AUBURN – The St. Dominic Regional High School junior/senior accounting class took part in the annual Financial Fitness Fair, sponsored by Maine’s credit unions, on April 2 at Central Maine Community College.

Students were asked to prepare a “real-life” budget based on an annual salary that the students may receive after completing their education and moving into the work force. In order to do that, the credit unions had many booths set up, allowing students to pick what type of home/apartment they would like, to what type of recreational activities they would most likely pursue, and everything in between, including grocery planning, clothing and electronics.

All of the students from St. Dominic were able to budget their lifestyle according to their career choices, although some were a bit surprised at how much money it takes to live when factoring in student loans, rent/mortgage, utilities, food, fun, vehicles and other expenses.

Looking back over the experience, senior Ben Horton said, “It was a great opportunity to learn about planning for the future and to discover new ways to start thinking about how to live a financially sound life.”