“My husband and I handle our money much better now, and we are more open to talking about it. We recently developed a budget, which includes saving some money in a savings account. We have a “trick” for helping us save: We pretend we lost money, and we put that amount in the bank instead of spending it!”

Edith’s Story

I was referred to Brighter Beginnings three years ago when my daughter was born. My main reason to enroll was the hope of having someone guide me as a mother. Leticia, my Parent Child Educator, speaks Spanish. She has helped me with many things like applications for medical careand document translations. Because of her, my daughter was enrolled in the Early Head Start program. In that program, I learned that playing with my daughter is the best and easiest way she learns.

My everyday challenges are many, but the one that affects us most is our limited income. We struggle every day to meet our basic needs. I never learned about money when I was young. When I got married, my husband and I tried hard to manage our finances. Even though my husband worked in construction whenever he could, we never had enough and were afraid to even think about saving.

We also had some bad habits. We kept our money at home in cash. We did not have a budget, and we spent money eating out or buying things we didn’t really need, so at times our money was gone before we could pay our bills.

I was very interested in attending the financial education workshops because I wanted to learn how to open a bank account. My husband and I were having problems paying for our car insurance, so Leticia helped us find more affordable insurance. We also learned about using a pre-paid debit card. I learned how to check my balance using the Internet, which helped us be more cautious about spending our money and also helped us save.

My husband and I handle our money much better now, and we are more open to talking about it. We recently developed a budget, which includes saving some money in a savings account. We have a “trick” for helping us save: We pretend we lost money, and we put that amount in the bank instead of spending it!

My proudest accomplishment is that I was able to open a savings account and put some money in it. We have two important financial goals – to avoid unnecessary spending and to keep on saving money so we have it for our daughter or for emergencies.

When I first came to Brighter Beginnings, I was unsure of myself, fearful and inexperienced. Now I’m confident, knowledgeable and accessible. I’m very grateful for Brighter Beginnings.

Learn more about our Family Financial Fitness program.