Young and Free

One of the greatest moments in a young person’s life is the day they are set free from their family home and set out to make a life of their own. Free to eat what you want, go where you want, sleep in as late as you want, with no one forcing you to do chores or be home in time for curfew. Oh how great it is to be young and free.

But most kids don’t realize how difficult it is to establish life on their own. There’s rent to pay and suddenly you realize that your cherished internet and cable actually costs money, and that leaving every light on in the house makes your energy bill sky rocket.

After learning that it’s costing nearly $30 a night to order pizza for dinner, you hit up the grocery store in attempt to make your first meal, only to learn that all you can afford is a case of no name brand macaroni and cheese.

For most young adults, moving out means you’re on your way to post secondary, where you are slapped with student loans to cover the cost of high tuition costs. On top of that you have to buy your own text books and supplies. You’re forced to juggle a part time job in between studying so you can make your monthly vehicle payments, leaving you frazzled as you can no longer afford your cherished daily latte to help you through the day.

Gosh, adult life is sure hard. How are you ever suppose to be able to afford anything?!

Enter Servus Credit Union’s Young and Free program. Not only are they offering a free account to youth between the ages of 17-25, but they are working to help promote awareness among Alberta’s young adults, to help teach them about managing their own finances. 

They have invited the youth of Alberta to submit a video application to win a chance to be the official spokesperson for this amazing program. For a full year, one of our own will be blogging and speaking out about the program and helping their peers learn more about managing their money.

On Friday, March 26, 2010, three finalists will be chosen from all of the applications for the Young and Free Spokester search. Voting will be open to the public to choose who you think should be the voice of the program and lead us to a financially secure future.  I encourage all of my readers, regardless of your age, to check out all the applicants and vote for your favorite. Also, read up on the program and see what you can do to help educate yourself with your money.

With the right hints and tips, you might be able to set up a savings account and put money aside every month for emergencies, or to help you save for that big trip you’ve been planning. You might realize that racking up your credit card might make buying those $100 concert tickets to the hottest summer festival easier, but increases your monthly expenses. The money from those payments could be used for those new kicks you’ve been eyeing up at the mall instead!

We are the generation of tomorrow, we have the power and with the right knowledge, we can do amazing things! By getting educated early, we can set ourselves up for financially stable future, enabling us the financial freedom to reach our dreams!

For more information on the program and to vote for your favorite applicant, check out www.youngfreealberta.com