you will need to:

  • Compare the cost of the same textbook if you purchased new, purchased used, or rented.
    • You are welcome to look at any textbook vendors of your choosing (ex: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Chegg, etc.)
  • Repeat for other needed textbooks and complete the chart provided.
  • Answer the reflection questions on the bottom of the page.

You must turn in the following worksheet to get credit for this month.

Textbook costs

November

Expenses add up quickly during the holiday season! For this month’s challenge, you will need to:

  1. Determine your budget
    • How much additional money do you have to dedicate toward holiday expenses?
  2. Determine your gift budget
    • How much of your total holiday budget can you dedicate toward gift purchases? Who do you want to buy for and how much do you think you’ll spend on each of them?
  3. Determine your non-gift holiday budget
    • How much of your total holiday budget can you dedicate toward non-gift purchases? For example: decorations, food, cards, entertainment, wrapping paper, etc.

You must turn in the following worksheet to get credit for this month.

Holiday budget

October

Plan your meals and snacks for the next 5 days using the worksheets provided. You can choose if you would like to develop an on- or off-campus meal plan, but only one of the worksheets need completed. Be sure to include the My Plate recommendations in your meal plan as directed on the worksheet.

You must turn in one of the worksheets to get credit for this month.

Eating Healthy | On-campus

Eating Healthy | Off-campus

September

  1. Log your income and expenses for 1 week using the Tracking Sheet provided.
    • Closely analyze your strengths, spending habits, and areas for improvement.
  2. Develop a monthly budget that you plan to follow next month using the Monthly Budgeting Sheet provided.

You must turn in both the completed Tracking Sheet and Monthly Budgeting Sheet to get credit for the month.

Tracking Sheet

Monthly Budgeting Sheet

FINANCIAL WELLNESS CONTACT
Brian Long
Interim Coordinator of Outreach - ZipAssist
Email: bel5@uakron.edu
330-972-5867