Click here for amazing video from Barbara.
Video of Barbara sharing her “Amazement”
Most of the time here at Money & ME, we share success stories of participants who have completed the Money & ME program. Today, it is from a different perspective, a trainer, Barbara Tegtmeier. Barbara has taught several classes through her church which is located in Southeast Albuquerque.
She shares, “many times participants come to a Money & ME class because it is a requirement for various reasons. Often they come to class with a “blah” attitude, but after experiencing the realistic material designed for “regular” people and discussion with people in similar situations there is an attitude change. During one table discussion, people start connecting not only the dots with the content of the program but in real life application. One example is cilantro. Someone mentioned how they bought their cilantro at Store #1 for a certain price. A large discussion started when it was mentioned that you could buy 2 bunches of cilantro for the same price at Store #2. This lead to a “ah-ha!” moment when the participants realized how much money they could save by buying their cilantro at Store #2. Another “ah-ha” moment was during the discussion of needs vs wants. Is a pet a need or a want? As the mom of a black lab who is my third child, this is an interesting question. To many low income people, a pet is a need not necessarily a want. They have no control over anything in life and don’t have much to claim as “theirs” but a pet is their family. To many this falls into the category of a need and not a want. Makes one stop and think about what others consider a need vs a want. Not only did the participants learn something new, but Barbara states she learns something new each time she teaches as well.
Barbara, thank you for your willingness to teach and help others develop their “ah-ha!” moments so they can grow and be successful upon completion of the Money & ME program.