Your personal resources

The same way the island resources are protected and saved, we have to save our own resources to secure our future. That is the money we have saved in our lifetime.

Have your mommy and daddy ever told you; “money doesn’t grow on trees”. Well, they were right, it doesn’t! Paper money is produced by the U.S. Treasury Department, which is located in Washington, DC. Nevertheless, that is the way your government prints it, but how to earn it is what gives it importance and value. It is true that like me, you are very young and are not able to work a whole day like mommy and daddy, but there are ways that you can have your own money while you study. You can get an after-school job or do chores for neighbors and charge money for them.

If you decide to have an after-school job remember it should be one that will not affect the time you spend on your studies. You should make up some business cards to hand out, or put up flyers offering your services. These should be activities you know are fun and that you are good at.

Here are some examples of chores:

Type Papers
Teach Swimming
Take Pet Pictures
Buy and Sell Used Bikes
Wrap Gifts
Take Kids' Pictures
Teach Computers
Make Greeting Cards
Tutor / Teach
Baby-Sit
Pet Sit
Walk Dogs
Sell Lemonade / Kool Aid / Sodas / Juice
Clean Houses
Deliver Papers
Wash Cars
Rake Leaves
Mow Lawns

However, remember:

**On school days you cannot work:
Before 7 AM or after 7 PM (except for newspaper delivery)
More than 3 hours a day
More than 18 hours a week

**During the summer, you cannot work:
After 9 PM
More than 8 hours a day
More than 40 hours a week

The federal government also permits you to work at a number of different types of jobs:

  • Newspaper delivery
  • Acting
  • Non-hazardous farm work
  • Office/clerical
  • Sales
  • Retail

**Budget: A budget is the record of your resources. It is important that you keep a record of what you earn and what you spend. That way you will know what your resources are and when you can use them. You could write down your money goals too, that way you know how close you are to buying your toys. But don’t forget to always save a space for savings!

Your mommy & daddy keep that record in Caribe Federal Credit Union. Like them, you have a savings account in CFCU. We are too young to manage it but if we start practicing in our record book, we will secure our resources for the future.

Click HERE to view our Money Management Guide

I already started my record book with the help of my parents. You should start yours too! You will see how much fun it is to save and protect our resources. Have fun!