San Diego People First

Empowerment includes the whole person: work, leisure, health and wellness, spirituality, house cleaning, and meal preparation. The particular life area I would like to talk today is personal finances. This is one of the most delicate subjects we can talk about. Money influences almost all the decisions we make. One of the toughest lessons I have learned over the years I can’t spend what I don’t have. The first step is to look at your income–pay check, government benefit, trust, and so on. Then look at your priorities, and come up with a budget. To help stretch your dollars, you can enroll in special low-income assistance programs with SDG&E and SBC. Your budget may include line items on: food & groceries, rent/mortgage, household maintence, clothing, utilities, and entertainment. Those on SSI have additional considerations because of limitations of resources you can have. Managing your finances well can give boost your self-esteem and feelings of accomplishment. It is a sign of maturity and independence. Managing your finances requires patience, discipline, commitment and follow through. Knowing math can help so can an ILS Worker.