Taking Steps Toward Financial Fitness

Nicky Vasquez learned about Virginia Saves when she attended her first class with Bank On Virginia Beach. The instructor shared how important it was to have a written savings goal, and the entire class joined Virginia Saves as the first step toward financial fitness.

Don’t Laugh at Saving Spare Change

Virginia Saves saver, Brittany, decided to start saving again when she became a single mother. She thinks many women, and men, can relate. According to Brittany, “You work out a financial plan with a significant other, you get married and/or have children, you live together and pay bills. However, for one reason or another, life throws you a curve ball and changes the whole scenario. It is so important for a single person, especially a single parent, to have control over their own finances. We have to learn to use what we currently have, and make our paycheck last, to ensure our children and ourselves, are healthy and in a good place. America Saves emails have served as that voice, whispering to me, "It's okay! Day by day, you CAN save and you CAN take care of yourself and your children.”

Brittany’s #1 savings tip: Don't laugh at saving spare change, or an extra dollar from a paycheck. These small efforts are like all of the streams into a sea of water.

The Gift of Homeownership

Quaneka Willis, a single mother of three children, was receiving rental assistance through the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee when she decided to take control of her finances. So, in September of 2013 she attended the Make Your Money Talk program and pledged as a Wisconsin Saver. In less than 12 months, she had maximized her savings and was beginning the process of purchasing her first home.