The Frivolous, the Frugal, the Wise-Stewards, and the Clueless

It's that time again....
I have an 8th grader this year, and it's October...

So, it's time for:

I blogged about this 6 years ago, too, when it was my oldest's (and my) first experience with Reality Town.  I decided to volunteer at it whenever I have a child in the 8th grade - so, I volunteered 3 years ago with Kyle, too, but sadly, there's no blog post to reference.  I did it again yesterday for Haylee, as well.

 

Reality Town is a program that provides students with a hands-on simulation in which they make lifestyle and budget decisions, as they take on careers, salaries, families and associated responsibilities of the adult world.

Students come to Reality Town dressed up and are given a career and salary based on their current GPA. They are also given a "life scenario" with a family situation and the assignment to pay all the bills of the month. They are expected to live within the means of their monthly income.

At the end of Reality Town, students [are suppose to] reflect on the experience. Did they save or lose money? Is this how they'd really live? How does education correlate with income? This program is a great way to teach students the importance of how the choices they make NOW can affect them LATER.  It also gives them hands on skills in budgeting, math skills (although they let them use calculators), and determining priorities.  Six years ago, the students actually practiced the skill of check writing to pay for their expenses, but now they just "pretend" they did or use their "invisible debit card" and jot down the expense in their ledger and keep a running balance. (This is not offered at all schools, we are really lucky to have this program at ours.)

If they run out of money, they have to go to "Financial Counseling" or visit the "Supplemental Income" booth where they can get a part-time job that would realistically work with their current schedule.  They can also join the military (and get some more income), but at this Reality Town, they had the military people all doing MANY push-ups at one end of the gym to make it [kinda] the real deal.

That "Just my Luck" booth you can see in the background was required for them to visit.  They spun a wheel, and a scenario came up; got a flat tire, furnace broke, someone gets sick, get an inheritance check, drop your cell phone in the toilet, get in a car accident, etc. that they were face with - just like real life!

Haylee's career was a Music Therapist.  (What?  How did THAT happen when she doesn't even practice her piano???)  Her "spouse" did not have a job because he was a disabled veteran with one leg.  They only get a couple hundred dollars from the Army due to his disability status. (tough luck!)  They have two children; an 8 yr. old and a toddler.  It was super fun for her....until she started to get stressed with everything she had to buy on her finite income.  ;)  Ya gotta love the reality checks!

I worked at the "Property Taxes" booth in this years' Reality Town.  They had to buy their housing first, then come to me and we figured out what they would owe in property tax based on their house/condo/trailer/apartment/parents' basement.  (The higher the value of their housing, the higher their property taxes).
We weren't very far into the experience when I notice one guy was already lying down on the park bench that was set up in the middle of the "town."  We joked that he's already decided to be homeless and bypass the cost of housing and associated taxes!  ;)
These "adults" who came to me and were renting apartments or who lived in their parents basements did NOT owe anything in property taxes - when I told them that, they'd first be surprised, but then acted pretty glad about that little fact.  But, then I informed them the reason WHY was because they didn't OWN it.  And then they didn't look so thrilled anymore.  ;)

Here's the "consumers" who I interacted with:

The Frivolous
I honestly was surprised that we didn't have more "adults" buying THE BIGGEST/NICEST/MOST EXPENSIVE house that was offered.  I think I only had ONE person who bought it, but there was another "Tax Agent" at my table who was also helping, so she may have had some, too? 
But, we still did have some who were buying too much house for their income.  Towards the end of the "experience," I did have some come back to me to get a "tax adjustment credit" because they had ended up downgrading their house after their account got into the negative with all their other bills.  By doing so, they were able to get $25-40 back as their taxes went down, as well.  Although, when one "man" left my table, he was still a few hundred dollars in the negative, so he still had some shaving of expenses to do.  Good luck with that, Sir.  ;)

The Frugal
I had two different "men" come to me, who were both "well-to-do." 
The "Engineer" had only bought himself a trailer house, which only cost him $25 in property taxes.  As I looked at his income, I was a bit perplexed, and then I said to him, "Did you get the trailer, so you could have a lot of money leftover?"  He just gave me the "you got it!" smirk. 
*Sidenote:  this is the same boy who kept raising his hand to ask Matt questions last year, when he came to Haylee's class to speak on "Career Day."  One of the most entertaining questions was, "So, if I get a hold of any checks, can I just start writing them for stuff?"   He was also asking questions about what "robbery safeguards" are in place at financial institutions!  ;)  This boy's thinking about HOW to get money!!*

The "Orthopedic Surgeon" didn't even buy a house - he was in an apartment - which resulted in $0 property taxes.  He was beaming when he heard that news!  I questioned his decision (he's my neighbor, so I can razz him, right?) and he said he just wanted to be close to the hospital so he can make it to the emergencies in a timely manner - AND SAVE all that extra money!

The Wise-Stewards
There were a few "adults" who came back to visit me towards the end, after they had paid all the necessary bills, and realized they had money left over.  They discovered they really could've bought a bigger house, they just didn't want to "chance it" at first. 
So, one "consumer" decided to move out of his parents' basement and buy a 20 yr. old 3 BD/2BA house.  (SMART choice!)  So, he now had to pay property taxes....but he says it's totally worth it!
Another "consumer" was able to ditch his original trailer house to a 20 yr. old house, as well.  He said that was a relief!
And, another, who was feeling pretty rich, upgraded from his 20 yr. old house to a 5 yr. old 3BD/2.5BA house.

Now, I asked them (using my "motherly wisdom") if they were sure they didn't need to use their money for something else.  They said they didn't. 
What about your donations?  I asked them. 
Already donated. they replied.
What about your Savings?  I countered. 
Already got a bunch in Savings. they informed me. 
What about sending your wife to the Spa. I reminded them.
Done.  they said. 
OK, then, I guess you've managed just wonderfully!

The Clueless
There were A LOT (too many!) who opted to live in their parents' basements.  It was the lowest housing option available, after all.
Why were they choosing this?
In this Reality Town experience, $500/month rent was charged for living in your parents' basement (and $0 property taxes), but I don't think that reflects reality.  In reality (and the other volunteers there around me were all discussing this, and have made the same observation), I think "mooching" is what is happening more frequently than rent paying is!
Anyway, in Reality Town, they could've had their OWN place to live for just $150 more per month.  THAT'S TOTALLY WORTH IT!
I asked several of the "adults" if it was OKAY with their parents if they lived with them.  They all said, "YES!" without even thinking about it.
 
(Ha!  They're clueless!  Unless parents, these days, don't want their children to grow up and be responsible!??)

One of the living-in-your-parents'-basement "women" is actually in my ward.  She assured me it would be OK with her parents.  So I told her she better do all the cooking, clean the toilets, mow the lawn, and wash their cars.  She said she was paying rent, so she didn't need to.  ;)  haha.  (see what I mean by clueless!)
I texted her mom (my friend) afterwards:  "FYI, your daughter's planning on living in YOUR basement with her family.  haha."
To which she texted back, "Haaaaa is RIGHT....I don't think so!  I guess we're making life a little too cooshie for her.  I need to crack the whip." 
I'm thinking she better make other plans.  ;)

So, if you're in the market for a Music Therapist in the future, give Haylee a call - her bank account will thank you!  ;)

(And it will keep her out of my basement!)

Don't You Wish I Was Your Mom?

Haylee's Jr. High Science teacher was offering extra credit to any of her students who came to the "Moon viewing" to see the TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE at the school on Wednesday morning.....from 5:15-6:15AM.

But, ya always gotta take advantage of extra credit!

Matt was leaving really early in the morning anyway to take his parents to the airport, so the plan was for him to drop her off at the school, while I stayed home (ASLEEP IN BED) with our other children.

Her school doesn't start until 8:10a.m., so we talked about what she was going to do in between the moon viewing and school.  She just matter of factly told me that she would just walk back home.
Uhhh.....I DON'T THINK SO!  I put the brakes on that suggestion real fast.  It's still pitch dark at that time!  Did she really think that'd be a good idea?

She needed to do some catch up work in the keyboarding lab, so we talked about her doing that - except the lab doesn't open until 7:00a.m. so there was still some time unaccounted for.  Kyle was pretty sure the janitors get there that early, so he said the school would be unlocked.  She decided she would just go into the school and "hang out" until she could get into the lab.

Well, my eyes popped right open at 5:45a.m. and they were already gone, but I started to question whether or not she fully understood our plan for the morning.  And I became restless.  Then I thought, "Wonder if the school is still locked?  Wonder if all the lights are OFF in the school when she goes in?"  I couldn't go back to sleep.  Her comment about "just walking home" kept coming into my head.  That did it.  There was no chance I was falling asleep again. 

So, I got up.  I was driving over to the school.  I figured I'd just walk into the backyard of the school, find her, talk through the plan, and confirm that the school was open, etc.  It was still dark, so I figured I'd just go in my pajamas to save time.  At the last minute, I opted to change my PJ bottoms for my yoga capris instead....to be a little more presentable?

It turns out, the moon viewing was done by the time I got there, and no one was in the backyard anymore.  I talked to other kids who were outside and they told me that a lot of kids were in the school......

So, picture this;  I enter the Jr. High School wearing my pajama top, covered by a zip front hoodie (to cover up the fact that I was NOT wearing a bra), yoga capris, and flip flops.  I had just put on my glasses so I could see and had left without doing ANYTHING else, including looking in the mirror.  I had fresh BED HEAD and who knows what leftover make-up was smeared around my eyes or across my face.  I didn't think anything about it (I had only been thinking about saving Haylee from walking home in the dark) UNTIL I entered the front doors of the school and I saw many Jr. High students (a lot more than I expected!) hanging out all over in the commons area - and I saw their eyes turn to look at me.  THAT'S the first time I thought about HOW I looked.  Uh Oh!  (THAT'S the difference between women in their 40's & Jr. High students!)  I looked like a real beauty, I'm sure!

I proceeded to walk through the halls of the Jr. High and actually found her pretty quickly.  She was laying down on a bench (she got up at 4:20a.m.!) with a couple of friends.  When she saw me, she instantly became alert and she sat up and exclaimed, "MOM!  What are you doing?"  as the two other girls looked on.  I reminded her NOT to try to walk home that morning, and she was like, "I KNOW!  I'm not going to - you already told me I couldn't."  I went over the plan with her - while her friends watched & listened with fascination - and it turns out she had it all under control!  So, I turned around and walked back out of the Jr. High, passed the groups of other students with their stares, and drove back home.

I have a feeling there were some conversations going on amongst the kids about something to the effect of, "WOW!  I wish my mom would come to school like THAT!"  ;)

Bwah ha ha ha ha

You're So Smart vs. Your So Dumb

Despite Kyle's tendency to lose things; his jersey, his wallet, MY nail clippers, his iPod, etc., he did FINALLY get a [flip] cell phone.

DID YOU KNOW HE WAS THE LAST TEENAGER ON EARTH WITHOUT A CELL PHONE?!?

CAN YOU BELIEVE HE GOT STUCK WITH SUCH HEARTLESS, DORKY, BAD PARENTS?!?

{at least that was the hogwash he's been trying to feed us for the last few years}

Anyway, one of the rules that comes with the privilege of having a cell phone is that I can read their texts at ANY TIME.  No questions asked.  We, their parents, pay for these things.  We are merely loaning them to our sons with the understanding that they will act responsibly......and censor themselves when it comes to texting.  (Even though it is easier to text things that you would not normally say out loud, in person, or in front of your/your friends' parents!)

So, on THE FIRST DAY that Kyle had his phone, I asked if he'd been able to figure out how it worked yet.

Yep.  He informed me he already had 68 texts!

68 TEXTS?!?

OK.  Hand over the phone.

I started to scroll through the "conversation" he'd had with the girl he is quite fond of [who shall remain nameless.]

It started out like this:

Him:  Guess who?

Her:  Who?

Him:  Guess.

Her:  Just tell me.

Him:  Giving up so easy?

Her:  K at least give me a clue.  Boy or girl?

Him:  Which do you hope it is?

(Really!?  Are these guys 14 yrs. old, or something?  Why, YES, they are, as a matter of fact!  I'm cracking up, so of course, I had to read on!)

{14 more texts like that with vague clues and unsuccessful pleadings}

Then it continued:

Her:  Is it Colby?

Him:  Nope.

Her:  Tony?

Him:  No.

Her:  Russell?

Him:  Wrong again.

Her:  Just tell me!

Him:  How bad do you want to know?

(This is RIVETING dialogue, I tell ya!)  ;)   

{14 more texts of back & forth, her exasperation and his smugness growing}

Then it continued:

Her:  Do we have any classes together?

Him:  Good question!

Her:  Well......what's the answer?

Him:  I can't believe you haven't guessed it yet.

Her:  Aaaugh!  Just tell me who you are?

Him:  Maybe you don't want to know.

Her:  I DO!

Him:  We talked today.

Her:  When?  About what?

Him:  Yada, Yada, Yada.

Her:  Blah, Blah, Blah 

(This Jr. High "flirting" has CAPTIVATED the audience [me] - how about you?)  ;)

AT LAST, the girl guesses that it is Kyle.

In conclusion:

Her:  Ohhhhh.  Duh.  You must think I'm so dumb!

Him:  Nope.

Her:  Well I am.  It took me FOREVER!

Him:  No worries.  :)

Her:  Your just being nice.

OK.  That was a romance killer.  Now I think you're dumb!

Because....it's YOU'RE not YOUR.  

It's a CONTRACTION of the words YOU and ARE.  

It involves the elision of a vowel (in this case, the "A") which is replaced by an apostrophe in writing.  

When in doubt, just do the "test," people.  Can you substitute "you are" in your sentence with it still making sense?  If yes, use, "you're" not "your".  

THANK YOU.

And......You're Welcome for the nerdy grammar lesson.

This little ecard describes me: 

And just so we can further get my nerdiness out in the open - and you can consider yourself WARNED -  here's another caption that screams, "THIS IS ME!" 

Tuesday

With a new High Schooler this year, who has to catch the bus at 6:50a.m. - yes, as in 6:50 in the morning - we've had to move our family scripture reading time up to 6:30a.m. now.

Oh...it's painful to get up so early (with my late nights @ work)...my eyes hardly even work to read properly!

BUT, one day a week, TUESDAY, the High School has "late start" where they start a whole hour later than normal. So, we get to "sleep in" that one day, and we move scripture reading time until 7:30a.m. But, that also doesn't give Kyle enough time to walk/ride his bike to Jr. High School on time, so I agreed to drive him on Tuesdays since I've gotta PROTECT my one sleeping in day!

Today is Tuesday - which meant I drove Kyle, my 7th Grader to school. This is now the 4th week of school, but the emotion that rises to the surface as I watch him leave my car and head into the [big, bad] Jr. High on those days hasn't gone away yet. It totally surprised me on the first day of school when I actually felt SAD when I dropped him off!

What was happening?

Usually, in the past, I didn't have one ounce of understanding for mothers who cried or freaked out on the first day of school. I have always referred to it as "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!" Have I turned into One of THEM?!!?

I think the big issue is that Kyle seems so little.

So innocent.

So young.

So nice.

So NOT a Jr. High student.

It doesn't just seem this way - it is this way, because technically, he isn't old enough to be in Jr. High since way back when he skipped a grade. He's only 11 yrs. old - his age difference compared to his grade has never been blatantly obvious to me until this year -- and the truth is I feel scared and stressed for him when I see him heading in to the "lone and dreary world." Because Jr. High can be a terrifying interesting place. Every time I've driven him to school, I think silently in my mind, "You're Not in Kansas Elementary School anymore!" and then I'm hit with a wave of sadness. This doesn't happen to me when I say good-bye to him from our home, it's just those few times, so far, that I've actually witnessed him going into the lion's den. And I stay parked in front of the school (he doesn't know this, because he never gives me another look back) until I see him run up to the building, (a sure sign of a little 7th grader!) and go inside the doors, all the way out of my sight -- feeling I should save him, but knowing I have to let him go.

I asked him if there were some tall 9th graders at his school.

YES!! Some are as big as Dad!

So, picture this:

9th Grader - 6'3" & 205 lbs.

Kyle - 4'10" & 80 lbs.


Got the picture? Maybe this will help.

9th Grader:

Kyle:

Tuesdays do weird things to me!

For the record, he claims everything is "OK." (Still not a man of many words!)

Ya gotta LOVE Jr. High -- NOT!

1. Here is my son, Ryan.

He is in Jr. High. (I can hear all the inward groans, now!)

One day he wore his baseball shirt, from a team he played on a few years ago, to school.

Here is what the front of the shirt looks like...

And here is what the back of the shirt looks like...
No big deal, right?
WRONG.
Another kid came up to him and asked, "Why are you wearing a shirt that says, 'SEX' on it?"
"Is it because you like sex?"
"And what does that '7' mean on the back?"
"Are you telling us all that's how many times you've had sex?"

Dude, Can you say Chicago White Sox? (Duh!)


2. Ryan tried out for the Jr. High boys basketball team again this year.
And didn't make it. :(
Ryan went up to the coach afterwards and asked,
"Just give it to me straight, Coach, what could I have done?"
The Coach replied, "Well, you need to lose at least 10 pounds!"

Ouch. Double Ouch!

3. Recently, Ryan & I had a meeting with the School Counselor to make his schedule for next year and
map out his track to High School graduation.
To assist in "planting a seed" in Ryan's mind about the importance of Continuing Education,
(and to decide what kind of classes to take in the future) the Counselor asked Ryan what he'd like to be when he grew up.
I could tell that Ryan had something on his mind, but was hesitant to say it.
He mulled around for several seconds and then said "a Pharmacist."
The Counselor wrote it in his "records" and responded quite positively to this, which, I think,
gave Ryan the necessary confidence to reveal more.
And he did.
He said he'd like to be a Professional Athlete.
The Counselor [very noticeably] did NOT write anything down, in fact, her pen stopped, frozen in mid-air,
and then she said, "Let's go for the Pharmacist!"
Way to shatter a boy's dreams!

My Son, the Radio Announcer

I volunteered at the Jr. High yesterday at "Reality Town." I had to be there at 7:30 in the morning and I was so tempted to just roll out of bed and go in my jammies after 3 hrs. of sleep, but I had Ryan's emotional welfare in mind, so I DID get showered, dressed, & ready before appearing at his school.

Reality Town is a program that provides students with a hands-on simulation in which they make lifestyle and budget decisions, as they take on careers, salaries, families and associated responsibilities of the adult world.

Students come to Reality Town dressed up and are given a career and salary based on their current GPA. They are also given a "life scenario" with a family situation and the assignment to pay all the bills of the month. They are expected to live within the means of their monthly income.

At the end of Reality Town, students [are suppose to] reflect on the experience. Did they save or lose money? Is this how they'd really live? How does education correlate with income? This program is a great way to teach students the importance of budgeting, career choices, math skills, check writing, and other hands on skills. (This is not offered at all schools, we are really lucky to have this program at ours.)

I worked at the "car dealership." The students came to me to purchase their car. The types of cars ranged from old Toyota Camrys (Hey! Mine is awesome!) to new Ford Escape Hybrids. We would also "buy back" their car (for a lower price, of course) if later they returned after finding out that they really couldn't afford it (or the insurance.) We also sold bus passes for those who could not afford a car at all.

It was really fun and entertaining.

Does this dude look like a Radio Announcer?
Because that's the "career" Ryan ended up getting. I was surprised to find out that Radio Announcers do not make a ton of money! I didn't know that. I guess I assumed they did since they're kind of celebrities, aren't they? And "famous people" are rich, right?!

Well, lucky for Ryan, his "wife" brought in $2,000/month to add to their income! I was teasing Ryan about his salary...I wondered WHY with his high GPA, he wasn't making much $$$$. (He had to inform the [shocked] people standing around that I was his Mom, so it would explain my interaction with him - good thing I got dressed!) I guess they were given a list of choices within their "college degree" (based on GPA), and Ryan selected a Pharmacist as his first choice, but there was too much demand, so he got his 2nd or 3rd choice - which really interests him. We learned not all jobs are created equal, even with equal education/degrees. So, you have to weigh it out...would you rather make a lot of money doing something you hate OR make less money doing something you love?

Anyway, I encouraged him to do something about improving his salary. So, he went to his "boss" (the school counselor) and pretty much told her that he was "worth more" than what he was making, being on the High Honor Roll and all. The "boss" agreed and approved a $1,000/month raise for him! :) SWEET!!

There was a "donations" booth where all students had to visit and at least make a $10 donation to some charity. I was proud of Ryan that he paid $442.00 in tithing on his own at this booth when a lot of others were trying to get away with just the bare minimum. He was "blessed" since his bank account ended up in the positive still at the end of the month! :)
He saved money by opting for dial-up Internet and only the basic cable package. I disagree with him on this. I'd rather have DSL/high speed Internet over any T.V. channels - hands down!

Here are some other highlights....

• One "30 Yr. old male" had no formal education, so his monthly pay was a little over $1,000. He came to me and wanted to buy a brand new Toyota Tacoma truck. His "life scenario" indicated that they already had one car that was paid for, but was used by his spouse. This purchase cost him $803! He still had to get housing, pay utilities, groceries, health care, taxes, insurance, etc, etc. I just kind of thought to myself, "Good Luck!" Needless, to say, he came back needing to sell his truck later. He wanted to buy the used Honda Odyssey instead. Because of the price depreciation, that'd only get him $166 more back in his bank account. I strongly suggested the bus pass to him (which I know was out of character and is not a regular car salesman practice). He was not thrilled with this option, but that's the REALITY of what he could afford! :)



• Another "30 yr. old male" had some money left over and was thinking about buying another (3rd) car with it. [Off the record, and out of line, again, for a car salesman, I tried to get him to think of other ways to spend his cash] I asked if he'd gone over to the "Personal Care & Grooming" booth yet and got some salon/spa services for his "wife." His exact words were, "I'm not gonna waste my money on her!" To which I replied, "Well, I just figured out where you'll be spending that extra money! Head on over to the "Health Care" booth since you'll be needing some Marriage Therapy!" :)



• One of my female customers was the sole bread winner in her "family." She indicated to me that her husband was "a bum" and made $0. Because of that she was asking for the cheapest car available. I asked her, "Why did you marry a BUM?!?" She said, "I don't know, but I'm SOOO mad at him! We're gonna have a serious conversation out back tonight. And if he doesn't change, I'm gonna kick him right out of our trashy trailer!" :)



• Heard on the scene at Reality Town - "Can we put up some kids for adoption and get some money back? They cost too much!" ;)



• One guy made a ton of money and was single (maybe that's why he had money?). He mentioned everyone always asks him why he wasn't married, yet. I gave him some "motherly advise" and WARNED him against those "gold diggers" out there! :)



• And last, but not least...I've got a fine catch for any of you out there with, say 9-15 yr. old daughters (my own don't fall in that category, so I'm opening it up to the public.) There was THE CUTEST (for an 8th grader) boy who came to the "car dealership" who happened to be an "Attorney" (thanks to his GPA & prudent career choice) so he made plenty of money! His wife also made $500/month at whatever side job she did, but he said that was just hers to go to lunch with her friends, or go shopping, or go on Girls' Night Outs/retreats/trips, etc! He was buying a Mustang - which he realized was not a practical family car, but they already had another car to use for the family - this was for he & his wife to date in! Did I mention he was CUTE?! He also said he bought his wife manicures and they're going on a cruise! His leftover money is just going to be used as a "safety cushion." He was wearing a "Called to Serve" tie, also! Yes, a very FINE boy - er, uh, "30 yr. old man" indeed.

So, stay tuned...you may be hearing Ryan's voice over the air waves in the future (or will there not be radio in the future?) and y'all can say you knew him (or his Mom) when...