MONROE - Dustan Beutel was a little agitated when he found out he had to pay $90 for a three-month supply of a prescription drug.
"Again?" he asked. His frustration was understandable - he had just gotten socked with an unexpected vet bill for $68.50 for a sick pet.
Meet the cruel hand of Fate, Dustan.
In the Monroe High School LMC Tuesday morning, Fate's hand was portrayed by Robin McLeish, MHS business teacher. She held the fortunes and mishaps for sophomore, junior and senior Career and Technical Education students participating in the Monroe Reality Store Project.
The project is "an interactive, hands-on financial literacy event," designed to show students how to save, invest and spend money wisely, coordinator Trudi Stauffacher said. It's held every two to three years.
Students began the exercise by selecting jobs. Dave Shaw, an employment and training specialist for the Southwest Wisconsin Job Centers, assigned wages according to current labor market research. Most students were practical with their career selections, he said, noting jobs chosen included such things such as auto mechanic, nursing and health care professions, construction, accounting, banking and IT.
Armed with a checkbook, students then needed to get a place to live, find a vehicle and buy groceries. They went table to table, talking with local business people and representatives of service organizations as they secured the necessities of life.
And learned how to deal with Fate. As part of the project, students were required to draw two Fate cards from McLeish. While Fate handed out some good news, like extra cash, many students got stuck with real-life financial surprises.
Brittany Miller, a junior, had a toothache and had to pay $60 for a visit to the dentist.
"Can I use my credit card?" she asked.
"Fate doesn't take credit cards," McLeish answered, before turning to help another student write a check. "Make sure you deduct that from your checkbook," she reminded.
Fortunately, Dustan had secured himself a good job as a police officer, helping him survive a double dose of Fate. What he didn't have was a place to live.
"You may want to go to Century 21," McLeish said, indicating a nearby table with students crowded around.
There sat Jennifer Gruber, a real estate agent with Century 21 Zwygart Realty in Monroe, helping students choose a place to live. They had several options for rental housing, ranging from a one-bedroom apartment for $375 to a nicely decorated three-bedroom ranch for $750 per month. Utilities were not included, Gruber reminded the students. Dustan kept it modest, opting for the one-bedroom for $375, with water, sewer and garbage included.
Jason Dunlavey, a junior; Trevor Frie, a sophomore; and Justin Everson, a senior decided to be roommates in the three-bedroom house. As they started writing their checks for their share of the rent, Gruber provided yet another small dose of roommate reality.
"Are you sure you guys can live with each other all the time?" she asked.
The potential for domestic conflict didn't faze them, nor did a query as to who was going to get the one-car garage at the rental house.
"Whoever has the Harley," Trevor said.
"The garage is for tools. We leave the cars outside," Jason corrected him.
Amanda Graham and Ashley K. Smith also chose to be roommates. They also needed a three-bedroom house because Amanda had a child for the project, Ashley said.
Some students were randomly assigned children, Stauffacher said. They also had to take into account daycare costs, while others had to pay child support.
Amanda and Ashley stopped by the Dick's Piggly Wiggly table to do their grocery shopping. They had a list of groceries to choose from, then tallied their food bill. They came up with $304 for the month for the two of them.
Ashley, who chose to be a cosmetologist, found her wages couldn't keep up with her living expenses - especially when a $186 ticket from Fate wiped her out.
Sitting at the Fate table, she asked aloud what millions of working Americans ask themselves each and every month:
"What do you do when you don't have any money?" she called out.
Welcome to reality, Ashley.
"Again?" he asked. His frustration was understandable - he had just gotten socked with an unexpected vet bill for $68.50 for a sick pet.
Meet the cruel hand of Fate, Dustan.
In the Monroe High School LMC Tuesday morning, Fate's hand was portrayed by Robin McLeish, MHS business teacher. She held the fortunes and mishaps for sophomore, junior and senior Career and Technical Education students participating in the Monroe Reality Store Project.
The project is "an interactive, hands-on financial literacy event," designed to show students how to save, invest and spend money wisely, coordinator Trudi Stauffacher said. It's held every two to three years.
Students began the exercise by selecting jobs. Dave Shaw, an employment and training specialist for the Southwest Wisconsin Job Centers, assigned wages according to current labor market research. Most students were practical with their career selections, he said, noting jobs chosen included such things such as auto mechanic, nursing and health care professions, construction, accounting, banking and IT.
Armed with a checkbook, students then needed to get a place to live, find a vehicle and buy groceries. They went table to table, talking with local business people and representatives of service organizations as they secured the necessities of life.
And learned how to deal with Fate. As part of the project, students were required to draw two Fate cards from McLeish. While Fate handed out some good news, like extra cash, many students got stuck with real-life financial surprises.
Brittany Miller, a junior, had a toothache and had to pay $60 for a visit to the dentist.
"Can I use my credit card?" she asked.
"Fate doesn't take credit cards," McLeish answered, before turning to help another student write a check. "Make sure you deduct that from your checkbook," she reminded.
Fortunately, Dustan had secured himself a good job as a police officer, helping him survive a double dose of Fate. What he didn't have was a place to live.
"You may want to go to Century 21," McLeish said, indicating a nearby table with students crowded around.
There sat Jennifer Gruber, a real estate agent with Century 21 Zwygart Realty in Monroe, helping students choose a place to live. They had several options for rental housing, ranging from a one-bedroom apartment for $375 to a nicely decorated three-bedroom ranch for $750 per month. Utilities were not included, Gruber reminded the students. Dustan kept it modest, opting for the one-bedroom for $375, with water, sewer and garbage included.
Jason Dunlavey, a junior; Trevor Frie, a sophomore; and Justin Everson, a senior decided to be roommates in the three-bedroom house. As they started writing their checks for their share of the rent, Gruber provided yet another small dose of roommate reality.
"Are you sure you guys can live with each other all the time?" she asked.
The potential for domestic conflict didn't faze them, nor did a query as to who was going to get the one-car garage at the rental house.
"Whoever has the Harley," Trevor said.
"The garage is for tools. We leave the cars outside," Jason corrected him.
Amanda Graham and Ashley K. Smith also chose to be roommates. They also needed a three-bedroom house because Amanda had a child for the project, Ashley said.
Some students were randomly assigned children, Stauffacher said. They also had to take into account daycare costs, while others had to pay child support.
Amanda and Ashley stopped by the Dick's Piggly Wiggly table to do their grocery shopping. They had a list of groceries to choose from, then tallied their food bill. They came up with $304 for the month for the two of them.
Ashley, who chose to be a cosmetologist, found her wages couldn't keep up with her living expenses - especially when a $186 ticket from Fate wiped her out.
Sitting at the Fate table, she asked aloud what millions of working Americans ask themselves each and every month:
"What do you do when you don't have any money?" she called out.
Welcome to reality, Ashley.