On Tuesday, November 1, 2016, thirty members of the Breathitt Area Tech Center Future Business Leaders of America club visited Marie Roberts-Caney Elementary to help with the 4-H “Dollars and Sense” program.

The program simulates budgeting and making smart buying choices. The 4^th-6^th grade elementary students are given a budget of $135 (in play money) and must visit and make a purchase from each of several stores (operated by the FBLA members). Each store has several buying choices in different price ranges. When students decide what they want to purchase, the FBLA members take payment for the purchase and record it in the students’ check registers.  The students must learn how to make wise choices so they can stay within budget. The young buyers are allowed to return items if they run out of money before visiting all stores. Some of the students learned about tough buying choices since they ran out of money before visiting all stores! At the end of the day, everybody had a great time and learned along the way, while also receiving a 4H piggy bank.

The program was organized by Mrs. Jessica Ritchie and Mrs. Jessica Gross of the University of Kentucky Extension Office 4-H Program. The members and advisers of Breathitt ATC FBLA would like to thank these ladies for the opportunity to participate in this worthwhile activity.