Bedtime is usually around 1 a.m. for junior Mckenzie Beyer as she comes home from her job at Grubs. While a normal school day alone is a strain for most students, Beyer proves she’s truly something out of the ordinary with her strenuous days.
Her eight-hour school day includes participating in three advanced classes, along with her four other courses, and when Beyer isn’t working she’s watching over her two younger sisters. Beyer worked at Louie’s Grill & Bar for two years, and is currently employed at Grubs Grille & Bar. Her shift at Grubs is usually four hours, and she works two to three shifts a week. Since Beyer works on her own time, she understands the importance of saving.
“When I was younger I would have money and spend it on clothes as soon as I got it, But now that I have a car and more expensive stuff I’ve gotten better at saving. I usually keep $100 for myself, $50 for gas, and save the rest,” said Beyer.
When it comes to non-employed teenagers, managing what money they have is hard and pockets are almost always empty. However, when it comes to life as a part time student and a part time employee, managing money has a whole new aspect to it.
“I think the easiest way would be for kids to only carry about $30 with them and leave the rest in the bank or at home, because you are least likely to waste it all if you don’t have it all with you,” said Beyer.
Beyer finds it favorable for teenagers to work and learn life lessons while doing so.
“I think it’s very important. It makes you appreciate things more when you are the one paying for it with your own money. It will also help you later on in college, as you manage school, work, and social time,” said Beyer.
Junior Dotty Fries has been an employee at Chick-Fil-A since her ninth grade year, and believes there should be a budget for every dollar you earn.
“I keep track of all of the money I spend in my phone and do a lot of saving,” said Fries.
Fries works six days a week in the summer, two days a week during the school year, and her hours range from three to ten hours. Fries loves to save her money, even though she knows saving isn’t always the easiest.
“When it comes to managing money, students should ask for advice from their parents, and know it’s hard to save sometimes,” said Fries.
Fries finds working as a teenager extremely beneficial, butalong with the responsibilities of working, come the responsibilities of taxes. Fries pays about $200 in taxes every year, but thankfully doesn’t have to worry about the stress that comes with paying taxes.
“Chick-fil-A takes care of all of the taxes through my account. I never have to do anything,” said Fries.
Junior Hayden Henry is currently an employee at Hobby Lobby, where he works 25 hours a week, and has been working for four months now. Henry has a certain budget that he finds helpful when saving what money he earns.
“I manage my money by dividing up what I can spend and what I need to save, which is most of my money. Only about 30% of my checks go to me and not my savings,” said Henry. Henry, like Fries, finds himself most successful when it comes to saving.
“I like to think that I’m really good at saving my money. I don’t really spend a whole lot of it.I try to save as much money as I can because I feel like I might need that money in the future, especially because of college. I like to contribute to that,” said Henry.
