Students Taking Control of Their Finances Friday, January 30, 2009 By Natalie Beers Senior Kara Mueller writes down what she spent so she can keep track of her finances - Advertising In high school some students are learning how to keep track of their finances by having a checking account or a saving account. Students who are responsible for keeping track of their finances have to be aware of how much money they have and how much money they spend. If you don't keep track of your spending it is very easy to spend more than you have.   Senior Kara Muellar has learned the hard way to keep track of her spending. "One time I wrote a check and I forgot to write it down. I [overdrew] and had to pay a fee," she said. Now she is very careful to write everything down   She thinks having a checking account and a savings account is a good thing. "One good thing about having a checking account is that if I don't have cash I can just write a check. Having a savings account helps me save money and be more cautious about my spending," she said. She wants to keep her checking account and savings account accurate so she writes everything she spends down, even cash.   She also rounds up when she figures out her balance for her checking account. "If I spend $20.94 I round it to $21," said Kara.    Even though Kara thinks having a checking account, debit card, or saving account is a good thing to have, Freshman Kelsey Appling doesn't agree with her. "I don't need a checking account or a savings account. I don't have a job or money so there is no reason for me to have them. If I did have one of them I would spend money I don't have and be in debt," she said.    Accounting Teacher Mrs. Jackson thinks students should have one of the three things. "It is a good way for students to learn how to maintain a smaller amount of money before they become adults. All of the adults I know have a checking account and a saving account,"   She thinks the students gain a lot from having their own checking account or saving account. "They gain responsibility from handling their money. They also learn how to manage their money better when they are adults if they had practice when they were younger," Mrs. Jackson said.   The responsibly students gain from keeping track of their own finances will help them for the rest of their lives. The students who have either a checking account, saving account, or both will most likely be better at saving their money and keeping track of their money after they get out of high school than the students who don't have them. If you have a checking account or saving account, Mrs. Jackson and Kara both recommend writing down everything you spend.

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