ADELAIDE 4561 — EDITION — FILM 2 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

C M Y K

14E Money THE NEWS & OBSERVER

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2005

SAVING
FOR LATER
BY REBECCA ROUSSELL
STAFF WRITER
ens. Check.

P Notebooks. Check.
Track shoes. Double check.
Sonie Guseh’s back-to-school list
Sonie’s List
is not complete without one es- Senior pictures:
sential item — her track shoes. Packages typically range
Sonie, 17, has been running track from $125 to $450
since the seventh grade, when she
gave up cheering for running. As Prom: $25 a ticket,
a member of the track team at Jor- estimated $200 for hair,
dan High School in Durham, she jewelry and dress
goes through a lot of athletic shoes Yearbook $60
— about three pairs a year.
Last week, she was trying out Sonie’s parents have budgeted
some new ones at the Dick’s Sport- about $250 for school supplies for
ing Goods in Durham. Sonie and her brother. Here are a
“I like these,” she said, lacing up few of the items Sonie wants:
a pair of electric blue and liquid sil-
ver Hyper Rocket Girl II spike Track shoes $49.99
track shoes by Asics.
She ran in place and jumped Khaki blazer $29.50
up and down on an indoor track Black sateen
in the shoe department to test blazer $25
them out.
Boot-cut jeans $24.50
Then she checked the price:
$49.99 — about $20 cheaper than Lilac short-
her last pair. sleeve top $6.99
“That’s good,” she says, nodding
Red corduroy
her head. “[I will] tell my mom.”
COLLEGE: Breck Fisher, left, and Jody Porowski, preparing to start at UNC-CH, were frugal but went over their budget. A frugal shopper? Indeed. ballet shoes $16.50
STAFF PHOTO BY JULI LEONARD “I lean more toward cheaper Student planner $7.99
items,” she said. “[When I shop] at Three-subject
Hecht’s, I cut out the 15-percent-
notebook $5.49

HOME AWAY FROM HOME off coupons in the paper.”

Sonie says her parents pay for
just about everything for school, in-
cluding her track stuff, but they’ve
Markers
Correction tape
$3.49
$2.99
also taught her how to spend Gel pens $2.99
BY REBECCA ROUSSELL money wisely. Mechanical
STAFF WRITER For two consecutive summers, pencils $2.69
Sonie has worked at Claire’s Ac-
rmed with a list, coupons and their graduation. They had already discussed what Highlighters $2.49
A parents’ money, Jody Porowski and
Breck Fisher set out on their mission.
The assignment: shop until they had every-
each person was going to buy and what costs
they would split.
Still, there were several miniconferences in
Breck and Jody’s List
Door mirror $5
cessories in The Streets at South-
point mall in Durham.
“I try to save … [most] of the
money from the check,” she said.
Binder dividers
Loose leaf paper
$1.49
$0.59
thing they needed for their suite in Craige Hall the aisles — $14.99 for a set of glasses? Too Her goal is to save $1,500 by 1-inch vinyl
at UNC-Chapel Hill. much — to make sure they were getting a Refrigerator $139
the end of the summer. This, after binders (8) $4.00
This will be the two 18-year-olds first year good deal and to make sure their parents Comforter (2) $80 all, will be her senior year. And
at college, and they’re excited — about col- would be pleased with their decisions. that means the prom and senior Pocket
lege, about being away from home, about Both girls also snagged hand-me-downs Extra-long twin sheets folders (6) $1.20
pictures. She wants to be able to
decorating. from their older siblings to save more money. (2 sets) $32
help pay for those kinds of extras.
The rules: Everything must match, and every- “We wanted to make sure we spent about 36-pair shoe rack $32.99 This summer, she paid half of TOTAL: $187.89
thing must fit. So, the beanbag chair that Jody the same amounts,” Breck said, “and the $295 registration fee for track
found in Bed, Bath & Beyond stayed there. whomever was going to use the item more Floor lamp $24.99
camp at UNC-Chapel Hill.
“We want our dorm to be really bright,” next year, then they would get to keep it.” Television cart $19.99 As far as school supplies, Sonie
Porowski said. Her favorite color is pink; Nor did they have to buy any electronics — is planning on the essentials such wear other sports.”
Breck’s is green. which can quickly add up — because they al- Stand fan $19.99
as binders and loose-leaf paper. But the real money this year
They already know the layout of their room ready have a TV, iPod, DVD player and lap- Trash can $14.99 Clothes, of course, will be a dif- will go toward her future. She has
and have a plan in mind: turn their beds into top computer. ferent matter. She prefers dark got college applications and col-
lofts and have a hammock. They want room With those major expenses taken care of, Three-drawer cart $14.99
denim jeans, blazers and tiny T’s. lege visits still ahead.
for friends who visit. they each budgeted about $150 for their big Iron $14.99 “I might wear something like Her list of schools? UNC-Chapel
And they want a pet fish. shopping day. The bulk of the money came this, only if it had track on it,” Hill, the University of Pennsylva-
“People who have living things in their from their parents. The money the two have Cube grid $14.99
she said, pointing to a pink ath- nia and Duke.
rooms are happier,” Breck said, with a giggle. saved from summer jobs over the years will Cosmetic organizer $14.99 letic jacket with a volleyball patch That’s when the real back-to-
The two, friends from Broughton High go toward their living expenses at college. in an Old Navy store. “I don’t school spending begins.
School in Raleigh, have been planning since “[We are] cost conscious,” Breck said. Box fan $10.99
Three sets of
Shopping smart has limits; colleges have fixed costs chrome hangers $8.97
You don’t have to spend a fortune to have a nice dorm room. Hand-me-downs, con- Clear organizer $7.99
signment shops and yard sales can ease the pain in the checkbook. But short of schol- Four-tier shirt
arships, there’s little to do about tuition. Jody Porowski and Breck Fisher will be at- hangers (2) $15.98
tending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Four-tier pants
Here is how the university estimates costs for undergraduates for the 2005-2006
school year: hangers (2) $15.98
Tuition and fees $4,444 Jody’s pink
Books and supplies $900 shower shoes $5.99
Food and housing $6,756 Breck’s striped
Travel $500 shower shoes $5.99
Personal expenses $1,200 Red cups (2) $5.98
TOTAL $13,800
Green cups (2) $5.98
New students also will be charged a one-time student ID and orientation
fee of $54 for first-year students and $41 for transfer students. Cereal bowls (4) $5.96
Fees cover tickets for all regular-season Tar Heel sporting events.
TOTAL: $518.72
Going somewhere else? Check with its admissions and financial aid offices for
details on costs.

Set a good example to teach smart money habits

A recent Junior Achievement Poll found that
even kids as young as 13 have credit cards
these days — which indicates that it is never too
early to talk to your children about money,
especially if you want them to be savvy shop-
pers and fiscally solvent when they’re older.
Here are some tips from KAREN DEBORD,
who holds a doctorate and is a child develop-
DeBord ment specialist in the department of family and
consumer sciences at N.C. State University.
Setting the example: Learning how their parents spend
money is one of the biggest learning tools for children. Chil-
dren pay attention to how their parents spend money. If par-
ents save and talk to children about the reasons
CELVIA E. STOVALL, who holds a doc-
torate and is associate administrator for
the cooperative extension program at North
Carolina A&T University, has taught con-
sumer behavior at the University of Ten-
nessee and helped develop curriculum for
the financial management and educational
program at N.C. State University. Here are
Stovall some of her tips:
Plan your spending: Write down your ex-
penses and monitor your income from a job or an allowance.
Avoid credit cards: People think about their purchases HIGH SCHOOL: Sonie Guseh, 17, reboxes a pair of Asics
more when using cash. And many young people don’t realize track shoes at Dick’s Sporting Goods at New Hope Commons.
how expensive a credit card can be. STAFF PHOTO BY HARRY LYNCH

why, the kids are more likely to follow suit.
Setting goals: Teach your kids how to set rea-
sonable financial goals. For example, if you cannot
afford a $299 iPod, do not buy it. If an item you or
they want is not in your budget, don’t force it in.
Opening saving accounts: Parents should open
a savings account for their children when the kids
are about 6 years old. If the money just sits around in a piggy
bank, it is more easily spent. Have your children keep re-
ceipts in an envelope and then look back on their purchases
to see whether the money was well spent.
Good consumer habits: Help children evaluate advertise-
ments in stores. Point out the good buys and values. Take them
along when returning things so that they can see how you
request a refund.
Know the charges: If your teen does
have a credit card or ATM card, make sure
he or she knows the costs. Many credit
cards have hefty late fees. Charges for us-
ing an ATM that is owned by a different
bank can eat up money in their account.
Watch cell phone fees: Pick the most
cost-effective plan and take advantage of unlimited usage
periods to chat with friends.
Save: Pay yourself first. Even if it’s just $5, students should
always save as much as possible for unexpected emergencies.
For more information on money-saving tips for the entire
family, visit the N.C. Cooperative Extension at N.C. State Uni-
versity ( www.ces.ncsu.edu ) and N.C. A&T University
(www.ag.ncat.edu).
FYI
State’s sales-tax holiday ends tonight
North Carolina’s annual sales-tax holiday weekend ends
tonight at midnight. Consumers get a break on taxes:
they don’t pay the state’s 7 percent tax on
clothing, shoes and school supplies
selling for $100 or less per item; sports
and recreation equipment of $50 or less per
item; and computers that cost $3,500 or less per item. The state provides
more details, including a listing on items that don’t qualify, online at
www.dor.state.nc.us/taxes/sales/salestax_holiday.html.

14E, SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2005 C M Y K

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