Muncy High School Reality Fair

The costs of rent, groceries, and streaming services were some of the many revelations of students from Muncy High School who recently attended a Financial Reality Fair.  Equipped with a budget sheet, 58 students attended the fair, making financial life choices around housing, transportation, food, entertainment, and more. Students also took turns spinning a wheel which produced random income or expense, such as receiving a bonus from work or getting a parking ticket. 

At the end of the event, a financial counselor helped the students add their expenses and compared the total to their monthly income to see if they stayed within budget. About half the students were negative at first, and had to reevaluate their spending, or choose to pick up a part-time job to supplement their income.

The Financial Reality Fair is an annual event for the junior class, hosted by Horizon Federal Credit Union. Horizon hosts multiple fairs at different schools throughout the year.

“Hosting fairs like this supports our core values of community and education,” explained Michael Patterson, Horizon’s Chief Branding Officer. “It’s an eye-opening experience for a lot of the students, and makes a positive impact. The school appreciates our support, and our staff enjoys coming out and engaging with the students.”

Horizon was joined by employees from other local credit unions, MC Federal and Pinpoint, to support the event.