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Money Monday
By Imagine Scholarships
Sherri Ross
July 21, 2025
💸 MONEY MONDAY
Theme: Flip the Script – From Summer Spending to Fall Financial Goals!
☀️ Summer is a blast… but it’s probably done a number on your wallet. The average person spends over $2,200 more in the summer months. From iced coffees to spontaneous trips, it’s easy to lose track.
🍁 But now it’s almost fall—and it’s the perfect time to reset, reclaim your financial goals, and start fresh. We're launching the Fall Financial Challenge, and you're officially invited!
📊 Where Did the Summer Money Go?
Expense | Average Spent |
Weekend Getaways | $810 |
Food & Snacks | $600 |
Entertainment | $550 |
Coffee/Iced Drinks | $240 |
Impulse Buys | Too much 😅 |
💭 Imagine flipping that spending into saving...
🍂 Fall Financial Goal Challenge – Starts Sept 1st!
💡 How it Works:
Choose a Goal – Save for a trip, emergency fund, tuition, tech, or a gift.
Pick a Challenge:
💰 Save $5/day = $150/month
💰 Save $25/week = $100/month
💸 Try a No-Spend September
✅ Spend only on Needs not Wants for 30 days
Track It With Us – We’ll send tools, tips, and trackers!
Celebrate in November – Your success story might be featured!
🎯 This Week’s Challenge:
📝 Write down 3 goals for fall:
One financial 💵
One personal 💫
One academic 🎓
We're going to help you break those goals down and reach them step by step.
👩🎓 For High School Students
Now’s the perfect time to build healthy money habits.
📌 Mini Challenge:
Create a “Fall Focus Fund” using a savings app or a simple envelope. Add birthday money, side hustle cash, or allowance—even $1/day adds up!
🎓 Smart Move: Use Imagine Scholarships to find and track scholarships now. Being prepared means less stress (and less debt) later.
🎓 For College Students
It’s easy to overspend in the summer—late-night snacks, Target runs, fast food—but it’s time to reset.
📌 Mini Challenge:
Track every purchase this week. Circle anything unnecessary. Choose 3 things to skip next week.
🎓 Money Tip: Apply for 2 scholarships this week using Imagine Scholarships. It’s free money—don’t leave it on the table!
👨👩👧 For Parents
Your students are watching. Use fall to lead by example with a shared savings goal or open conversation about finances.
📌 Family Challenge:
Choose a family savings goal (spring break, new tech, holiday gifts). Match your teen’s savings dollar-for-dollar if they meet their goal.
🛍️ Back-to-School Hack: Let your child build a shopping budget with needs vs wants. Teaching them to evaluate value is a gift for life.
🍎 For Educators
This is a great season to weave money talk into your lessons or casual convos.
📌 Classroom Idea:
Have students set a savings goal and calculate how long it would take to reach it at $5/week. Introduce compound interest and let them dream big.
🎓 Need resources? Try our Financially Fit & Career Ready workbook, or bring in Imagine Scholarships for funding help & scholarship tracking.
📖 Real-Life Money Story: Jordan’s Wake-Up Call
Jordan wasn’t a finance expert. Just a regular person who decided to stop letting money disappear.
At 17, Jordan saved $50 a month from a part-time job. By 22, that grew to over $4,000, helping cover a semester of college without loans.
Jordan’s mom (in her 40s) was so inspired, she started saving $100/month for the first time in her life. Five years later, she had $6,800+ saved and used it to buy a new fridge, support her college student, and take a sisters’ weekend getaway.
💡 Whether you're 16 or 56, it’s never too early or too late to take control of your money.
🔮 What If You Start Now?
Let’s say you save just $100/month, and earn a modest 5% interest annually:
Time | Total Saved | With Interest |
1 year | $1,200 | ~$1,230 |
5 years | $6,000 | ~$6,800 |
10 years | $12,000 | ~$15,600 |
Start small, stay consistent, and let time do the heavy lifting.
💬 Quote of the Week:
“Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.” — Warren Buffett
💵 Scholarship of the Week
Applicants should reflect on teen driver safety and address in their essay:
Why is teen driver safety an important public issue, and what role does driver’s education play in addressing it?
What are the biggest challenges teen drivers face today, such as distractions, peer pressure, or lack of experience, and how can they overcome them?
Share a personal experience or observation (your own or someone else’s) highlighting the importance of safe driving habits for teens.
What specific actions can teens, schools, and communities take to promote safer driving among young people?
Applicants must be currently enrolled in either High School, University or College. Deadline is August 1st.
➡️ Apply here or on Imagine Scholarships. Imagine offers scholarships for all ages and a variety of students. The keyword search makes it easier to find awards that fit you.
🎯 Want more scholarships like this? Log in to Imagine Scholarships and unlock access to over $9 billion in scholarships, internships, and tools.
🎬 Video of the Week
🧠 Resource of the Week
📥Smart Goals Sheet– Keep it visible and stay on track!
Download Here
Enjoy the last few weeks of summer and then……..Let’s fall into better habits together.
You've got this—and we've got your back.
💚 The Imagine Scholarships Team
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