Spending Leaks: Where Does My Money Go

To support the recovery process for families that are struggling with substance abuse and incarceration, the Breckinridge County Extension Family and Consumer Science Program reaches out to the local detention center to provide family resource management classes for men in a mandated substance abuse program.  The majority of the participants are fathers and/or husbands who have identified money management as a need.  The curriculum Where Does My Money Go was utilized to provide the framework for the discussion and learning activities to teach needs versus wants, personal spending and saving habits, budgeting and SMART goal setting for family resources. Forty participants completed post program surveys and stated that they could have more money if they made different spending choices. More than 95% reported they would do things differently in the future by spending on needs before wants.  After adding up the cost of personal spending leaks, one participant stated, “this class has opened by eyes to being more responsible with my money and spending.”The Where Does My Money Go program is helping to build a community of support for recovery and is helping men to build life skills to support themselves and their families in a positive way.