Program gives local high school students taste of family budgeting

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Local high school students chewed on the challenges of living with a financial budget when they participated in the Bite of Reality program this week at Three Rivers College's campus in Sikeston.

Nearly 140 Sikeston High School students enrolled in personal finance classes participated in the program Wednesday, Sept. 20, while about 100 students from Kelly High School and Scott County Central High School participated in the program Tuesday, Sept. 19.

Bite of Reality is a hands-on app based simulation that appeals to teens while giving them a taste of real-world financial realities, according to the Richard Myles Johnson Foundation which founded the program. Through the game, teens are given a fictional occupation, salary, credit score, spouse and a child, student loan debt, credit card debt and medical insurance payments. The teens then walk around to eight table-top stations to "purchase" housing, transportation, food, clothing, entertainment and other needs. The game also includes a "credit union" to help with their financial needs.

Hailey Presley, a junior at Sikeston High School, said the game was stressful.

"It is frustrating because you want to get all of the good stuff for your family, but it's like you can't," Presley said. "You have to just go without -- pick and choose which one you want more."

Hailey Presley, a junior at Sikeston (Missouri) High School, looks over her options at the entertainment station during the Bite of Reality event Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, at Three Rivers College's campus in Sikeston.Leonna Heuring ~ Standard Democrat

Hailey Presley, a junior at Sikeston (Missouri) High School, looks over her options at the entertainment station during the Bite of Reality event Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, at Three Rivers College's campus in Sikeston.Leonna Heuring ~ Standard Democrat

For her scenario, Presley said she worked with computers. She was also married and had a baby on the way.

"I only had like $4,000 to my name so I had to work with all the bad stuff. I did buy a good personal care for my baby though. I had to get the cheap food," she said.

Presley said one time in the game, she had to the transportation because she couldn't afford the car she initially wanted to purchase.

"Yeah, me and my husband both have really bad cars, but once we make more money, we'll think about getting a new car," Presley said of her fake situation.

Drake Williams, a sophomore at Sikeswton High School, said the game was good for the students to experience.

"It's not really hard if you know what you want to do," he said. "You have to take care of your money. ... You've got to watch what you're spending your money on."

Through the experience, some of the teens had to deal with a pushy "car salesperson" and a commission-based "realtor" and weigh their wants versus their needs. There's even a "Fickle Finger of Fate" that will give the students unexpected "expenses" or "windfalls"--just like in real life.

The goal of the interactive activity is to teach teens how to make financial decisions and give them a better understanding of the challenges of living on a budget.

"I still have money left!" one student shouted with excitement after finishing his game.

Frank Worthington, who volunteered at the transportation station for the both days of the event, said the experience was great.

"We did this Tuesday, too, with a couple other schools," he said. "Some students come in and they're level headed. Some of them come back and have to downsize. ... I hope the experience sticks with them."

Established in 1958 as the California Filene Foundation, the RMJ Foundation provides financial education resources for credit unions in California and Nevada. The RMJ Foundation's hallmark program, Bite of Reality, targets teenagers ages 15 to 18 and is offered exclusively to credit unions by the RMJ Foundation.

For Tuesday's and Wednesday's program in Sikeston, Bite of Reality was offered through Ozark Federal Credit Union in Poplar Bluff.

"We just expanded into 25 counties which allowed me to come to Sikeston to teach our program," said Davine Conover with the Ozark Federal Credit Union in Poplar Bluff.

Conover, who is also a 1982 graduate of Sikeston High School, served as the facilitator of the program at TRC in Sikeston.

"This program gives the kids a real-life experience," she said, adding the teens often have hilarious reactions to some of their situations.

Following their experience in the "real world," Conover talked to the students about the importance of sticking to a budget, making good choices and having a plan.

"A weakness is only an area that tells you that you need to strengthen," Conover told the students. "Your natural talent is something that comes super-easy for you. Think. Dream. Believe. Dare."

Conover said she challenged the students to go home that night and identify for themselves what they want to do in life and how they want to accomplish it.

"Find mentors that will help you," she said. "You can find the person who talks to you, or you can find a book to read or listen to a podcast -- whatever it takes -- but find something that's going to help you feel successful in life -- because with that, you guys can change Sikeston, and you guys can change the world."