HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Central Macomb Community Credit Union staff visited L’Anse Creuse High School to conduct a real-world budgeting simulation with students in grades 9-12. The exercise involved CUNA’s Mad City Money program in which students were given a new identity complete with occupation, salary, spouse, student loan debt, credit card debt, and medical insurance payments. The students used a budget worksheet to walk them through nine stations as they purchased housing, transportation, food, clothing, household necessities, day care, and other needs. The students even had to visit the credit union to pay their credit card bill or put money into a savings account.
Central Macomb offered the budgeting simulation to Macomb County high schools at the beginning of the school year and has already visited Richmond High School, Henry Ford II High School and Fraser High School, educating over 350 teens on the importance of budgeting.
“This group was extremely conservative,” said Phil Modzelewski, senior real estate lending manager. “I couldn’t get them to buy a big house, many chose the apartment.”