When Brad Hill recently asked a group of Woodland Heights residents for ideas for cutting household expenses, he offered his own. He and his family recently dropped cable TV from their monthly bills. He jokingly said his wife cried a little at the decision, but the family moved on – and he says they now have a lot more interaction with their daughter.
Stories like these were shared at a recent Tools For Life (TFL) class at Woodland Heights Presbyterian Church. Hill, who owns a State Farm Insurance agency, volunteers his time and expertise to teach budgeting. Students in his class are on a journey to homeownership or financial betterment.
Habitat for Humanity of Springfield offers free TFL classes most Monday evenings. Although they’re provided as part of the partner homebuyers’ sweat equity requirements, anyone in the community can attend. TFL classes are taught by professionals on finance, homeownership and healthy living. Topics are chosen to help people reach financial goals and prepare for long-term stability.
Some class topics such as budgeting, saving, retirement and conflict resolution make regular appearances due to their need and value. Morgan Ash, partner services associate at Habitat for Humanity of Springfield, schedules the classes.
[pullquote]“We work with spectacular partners in our community. It’s nice to be able to invite members of the general public to attend because we have access to a wonderful group of professionals who share valuable information. And we have fun.” – Morgan Ash, Habitat for Humanity of Springfield [/pullquote]
Lessons are taught in a relaxed, open environment. People feel comfortable asking questions that are relevant to their life situation without fear of being judged.
“This is when the real learning takes place,” says Ash. Class participants provide support and reassurance to each other. “It’s inspiring when you see people get to know each other because they realize they are not the only ones facing a challenge or learning something new,” says Ash. “They have something in common.”
As an instructor, Hill has an easy-going style that encourages conversation. He says he enjoys helping people manage their money because he started his career as a personal banker. He saw how many overdraft fees the bank generated and thought “good for the bank, bad for the community.” Hill wants people to avoid fees by keeping a register. “Write everything down,” says Hill. “When it gets down to zero stop writing.” He laughs. It sounds funny but Hill says purposeful spending is the key to making money last.
If you are interested in the TFL classes, visit habitatspringfieldmo.org, or call 417-829-4001 ext. 114.